Two of Dallas’ most beloved bartenders are teaming up on a new project in East Dallas, a neighborhood bar they hope will be welcoming to everybody.
Saint Valentine will open on Bryan Street in mid-November, in the space formerly occupied by sandwich chain Top Round. It’s a collaboration between Gabe Sanchez, of the beloved and lamented Deep Ellum bar Black Swan Saloon, and Ryan Payne, of Oak Cliff’s nearly six-year-old Tiny Victories. The new bar boasts two patios, an eclectic food menu, and cocktails, starting from $14, that aim to be well-crafted but unfussy.
“The goal is to take what we do seriously, but not be serious about it,” Sanchez says. “Everything we do, we want to be the best we can, but without that air of arrogance that sometimes can pervade some of [cocktail] culture. If you want something that’s real nerdy, rad, we’ll do that. If you want to hang out and drink Miller Lite, you have a place as well.”
In a way, Saint Valentine—like this duo’s previous bars—reflects a backlash against the stereotypical craft cocktail bars of the 2010s. Gone is the snobby mindset. Gone (or hidden) are unpronounceable mystery ingredients. In their place are good, understandable drinks, done right and served by friends. You know: a good neighborhood place. (Sanchez will still help out with the cocktail menu at the subterranean Midnight Rambler in the Joule.)
Black Swan and Tiny Victories are two of the best-known neighborhood bars in recent Dallas history. It’s not surprising, then, that Payne and Sanchez are hoping for a spiritual baby between the two. Sanchez says he wants to replicate “the kind of wink-and-a-smile, high-fives-and-hugs, that sense of belonging that people got used to at Black Swan, they’re used to at Tiny. There’s an ownership by regulars. [Black Swan] was their spot more than it was ours at the end. That part is going to transfer over. We’re a lot older than we used to be, but we’re still the same guys. When you walk in, we’re gonna be so happy to see you.”
East Dallas might already be the city’s best neighborhood for everybody-knows-your-name bars. Bryan Street Tavern is a few blocks to the southwest, and the Dallasite is only a few steps away from Saint Valentine. (Now that’s an old-school new-school contrast.) Head up Live Oak Street, and you’ll find the formidable duo of Cosmo’s and Lakewood Landing.
“That’s more exciting to have those guys as a comparison,” Payne says. “I’ve been frequenting those places for 15 years or so.”
“There’s a lot of hours in the day to drink,” Sanchez adds. “You can spend a couple hours with us, jump in an Uber, bounce over to Cosmo’s. Grab dinner at Petra and the Beast with Misti [Norris], grab a corn dog late night at Landing. If you did that as a first date, or that was the first representation somebody had of Dallas, you’re off to a good start. And they’re all within a mile of each other. We just gotta practice our bocce ball. Apparently the guys at Jimmy’s are really good.”
Speaking of food, Saint Valentine will have a full menu ranging from sandwiches to tinned fish plates. It isn’t finalized just yet, and may evolve over time. Chef Jordan Edwards’ past gigs include work at Eataly and The Mitchell, maybe Dallas’ most underrated place to eat. Sanchez calls him a “veggie-leaning type of person” and says that Edwards will have a lot of leeway to devise snacks from across different genres of food. “He has all of the tools, and he needed a chance to shine,” Sanchez says. “We’re going to give him creative freedom as long as it’s good.”
Payne suggests Saint Valentine can produce unusual snacks because East Dallas’ other great bars already do the classics so well. “Everybody else does bar food the right way. I’m not trying to compete with the food that Bryan Street has, or Lakewood Landing, or Cosmo’s. So we said, let’s do something different.”
Saint Valentine benefits from two patios. One occupies about half of the space where diners from Top Round and Khao Noodle Shop used to chomp sandwiches and slurp sukiyaki. The other is around the other side of the building. To make these outdoor areas welcoming for as many months as possible, Sanchez and Payne are bringing in lots of vegetation. Sanchez’ sister, who is a personal farmer in Los Angeles, flew in to help with landscaping. (And yes, “personal farmer” is a whole story of its own. Basically, if you’re a Hollywood star, you might recruit somebody to plant and dig up carrots for you.)
All that’s missing now is a final shipment of equipment. When the last boxes arrive—hopefully this week—Saint Valentine will be able to set an opening date to welcome its future regulars. Payne and Sanchez hope to open in about two weeks.
“We’re both OK bartenders, but I think we’re a lot easier to hang out with,” Sanchez says. “If you want to have a home base, a home away from home, that’s us.”
Saint Valentine, 4800 Bryan St.
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