I had every intention to stay in and be lazy. That involves freeing myself from my pants the second I walked in the door, shimmying into my ugly glow-in-the-dark jammies and binging on Mad Men. But instead, I headed to the Bishop Arts and Trinity Groves district for an impromptu date night. Plus, the weather was warm enough for a dress. I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity.
At the excited behest of one of my friends, I went to check out The Local Oak, a stones throw from the Bishop Arts District. This bar has only been open for a few months, but it’s very promising. The venue is spacious and very cute. It has this lovely rustic feel to it and their patio area is something you would want for your own backyard.
The service is ultra friendly. The place was a bit slow on a Friday, so of course they were attentive, but I think that’s what we were looking for. Just a calm atmosphere, a few drinks, and March Madness.
The menu, although modest, has some really kickass stuff on there. We ordered the Texas Surfers and the TLO burger. Personally, I am not a big fan of spam. I could care less for it, but the Texas surfers made me reconsider. It’s a pretty bold item. The toasted bun, the grilled spam and the relish and slaw made it a pretty wonderful thing. There is definitely some talent in their kitchen. Chef Aaron Courtney came from Nick and Sam’s Steakhouse and is a protege of Stephan Pyles (read more about the Local Oak here).
I can’t take credit for eating the burger, but it’s pretty decent from what I can tell in one bite. Juicy. Tasty. All good components in a burger. Plus, a fried egg on top makes everything better. I also loved that your side of fries is a mix of waffle fries, regular fries, and sweet potatoes fries. The best of all worlds!
I also enjoyed the Mexican Mule, a spinoff of the Moscow mule. Tequila was used instead of vodka and I actually liked it better. A few things that seemed pretty appealing for my next visit: the Bucket of Love, which a bucket of thick sliced candied bacon for you bacon lovers.
It’s definitely a cool place to check out if you’re in the neighborhood. The fact that they have a parking lot won my heart.
Next, we headed to Luck in Trinity Groves for some flights. If you haven’t made a trip over on a Friday night, you should. The vibe is just so cool. The large outdoor seating is awesome. It’s relaxed and it’s fun and you are just surrounded by how beautiful the area has transformed and all the different people that make their way there. If you ever need a break from Uptown, head this way. I can’t say the level of pretentiousness goes down, but with downtown Dallas as a backdrop who cares. All our beers at Luck come only from local breweries in Dallas. I’m glad I got to check off a few more places off my list.
