Hit some new places (new for me, anyway) this weekend. (I talk about the food in a little more detail on SideDish, where I also ask for comments on your favorite bar food.) The rundown:
- Blue Collar Bar – The Location: catty-corner to Louie’s, so it has stiff competition. The Vibe: upscale dive. The Folks: bikers, East Dallas hipsters, hot girls with dark nails. The Good: Hawaiian chicken sandwich. The Better: $2 cans of PBR, Miller High Life, and Pearl Light. The One Gripe: wish it had news or sports on the TVs.
- NSL (National Sports Lounge) – The Location: Former Red Jacket Spot, next to Snuffer’s. The Vibe: Fox Sports Grill + Hooters. The Folks: dudes. The Good: tasty chicken salad, $3 domestic draft, free wifi, four million flat-screen TVs. The Better: the skimpy referee/stripper waitress unis. The One Gripe: A skosh too loud.
- Central 214 – The Location: in the Hotel Palomar, next to Exhale. The Vibe: low-key sophisticated. The Folks: middle-age couples, middle-aged singles, and biz travelers. The Good: the “Central Manhattan” cocktail, made with Woodford Reserve, and the mac and cheese, made with rigatoni. The Better: the bartender (forgot name; spikey hair guy) was fantastic: attentive but not overbearing, great suggestions, funny, and fast. The One Gripe: realizing I’m middle-aged.
- PM Lounge – The Location: at (really next to) the Joule Hotel. The Vibe: [insert thumping dance beat here]. The Folks: rhymes with cartouches. The Good: that red couch was kind of fun to look at. The Better: leaving. The One Gripe: arriving.
