Things To Do In Dallas Tonight: Feb. 9

As I have maybe mentioned one or two times before, my best friend Pam is a lovely person. She taught me how to yell at cabbies and she tried to teach me how to properly order a bagel. Pam’s currently studying to be a fancy lawyer, but she’s a creative spirit with a romantic attachment to radio and she loves talking to people. That’s why she was the first in our circle of pals to really get into StoryCorps, the oral history project founded by Dave Isay in 2003. It’s morphed from Internet radio program to anthropologist’s dream, with an archive of over 30,000 interviews that lend insight into how Americans work, live, and love.

You might remember the touching tale that made its way around the Internet a couple of summers ago. It was the love story of Danny and Annie, two Brooklynites who were married for 27 years until death did them part. Before Danny passed away from incurable cancer, they both sat down for an interview that StoryCorps preserved as a beautiful (and tearjerking) animated short. I wish I’d done this with my grandparents before my grandfather got sick— they were married for 65 years, and knew each other for more than 70. Go watch the short, and then go buy a ticket to Isay’s talk tonight at the Dallas Museum of Art, part of the museum’s Arts & Letters Live series. He’ll discuss the project as well as his most recently published book, All There Is, a collection of StoryCorps’ most inspiring love stories.

If you haven’t had a chance to check out Bolsa Mercado, tonight’s a good night to go. JR Richardson of Oak Cliff Cellars is hosting an informal wine chat, so you can taste some vino and ask questions to your heart’s content. Then, pick up something delicious for dinner (they have sandwiches, paninis, and full gourmet dinner offerings ready to go). These photos on SideDish will make you hungry.

For more to do with your Thursday evening, go here.

Things To Do In Dallas Tonight: Feb. 8

After a recent wine tasting (I feel so fancy saying that, by the way), I had the occasion to meet and chat with an absolutely lovely older couple. We talked about the wines, we talked about chocolate, and then we got down to serious business: liquor. You see, one of my new friends is an inventor. He has a big patent pending on some sort of catalytic fruit acid, he knows his way around a kitchen, and he likes his booze (his dessert of choice: Safeway brand sea salt caramel ice cream, swimming in Scotch). It became a fun and educational game– I named a spirit, and he gave me brands to buy and where to find them here in Dallas.

The upshot is, I need to take his advice and stock up. Wednesdays in February have become the day to do this, what with Sigel’s “Food Truck Happy Hour.” Head to the Greenville Ave. location after work, where there will be food trucks parked out front, plus happy hour specials in the store. Participating trucks include Rock and Roll Tacos, Ruthie’s Rolling Cafe, and Easy Slider. I quite enjoy Ruthie’s, though their grilled cheeses have inspired many debates here at the office as to the exact moment a grilled cheese ceases to be a grilled cheese and becomes a sandwich.

And since I am possibly the least qualified person to talk about football, I am going to do just that. The Allen Wranglers are hosting a welcome party for their new wide receiver, Terrell Owens. Michael J. Mooney, who is much more knowledgeable than I on almost every subject with the possible exception of three very specific TV shows, brought us the news last month that T.O. was returning to North Texas to play for and co-own the team, which is part of the Indoor Football League. (The Wranglers are part of the ‘Intense’ Conference, in case you were wondering). The season doesn’t officially start until Feb. 25, but the party tonight includes free popcorn and the chance to win tickets to the first game (and some other stuff, that includes a meet and greet with T.O. and signed memorabilia). Personally, I enjoyed reading GQ’s February cover story on the guy more than I would attending an actual sporting event. I have Mr. Mooney to thank for pointing me towards that, too.

For more to do tonight, go here.

Things To Do In Dallas Tonight: Feb. 7

The only thing that could possibly cheer me up right now is the news that Live From Daryl’s House plans to add Dallas to their meager tour schedule. It is wildly apparent, however, that the booking gods have better things to do than smile on me.

How to make this evening better than this sorta-kinda gloomy morning? Riverdance. Obviously. The Riverdancers have had a good two-decade run. But alas, their Irish step-dancing time must come to an end, much like our beloved Greenville Ave. parade if somebody doesn’t pony up that $40,000. Bid the troupe adieu at the Music Hall at Fair Park tonight, presented by the Dallas Pops. (As a kid, I thought the Dallas Pops only existed on the Fourth of the July, but that’s neither here nor there.) Riverdance, with all its whirling and twirling and high-kicking, will blow your mind.

Also this evening, songstress Brandi Carlile is performing an acoustic session with Lucy Wainwright Roche at the House of Blues. I’m a fan of Wainwright Roche’s half brother and sister, Rufus and Martha, so I figure she’s worth a listen. And since you’ll be downtown, you can try the Chesterfield for food, or just drinks. Some people like it. I like the idea of their fancy ice shapes, since a) it reminds me of the reusable fish ice cubes my neighbor used when she made pitchers of Kool-Aid and b) it makes for an excellent science project that could probably be recast as a drinking game.

For more to do tonight, go here.

What to Do For Valentine’s Day in Dallas

Brandied cherry, raspberry, strawberry balsamic, hand-painted heart, all part of the hand-painted chocolate collection at Chocolate Secrets. Photography by Manny Rodriguez

Ah, St. Valentine. Patron saint of lost causes, broken hearts, and utter indifference. Kidding. This Hallmark holiday should be all about the good stuff. If you haven’t made dinner plans already, shame on you. SideDish has the nicest looking, most comprehensive list of menus around. And now that you’ve booked a nice meal, allow us to present a few different options for celebrating with your lucky love.

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Things To Do In Dallas Tonight: Feb. 6

After actually watching almost all of the Super Bowl (surprising, I know), all I want to do is buy American cars and drink American beer. Does Bud Light Platinum remind anyone else of Bawls? Pretty sure I just invented the new Four Loko.

Your best bet tonight is Coyote, a new play by Kevin Kautzman about a pair of Arizona minutemen. It runs through the weekend at Nouveau 47 in Fair Park, but tonight happens to be industry night. You can pay whatever you wish for a ticket and bring your own booze. Put that stash of airplane bottles to good use. The theater company gave Coyote a reading during their new works festival, and liked it so much they decided on a full production. I haven’t seen it yet, but I’ve heard good things. Post-play, head to the Amsterdam for live jazz, since you’ll be in the neighborhood anyway.

I’ve never been much for horror movies, but the Texas Theatre has a good one that sounds delightfully schmaltzy with just a bit of spook. I enjoy ghost stories way more than the weird sadistic blood and guts stuff, anyway. Peter reviewed The Innkeepers last week on FrontRow, and describes one of the leads as a “sputter-lipped, Dwight Schrute-come-Elvis Costello.” Which means I’m sold.

And, sigh, fine. It’s apparently National Frozen Yogurt Day, so you can get free yogurt at any Yogurtland location. If that appeals.

For more to do tonight, go here.

Things To Do In Dallas This Weekend: Feb. 3-5

As long as we’re contemplating colonizing various regions of outer space in the name of freedom and lumpy old white men, I think we should start with the newly discovered planet GJ 667Cc. Not only is the air potentially breathable, but it sounds like a veritable paradise for people who like the color red and also enjoy rock climbing.

Friday

Tonight, the Eisemann Center hosts The Royal Winnipeg Ballet, performing their version of Moulin Rouge. It’s turn of the century Paris at the iconic Montmartre club, and the beautiful Nathalie has recently been co-opted into Harold Zidler’s chorus line. Nathalie pines for starving artist Matthew while Zidler—once her benefactor— becomes terrifyingly possessive. It’s not quite Baz Luhrmann’s world of magical realism, but the story ends tragically all the same. Plus: the dancers can-can en pointe, which make it extra cool. You can still get tickets in both the orchestra and upper (cheaper) tiers.

Over on SideDish, Nancy brings us details on a pop up bar happening tonight and tomorrow. After the success of Bar 828 in Oak Cliff, the fun moves to Deep Ellum. The organizers are calling it Hid In 2612, and it’ll be at 2612 Commerce St. next to Cane Rosso. The fun starts at 8 p.m. and goes ’til 1 a.m. There will be guest bartenders to make you fancy cocktails and food available from Cane Rosso. A portion the proceeds will go to the Deep Ellum Community Association. (more…)

Things To Do In Dallas Tonight: Feb. 2

Here’s the thing. If you see me coming and don’t hold the elevator for me even though I’m close enough to punch the button, force open the doors, and still join you on your descent into the bowels of hell Hall Arts Parking Garage, I will make that elevator ride as uncomfortable for you as possible. I will glare at you until you stammer out an apology about how you “honestly didn’t see me.” And then you will get in your obnoxious black SUV and drive away. All of this is exactly what happened on Tuesday, and it’s not exactly a rare occurrence. Who parks in Hall Arts, besides D staffers? PwC employees? Bankers? Get some manners.

Now that I’ve opened up the complaint department, we can move on to your plans for the evening. If you’ve seen some dude trolling West Dallas with buckets of paint, don’t worry. It’s sanctioned, and the dude is street artist Shepard Fairey, best know for this little painting. What a stud. Fairey’s here at the behest of the Dallas Contemporary, creating a series of murals. (Update: Our wonderful photographer, Elizabeth Lavin, caught him in action.) Head to the Design District this evening to catch a free conversation with the artist, led by Pedro Alonzo, adjunct curator of the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston. If you haven’t tried it yet, maybe drop by Oak for dinner or a drink. One of my oldest friends is just beginning to try his hand at cooking, and these folks were kind enough to give him a shot in the kitchen. You can read Nancy’s first take on the restaurant here.

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Things To Do In Dallas Tonight: Feb. 1

Whenever I’m suckered into seeing a “found footage” movies, I think about the documentary Man on Wire. No aliens, no ghosts, no shaky camera, just an extraordinary feat of derring-do and the emotion it inspires.

What I’m trying to say is, I’d pick an actual documentary over this film any day. Happily, Bicycle Dreams, a chronicle of Race Across America, screens at the Studio Movie Grill tonight. Frankly, biking across country sounds bonkers. I’ve seen a cyclist get doored by a cab, and another get other clipped by a speeding car. I have almost zero interest in anything with two wheels. But. That is not to say that the people who choose to do this crazy thing aren’t fascinating. The course is 30 percent longer than the Tour de France, and the team riders are only given nine days to eat up 3,000 miles. It does get treacherous.

Other options include Craig Finn, frontman of the Hold Steady, at Club Dada. I paid a stupid amount of money to see the Hold Steady a couple years ago at notoriously terrible venue Terminal 5, and it was worth it. At less than $20, this concert is practically a steal. Finn came down to Austin not too long ago, and apparently ended up watching a lot of Friday Night Lights. The resulting solo album, Clear Hearts Full Eyes, was recorded with the help of members of White Denim, Centro-matic, and Heartless Bastards. Mount Moriah and Beau Jennings and the Tigers open for Finn. And of course, a trip to Deep Ellum is hardly complete without a drink at Black Swan Saloon. You tell the man behind the bar (Gabe, usually) what you like, and the drink you’ll get in return will far out-class the plastic cup it’s served in. Seriously, though, I love those plastic cups, though. If I never see a $10 cocktail that is not a martini served in a martini glass again, it’ll be too soon.

For more to do with your Wednesday evening, go here.

Things To Do In Dallas Tonight: Jan. 31

It’s a musical Tuesday, which doesn’t have quite the same ring to it as musical Monday. I take what I can get, however.

First off, over at the Pocket Sandwich, The Levee Singers are kicking off a once-a-month music series. The group celebrated 50 years just last April, and every show of that anniversary tour sold out thanks to their legions of devoted fans. You should jump on the chance to see them tonight, if you can. (I put in a couple calls to both the organizers and the venues, and haven’t heard back the most recent status of tickets. As of 1:20 pm, there are 15 tickets left. Go.) Conveniently, I will be in the neighborhood anyway returning discs two and three of the first season of Justified at Premiere Video. The Pocket Sandwich has food and drinks, but I’d just as soon as go to Urban Taco in Mockingbird Station for a couple chicken tinga tacos and a margarita beforehand.

Otherwise, I recommend making tracks to Double Wide, a place I don’t actually find myself all that often. But there’s no better reason to go than this evening, since Fred Holston, son of our excellent former Law Man Walking columnist Bill Holston, is DJing with Jake Schrock. The first time I met Fred was many, many months ago at Bryan Street Tavern, when he and this Jake character swooped in and had a few slices of my pizza. Fred’s been a wonderfully friendly face to see out and about ever since. Over on FrontRow, Christopher Mosley had this to say about Fred’s musical choices: “Fred has an affinity for various outsiders and ne’er-do-wells of song, particularly those from the 60s, and therefore his selections should be solid. Expect everything from Houston composition outlaws The Red Krayola to at least a couple of people who dated Nico. That’s my safest guess.” There’s no cover at the bar tonight, so that’s always nice.

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Things To Do In Dallas Tonight: Jan. 30

Hard to believe that we’re already staring straight into the twilight of January. So long, and farewell.

It is a very Monday Monday. Luckily, Amphibian Stage Productions rescues us from the doldrums with a staged reading at the Modern in Fort Worth, the first of their new season. Lee Blessing is a rather prolific American playwright, but I can’t say I’ve ever had the pleasure of seeing his work performed. Amphibian has chosen Two Rooms, Blessing’s drama about an American university professor kidnapped and held hostage in Beirut. Blessing takes us back and forth between Michael Wells, the hostage, and his wife at home in America, who must contend with a State Department official intent on keeping her quiet as well as a newspaper reporter who gets a little too close to her tragedy. It’s not difficult to guess why I’m interested. Many of my favorite places in Fort Worth are closed on Monday evenings, but Blue Mesa is always a solid standby for delicious guacamole.

Otherwise, if you have a soft spot for A Tale of Two Cities and some free time around lunch, head for SMU’s DeGolyer Library. In honor of Charles Dickens’ 200th birthday, they’re displaying more than 200 bits of memorabilia, including original editions of all of his major novels (who else loves Bleak House?), plus letters, translations, and old timey advertisements. The literary nerd in me is positively over the moon about this.

For more to do tonight, go here.

Things To Do In Dallas This Weekend: Jan. 27-29

Don’t laugh, but my actual, real plans this weekend include seeing both Beauty and the Beast in 3D and One For the Money, despite the utter failure of the casting director to get anything right and the fact that Lionsgate didn’t even bother to pre-screen it for press. Katherine Heigl as Stephanie Plum? Ugh. Debbie Reynolds as the feisty, gun-toting Grandma Mazur? Double ugh. I remember reading the first few of Janet Evanovich’s numbers series during free time in my high school French class, and everyone probably thought I was a lunatic, spluttering and snorting and crying, trying not to laugh too loudly. I hate you, Hollywood, for running these delightfully trashy books through the boring crap blender.

Friday

Other plans include movies with actual artistic merit (not that Beauty and the Beast isn’t awesome, but did we really need to do it in 3D?). The Texas Theatre has an excellent double feature running on 35 mm through Sunday. Thematically, this is awesome, since Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill Vol. 1 and Francois Truffaut’s The Bride Wore Black have two of my favorite things in common: grudge-holding and revenge. Peter talks about the films much better than I ever could over on FrontRow, so go read that first. Stick around this evening for a Bride Wore Black dance party featuring DJ Wild in the Streets.

And since it’s been an unacceptable number of weeks since I’ve had goat cheese tater tots and an 87 Ways, Tillman’s is the only place I can even think about eating right now.

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Things To Do In Dallas Tonight: Jan 26

Guys, guess what. Khloé Kardashian Odom is gainfully employed in Dallas, as an afternoon radio personality for Mix 102.9. This station has been messing with my head for months. My theory is that the HR people got their hiring mandate confused with NPR and employed a Brit so stuff like “heinous construction on 114 means you’ll be stuck in traffic for the next 48 hours”* sounds cool and also potentially life-changing. I listen to that accent, and then I just wish I could listen to the BBC instead.

It’s Thursday, which means you are inches away from the weekend, and I am in an unnaturally good mood. I smiled at a dog this morning. I don’t know what’s wrong with me, either, except it was extra cute. Know who else should be in a good mood? Dallas Symphony Orchestra maestro/Musical America’s Conductor of the Year Jaap van Zweden, who is just cleaning up the awards. Plus, the DSO isn’t entirely broke just yet. Celebrations all around. Van Zweden will lead the Mozart and Schubert concert tonight, but before that, Mayor Mike Rawlings will present him with a proclamation from the city. Emmitt Smith will also be there, hopefully with his very beautiful wife. Check out Peter Simek’s interview with van Zweden on FrontRow before you go, and you can still get tickets to the classical concert online.

Two other polar opposite happenings this evening. Raya tells us about wine, cheese, and sale shopping at Lou Lou (yay), but there’s also a bit of a serious thing going on at the Dallas Holocaust Museum. Since today is a day of remembrance, the museum hosts a candlelight vigil that includes the Kaddish prayer and a reading of names of the over six million Jews who perished. It’ll be outside in the garden, so bring a blanket.

For more to do tonight, go here.

*Not an actual quote, okay. But if you’re the type to, you know, saw off your own arm during the very specific amount of time for which you are trapped in one place, it might actually be life-changing.

Things To Do In Dallas Tonight: Jan. 25

It’s rain boot weather. Every puddle from St. Paul to the Hall Arts parking garage should watch out.

Certain people will be extremely surprised that I’m even mentioning this (or know about it, for that matter), but the Mavs will receive their championship rings before tonight’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. I think that’s pretty special. I also think that the Ticketmaster feature that allows you to Facebook stalk the person sitting in seat number one, Row M, Section 311 is creepy and weird. Anyway, there are seats left for this game, but barely. It’s mostly singles on the upper levels, but as of right now, there are two seats together on row AA very close to the court. They can be yours for $562.42. Each.

I’ve said this many, many times, but I really like the Grape. And I seem to especially like the Grape when it’s raining, since every time I go there’s at least a light drizzle. I dislike getting rained on and so does my already uncontrollable hair, so I don’t feel like this makes the meal more romantic. But you know what does? Wine. And plenty of it. The restaurant’s monthly “come as you are” dinners are great because you can show up (preferably with a reservation, of course, and there are still plenty left) at any time and still partake. Tonight, JR Richardson from Oak Cliff Cellars will be around to talk about his wines accompanying the three-course menu.

For more to do with your dark and stormy evening, go here. And be safe.

Things To Do In Dallas Tonight: Jan. 24

Since I was busy getting tortured by my eye doctor this morning, I watched the Academy Award nominations trickle in via Twitter on my phone with about half a dilated eyeball and even less interest. Yawn. Seriously, the only semi-entertaining thing is that Dean Pelton is now officially Oscar nominee Dean Pelton.

Anyway. As it turns out, the Ghost Lab is not a place for poltergeists to conduct science experiments. Rather, it’s a bit of Canadian countryside that belongs to the architect Brian Mackay-Lyons, and serves as a research site for his firm. For more than a decade, he’s hosted conferences of like-minded individuals. The most recent one, Ghost 13, started out as a retrospective and turned into all sorts of philosophizing about how we live our lives. The Dallas Center for Architecture hosts a panel discussion tonight to reflect on Ghost 13 and the “neohumanist” ideas that emerged. Andrew Vernooy, dean of the Texas Tech University College of Architecture, will moderate.

Feel like taking it easy? Jazz group Trio South, fronted by Alan Jay Palmer, sets up shop at Eno’s Pizza Tavern every Tuesday evening. Some music and Eno’s veggie supreme sounds pretty darn great right now.

For more to do tonight, go here.

Things To Do In Dallas Tonight: Jan. 23

Happy Lunar New Year and/or happy National Pie Day. When it comes to foodstuffs I like to eat, Chinese and pie are both up there. I’ll probably get both, since it’s Monday and why not.

For places to celebrate the former, check out Carol’s post on SideDish. Steel’s festivities this evening includes traditional lion dancing by the kids from Chin Woo School, which should be adorable. SideDish has also long devoted countless calories and manpower to figuring out where you should celebrate the latter. Don’t let all their hard work go to waste.

Meanwhile, former Meadows Prize winner Will Power returns to Dallas for a chat with Meadows dean José Bowen. Power’s had a couple of intriguing off Broadway productions, including Flow, a one-man exploration of  “hip-hop theater,” which has a few roots in France. I got interested in this a few years ago because I had a super cool French professor who also happened to be extremely attractive, but it’s legitimately interesting all on its own. Expect some song, a little improv, and talk about the state of contemporary theater and Powers’ thoughts on community activism and engagement.

And speaking of community engagement, there’s a fine example of it at the Texas Theatre tonight. Last May, eighth and ninth grade students from SMU’s Summer Youth Program constructed a replica of the soon-to-open Santiago Calatrava-designed Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge. The project, sponsored by the Trinity Trust, was turned into a short documentary that the Oak Cliff movie house will screen this evening. For the curious, there will also be a panel discussion about the bridge’s design and engineering. Peter has more details on FrontRow. It’s technically free, but a $10 donation is suggested.

For more to do tonight, go here.