Back in November, Jamie and I dropped off Carson at my parents’ house and had a little one-night staycation in Dallas that was mostly centered around eating at lots of great restaurants! We used to have a condo in Uptown Dallas, and although we only live about 35 minutes from downtown now, it was such a treat to go back to some of our old Dallas favorites and experience some new places too. We got a hotel room downtown at the Omni Hotel that had a view of Reunion Tower and the Margaret McDermott Bridge. The Omni is fairly centrally located and certainly within walking distance of some restaurants; however, all the places we planned to go did require a short Uber or car ride – something to keep in mind if you’re looking to walk.
My parents live southwest of Dallas, so the first place we stopped for a mid-afternoon drink and bite to eat was Paradiso in the hip Bishop Arts District. We didn’t a have a reservation and there was a half hour wait, but it was the perfect amount of time to pop in some of the shops before we ate. I’ve always been a big fan of Bishop Arts and its trendy shops and restaurants, but it had been a couple years since I’d spent a lot of time here, and I was impressed with how much it has expanded.
We even bought quite a few Christmas gifts in that short window of time before we got the text that our table was ready at Paradiso. If you’re in the area, be sure to check out All Good Things for the cutest gifts, Urban Owl for fun and eclectic goods, and the wonderful Emporium Pies for a sweet treat. Also, there’s the coolest little bookstore/coffeeshop/bar in an old home called The Wild Detectives that holds a special place in my heart!
Since the weather was nice, we sat outside in the beautiful courtyard, sipping on fun cocktails and people-watching. We shared a wood-fired Italian sausage & stracciatella pizza topped with yummy little pickled teardrop peppers that I’m still swooning over.
We walked around Bishop Arts a little more, and then headed to our hotel downtown, relaxed a bit and changed for dinner, and got an Uber over to Uchiba, a bar owned by Uchi that’s just upstairs. They offer some of the same types of items that you can order at Uchi, but it’s a casual and relaxed vibe and more of a place for snacks/small plates versus an elaborate meal. This was exactly what we were looking for, given that we had already eaten a meal earlier, and we also were excited that we could watch the Aggies play at the sushi bar, but it felt much more fancy than a regular sports bar (and the food was 100x better too).
We had so many delicious small plates, including hama chili (always a favorite – yellowtail, ponzu, Thai chili, orange supreme) and sake toro (Atlantic salmon belly). We stayed a while, and ended up taking a little walk after the game and going back to our hotel to bed… can you tell that we’re parents of a baby?! However, if I had had just a little more energy, we would have gone to The Tipsy Alchemist, which is one of our favorite bars in that area. If you’re ever in the area, go there and get a really fun drink – they are expensive but worth it.
Getting to sleep in without our sweet boy waking us up at the crack of dawn was one of the best parts about our little staycation! We lounged and enjoyed our morning, before getting ready for our brunch reservation at Mercat Bistro. I had been to Mercat many years prior and had forgotten how much I adore this little gem! The setting is absolutely lovely – just like the most quaint little French bistro – and their brunch menu is full of treats, including pastries and my very favorite brunch drink, the Peche Mignon – champagne poured over a fruit fruit ball that melts ever so deliciously in the champagne.
We had a leisurely brunch, then drove to the site of a building that Jamie designed (always nice to see your work projects come to fruition!), before heading to our last stop on the way home – The Salty Donut, which I’m now officially obsessed with. We wanted to try all the flavors of donuts, but we ended up with half a dozen that we cut in half so that my mom and dad could try all of them too. We gave this place a double thumbs up – they are all SO good and so unique.
And then we met my parents to collect our little guy and drive home. All in all, it was a really nice and relaxing weekend – just what the doctor ordered during a stressful period of our lives (Jamie’s brother was fighting for his life at the time, but has since been able to come home from the hospital and is recovering nicely).
Do you have any Dallas recommendations? I’d love to create more posts like these, as traveling, food, and culture are some of my favorite topics of conversation! It’s always nice to get firsthand recommendations (with photos) when you’re visiting somewhere new – or even cities that you know well, as there are always new businesses popping up. I’m hoping to dive back into some trips we’ve taken in the past too… so many places, so little time! Feel free to comment with your own recos!
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