A Weekend in Dallas

Nestled in the heart of Texas, Dallas served me as a dual purpose for both work and play. While attending Aesthetic Next; the largest aesthetics conference in the country, my husband joined me afterwards for an extended getaway. We stayed at the Hilton Anatole, equipped with a resort feel and a short Uber away from all the things. Join me on our weekend journey through Deep Ellum, the Arts District, Arlington, a stranger’s generosity and beyond.

Day 1: Wednesday – Margarita Hopping in Deep Ellum

Shortly after settling in and devouring the breakfast buffet at the hotel, my co-worker and I hopped in an Uber heading straight to the Deep Ellum district of Dallas to explore the daytime bar scene. Many of the bars would open after 4pm but we managed to one-margarita-two our way through the district well enough. This four street wide area is an entire vibe and we snacked and drank our way through all four. Must stops: Revolver Taco Lounge for the best marg, Angry Dog for your local watering hole vibes, and Ebb & Flow which managed to make french fries as boojie as their atmosphere.

Day 2: Thursday – Aesthetic Next Conference and Sky-High Dining

The day was packed from start to finish with the Aesthetic Next conference. For dinner, I joined my staff on the 15th floor of the Hilton Anatole to experience SER Steak + Spirits. I devoured part of a mouthwatering tomahawk steak and a well made dirty martini (extra dirty extra olive). The panoramic views of the city skyline provided an amazing backdrop to our meal, capping off a day of professional growth.

Day 3: Friday – Artistic Escapades and Uptown Vibes

Day time was again a jam packed conference day. Afterwards I opted to venture out on my own heading straight to the Dallas Museum of Art. (Admission is FREE!) The diverse collections held me captive for almost two hours. My introverted self really enjoys aimlessly strolling through time in a museum and I was glad to be alone so I could take my time.

As twilight painted the city, I took a short walk towards Klyde Warren Park. Surrounded by bustling food trucks and children’s laughter in the splash pad, I was caught up in the views as I realized the expressway actually goes under the park! I had read about this but didn’t quite understand it until I saw it! From there, my solo journey led me towards Uptown to find some dinner.

I met a friendly local couple at a crosswalk who recommended I grab dinner at their favorite spot, Sixty Vines. As they were headed there I followed along. Interestingly, the guy’s sister lives in Indianapolis! Sixty Vines was clearly a local favorite, packed and with a one hour wait. Luckily I snagged a single bar seat that had just become available. The bartender was attentive and helpful, recommending some tasty wines and the mushroom kale pizza with goat cheese. It was so tasty I enjoyed the leftovers at breakfast the following morning too.

Day 4: Saturday – Poolside Bliss and BBQ Delights

As I wrapped up day three of the conference, my husband arrived in Dallas. We immediately hit the pool area. The Hilton Anatole pool is like none other. The Jade Waters Resort style pool is complete with a coveted swim-up bar, kids splash and play area, lazy river, luxury cabanas, two 180 ft. slides, and more. One of Jordan’s must haves any time I book an all inclusive vacation is there has to be a swim up bar so we were both thrilled to find one here.

For dinner we set our sights on Terry Blacks, lured by the promise of authentic Texan BBQ. It came highly recommended by two Uber drivers as well a slew of online BBQ top tens lists. It was quite possibly the best BBQ I have ever had. Pecan Lodge also came highly recommended, though we did not end up making our way there this trip.

We walked around the area for a bit taking in the people watching and grabbed a drink at one of the local watering holes before heading back for the night. After a long day of travel for Jordan and class for me, we turned in by 9:30 pm. Fun fact – multiple Uber drivers and even the hotel door man told us Deep Ellum was not safe at night. I will say, when the sun goes down there is a definite shift in the atmosphere in that a more destitute population emerges and a much rowdier crowd in general. I don’t know that I would choose to stroll this area solo after dark had Jordan not been with me. Conversely, I felt very safe walking around after dark on Friday night when I walked solo from the art museum to uptown for dinner.

Day 5: Sunday – Brunch, Baseball, and High Rise Watch Parties

I just had to try Sixty Vines again for their Sunday brunch menu after reading reviews and chatting with two girls at the bar from Friday night. It sure did not disappoint! The self serve mimosa bar was a favorite and I am still drooling over my meal. I tried the egg white & goat cheese frittata except I asked for the full egg yolk. It was 10/10! (can you tell I’m a sucker for goat cheese?) Jordan’s Cabernet brunch burger was mouthwatering as well. After brunch we made our way to Arlington (about 30 minutes away) to watch the Rangers play Oakland. Next to the stadium is a place called Texas Live, which hosts 11 venues for sports watch parties and opens up to views of the Cowboy’s stadium. We grabbed some drinks here before game time. Apparently it is the place to be as Travis Kelsey was spotted there last weekend. Also in the area, former Ranger’s owner George Bush threw the first pitch last weekend in the first round of the playoffs. How cool would that have been to be at a playoffs game! Jordan has a goal to watch baseball games in as many different stadiums as possible and it was a pretty good game so I enjoyed it as well.

After the game it was scorching hot so we made our way back to the hotel to hit the resort pool again to cool off. The swim up bar service closed at 5pm so after a quick dip and drink from the bar we headed back up to the room to change for dinner.

For dinner we opted to try a place called Stirr, back in deep ellum district. This restaurant was a lot… I would say it is definitely for a certain vibe and we honestly weren’t really feeling it. The music was more fitting for a night club. The food and cocktails were decent. We got the “game-day spread” which was basically 6 or 7 different appetizers and more than enough value given the large portions. Our table was near the windows so we had some pretty spectacular people watching. Upstairs was a private party, so while I was hoping for a rooftop dinner experience, it was not an option this particular night. From there we walked toward downtown to explore a bit as the sun came down.

We stumbled across a Cowboy’s watch party in the AT&T building plaza which was really cool. There were hundreds of people here with chairs & blankets all watching the game on the side of one of the high rise buildings. This area we found out was called the AT&T Discovery District®; “a new downtown destination where tech, culture and entertainment combine to create unique experiences.” The Exchange houses 11 restaurants and bars. The event calendar includes live viewing of sports, movies and other family friendly events. It was an accidental find and pretty cool experience.

Day 6: Monday – Tourists in Our Own City

Our last day was full of all my touristy check offs. We began with brunch at CBD provisions in the upscale Joule Hotel. I ordered the chilaquilles which are a must try. Jordan enjoyed the omelete. With full bellies, we were on our way to explore the history of Dallas.

The famous “big eye” sculpture was just a few paces from brunch. I am a sucker for architecture so I grabbed a few photos of The First Presbyterian Church of Dallas on our way towards the government district & Pioneer plaza. Next was the West End district where we stood on the marked spot in Dealey Plaza where JFK was assassinated. Plaques line the area with the history of that day. From here we made our way up to Klyde Park to view it by day light. While there we grabbed some drinks and a snack at Mi Cocina. Hot and tired, we decided to end our trek early in exchange for the swim up bar back at the hotel. I had initially intended on taking us to uptown for some shopping but since I had now been to the area twice, I opted to skip this.

At the pool we met a group of 6 that was celebrating a birthday and were immediately welcomed into their party. Turned out they were locals from the suburbs of Dallas. After I shared with one of the guys a few of the dinner spots I had in mind, he confirmed that my sushi spot was 100% the best choice. We made our decision and found ourselves wishing we had made reservations at the indeed popular Uchi Dallas, where they fly in fresh fish daily. We only waited about 40 minutes before ultimately snagging two of the best seats in the house at the sushi counter with our own sous chef.

First, this dining experience was unbelievable. We chose to eat “somakase” which means the sous chef curates the menu for us, feeding us until full. We had a ball park on the cost and it was $$$ but we decided it was going to be worth it for the experience. The man next to us had been doing the same and we learned he was in town on business from NYC. This particular Monday was on 9/11. My husband and the gentleman were discussing the importance of the day and we discovered he lived only 2 blocks away from the World Trade Centers on 9/11. He remembers feeling the impact of the planes hitting the towers. Being in finance, he shared sadly that he lost many friends that day. It was clear that after more than a decade the wounds were still there for him and he was appreciative to find people who still paid respect to loss occurred from that terrible event. After our meal was complete and the gentleman had left just prior to us getting our bill, our waiter came to our table teary eyed with the revelation that this kind soul had paid half of our rather large bill. Of course this made me cry. To this day I wish I could thank him for his insane generosity.

Feeling incredibly thankful and blessed beyond measure, we turned in for the night wrapping up our weekend in Dallas with full hearts and full bellies.

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