{And I do mean Dallas!}
We had a great visit to Dallas with our family over Christmas! While we only explored the tip of the iceberg (must go back for more Tex-Mex and a visit to Urban Taco!), we packed a lot into 3 days plus a holiday.
We rented a house, which was SO much more comfortable than individual hotel rooms. Especially with a baby who had an early bedtime. The house was stunning:
Getting up with Mazen at 6:30am wasn’t as tough with this kitchen to come down to…
The day after Christmas my mom and Mazen had a play date while the rest of us went bowling.
It’s official: I am the worst bowler in the family! I blame it on the fact that I don’t know if I am left or right handed…
A little blame might go to this too..
The bowling alley had an amazing selection of craft beers. The Peticolas Wintervention (genius name!) was my favorite of the trip. It might win for beer of the year! We stopped by the brewery on our way out, but it was closed : (
Also super impressive: evening cocktails at The Standard Pour. In fact, best cocktail menu ever! They had so many unique mixes and ingredients. This drink was incredible: Black N Peach Smash: Makers Mark, blackberry shrub, Mathilde peach liqueur, lime juice, peach bitters and mint. IM.pressed.
My second drink was called Je T’aime Paris: St-Germain, raspberry syrup, sparkling. So good!
To balance out the drinks, Candace, Larbs, Chelsea and I went to hot yoga one morning at Sunstone Yoga.
Our class ended up being more Bikram than I had hoped, but I found out they do have hot vinyasa to music – the earth series. Next time!
We took the free trolley around and ended up at a park for Mazen to play. We had perfect weather!
Twins!
Mazen took this shot:
Afterwards, Larbs made Jessica’s Pomegranate Margaritas. Perfectly fitting for Christmas week in Texas.
We ate a lot of Christmas leftovers, but our final night we headed to The Common Table.
That is a lot of drinks!!
I had a Deschutes Jubelale — really good.
Mazen had pizza. Mmm!
We had “Avocado on the Half Shell” for an appetizer – with sautéed lobster!
And for dinner I ordered Gulf Crab Cakes with a sweet + spicy coconut remoulade. They were awesome!
On our final morning before we headed to the airport I started to feel sad I hadn’t had any tacos yet, so Matt, Larbs and I squeezed in a brunch while Grammie soaked up her last few hours with Maze.
We went to The Company Café, which came recommended. I loved that they focus on grass-fed and pastured ingredients.
Los chips (!) with smashed avocado
I had tacos, which were good, but a bit on the plain side. Hence the reason I must return for more!
Matt’s “Deep Bowl” stole the show – grass-fed beef and sweet potato hash with eggs and a half avocado. Topped with venison sausage that was incredible.
We had a wonderful trip and hope we can return soon!
How or better where did you rent the house for a few days?
I do love more and more to stay in private appartments or houses, having your own kitchen for a bit of breakfast & cup of tea (hotels in Germany don’t have any coffee or tea making facilitys in the rooms!) in the evening.
It was listed on Homeaway.com
WOW that house looks stunning! Renting a house over staying in hotels is sometimes so much more affordable and you end up getting so much more for your money! Glad you had a great time visiting your family for the holidays!
Beautiful pics!!! Looks like you had a blast, lots of outdoor time and activity with yummy eats and drinks! Matt’s hash looks gorgeous, just made something similar minus the meat aspect for breakfast seen as I’m no officially eating eggs!!!
I live in Dallas and the Company Cafe is my favvvvvv place for brunch! In fact, I always get the Deep Bowl and crave it so much, I try to do a copy-cat version at home (def not as good though 🙂 ) glad you got to experience some great local places!
Renting a house is such a great idea!! what website did you go through to find it? And I LOVE that ktichen – so pretty!!
Homeaway.com
Loved this post! Also, is the shirt you’re wearing in that last photo of you in the polka dots from Loft? Fairly certain it’s the same one I just bought yesterday from there! On sale for $10! It must be a good pick if you grabbed it too 🙂
Yep!
How do you not know if you are right or left handed?
I am somewhat ambidextrous! I write with my left hand but my right hand is more dominant
That is cool! I thought maybe you suffered the same affliction as me, where you confuse the right & the left sometimes. Otherwise known as ‘the other right’.
Fun, same here!
Write with my left hand and leaving everything else up for my right hand!
Glad to know I am not the only one with confused dexterity. I am the same way – write, eat and brush my teeth with the left hand. I hold a knife and scissors with my right. I have always felt like a weirdo! Ps -I happen to be bad at bowling as well.
Knife and scissors right here too!
So much fun! Mazen is growing up so fast, I miss the toddler days. I have the same two shirts from the Loft, love them both. I enjoy bowling, but it frustrates me. Glad you were able to enjoy the holidays with family.
Um. That house is Ah-Mazing! I need my house to look like that!
Looks like you had a great trip with the family. I love family trips. Of course, as always all your food looks so delicious. You always make me hungry.
Happy New Year!
What a beautiful house! Looks like a great holiday!
I love all of the family photos- it looks like a fun and beautiful vacation! All the food also looks top notch.. I guess I will have to make it to TX sometime soon!
Looks like you had an amazing time there! That house looks beautiful and your whole family looks so happy 😀
And all that FOOD! Yum!
Looks like you all had a wonderful trip Kath! What an awesome idea to rent a house, especially with a baby, I’m glad you had a great time!
I am a longtime Dallas reader but have never commented. So exited to see you enjoyed your trip to Dallas! It’s interesting to read your thoughts on some of our favorite spots in town. Dallas is a city that has a certain (sometimes bad?) reputation nationally, but really is much more sophisticated and has more to offer than most outsiders think. Come back for tacos and more fun! Isn’t Klyde Warren Park fabulous?
I’m not very good at bowling but it’s fun regardless which I think makes it all okay. 🙂
Fun times! I enjoyed looking through your pictures. Happy New Year to you and your family!!!
I’ve never been to Dallas but a lot of people I went to high school with in Kansas City moved down there for college and stayed. I’m going to have to visit sometime!
How fun! The house is gorgeous and I have no doubt that it beats any hotel room! Crab cakes are my absolute favorite and the ones you ordered look incredible. Hope you have a very happy and healthy New Year!
Looks like an awesome trip!! I’m so glad you enjoyed Dallas. I love it here.
I’m helping plan a weekend long bachelorette party in Dallas this Spring, and that house would be an awesome idea instead of hotel rooms. Would you mind sending me info on who to contact to rent?
Here it ishttp://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p3466231
cute red coat! 🙂
Looks like a wonderful trip! Where/how did you find the house to rent? What a great idea!
Homeaway.com!
Looks like you were able to visit some of my favorite places in town. Yay! If you try the Company Cafe again the short ribs are heavenly. Where did you all bowl? I didn’t recognize the setting – but it looked nice.
Happy New Year!
Jill
Oh man! We lived in Dallas for a few years. Best taco places: Torchy’s Tacos, Fuzzy’s Tacos, & Rusty Taco!
I’m genuinely curious to know: how do you not know whether you’re left or right handed? I’m not asking to be rude. I just…don’t know how you can go 30 years or whatever and not know your dominant hand.
I write with my left hand but I use my right hand for a lot of things including sports. Since my left hand was bowling badly I tried the right and was also bad. I’m just a bad bowler!
I’m exactly the same way! I write left handed, but am right-hand dominant for most other activities. Bowling is a confusing one for me, too, I will switch between hands and can’t decide which to use. Doesn’t matter much, I’m terrible either way! But most other activities I at least know which hand I prefer, even if it is random. In softball/baseball, for example, I hit left-handed, but catch/throw right handed.
Very cool that Dallas offers free trolley service! I love when cities offer free transportation.
Glad you had a good holiday! Wow, that house was absolutely gorgeous!! That’s a really great idea to rent a house instead of doing hotel rooms–I think it’s always nice to have a kitchen so you have the option of at least eating breakfast at home. I’ve said it before but I love your photography. You take the best pictures!
I am going to Dallas next week. Cannot wait for some tacos!!
What a fantastic vacation spot! I love Dallas. There is so much to do and such great food. This post makes me want to hop in the car and take a trip.
So fun! I live in Dallas, and those are some of my favorite places! Company Cafe is delicious. Glad you had a nice trip!
What a fun trip! Had to comment on the Jubelale, it’s always so good but I haven’t had my fix this year yet!
You visited some of my favorite Dallas spots!!! Next time I highly recommend yoga at Uptown Yoga (my fav!) or Exhale Spa. They both have amazing Vinyasa classes and also more “workout” based yoga classes too. I like Sunstone, but I agree they are a little too slow and more Bikram than I normally like.
Company Cafe is AMAZING. Dream Cafe and Velvet Taco are another two good ones to try too 🙂 Glad you enjoyed the city!!
I eat at Company Cafe all the time!
And The Common Table has the best grilled cheese ever.
Homeaway.com! Awesome! I’m so going to check that out. The house looks so amazing!
You look like you had an amazing time! =)
Happy new year!
I love your red coat! It’s such a good color on you!
Your red coat is gorgeous on you!! I’m also a blonde and have been looking for a similar coat for a long time. Can I ask where it’s from? Thanks so much!
It was my sister’s so I’m not sure 🙂
I’m from the big D and Company cafe is my favorite!!
Geez, Kath, do people not read the other comments? It’s like you had to answer the same two over and over! Glad you had a great trip 🙂
Looks like fun!
Hi Kath, and happy new year to you and your readers. Regarding the question about staying somewhere other than a hotel for vacations, another great site is http://www.airbnb.com. They do a variety of stay types in apartments, houses, etc. I’ve used it in Australia, Vienna, and Montreal, with fantastic results. A couple of friends have used it in NYC and loved it. I thought this might be of interest.
Cheers, and happy vacationing all!
That Bowl looks amazing! Can you try to recreate it?
Looks like a fun trip! A few friends recently moved to Dallas, so I’m hoping to fly out there soon for a wknd. Hoping it’s at least a few degrees warmer than it is here in the midwest!
Hi Kath! Glad to see you loved Dallas…I went to Austin this past year and also used Homeaway, both were a huge success! I was wondering where you got that gray vest, I love it!
Thanks, it’s from GAP!
Yes, you must come back!!!
The next time you’re there you have to get to ‘Good 2 go tacos’. They share a space with Cultiver Coffee so it makes breakfast a breeze (I crave their breakfast tacos weekly…). Velvet taco is also amazing, but better for dinner.
Do you have to clean the house before you leave? I once rented a condo and we had to clean it before we left. I hated that part of the trip! 🙂
Nope…but a cleaning fee was included. We left it pretty clean though!