One of the highlights of my summer was a quick trip to visit my sister in Dallas, Texas! This was my first visit to Texas, ever. My travel guru sister, Darleen, created a perfect sister trip itinerary to pack as much fun in a weekend as possible. Here is a run-down of our weekend:
I flew in late, so we grabbed a late-night dinner at Sonny Bryan’s Smokehouse, open 24 hours a day. Midnight BBQ was pretty fresh tasting, considering the time of day. It wasn’t mind blowing, but it was good.
The next morning we headed over to Bonton Farms for Saturday brunch. It is a cool concept. It’s an urban farm, in an industrial area of Dallas. The food was absolutely delicious, especially the fried green tomatoes. After enjoying every bite of our delightful meal, we wandered over to their store for coffee. I had a matcha latte made with goat’s milk from the farm’s goats. The prices were standard and the products were exciting. Bonton Farms was a treat. Go, eat, and enjoy!
After that meal we were ready for some culture. We went to the Nasher Sculpture Center to get our fill. It was $10 per person, but we got a student and a teacher discount. There were several cool exhibits. It took us about an hour to get through the two floors, plus a little time in the sculpture garden. Dallas in the summer is HOT, ya’ll! And we are sunny South Florida girls. If sculpture is not your jam, the art museum next door is renowned.
We had plans to grab dessert at Zero Gradi afterward, but we were too stuffed from brunch to even think about sweets. Instead, it was time to walk off a few calories with a stroll in the Bishop Arts district. This is a lovely couple of streets chock full of boutiques and restaurants. We tried out some truffles at Dude Sweet Chocolate. We bought the Flower Child truffles and some of their Cacao loose leaf tea. Then we browsed the bookstore/event venue/coffeehouse called The Wild Detectives. I found a few gems in its well curated children’s collection. We found huge, flaky croissants at The Village Baking Company. My sister and I popped into so many cute boutiques and shops that I can’t remember them all!
We chose Taco Y Vino for a light dinner and we were not disappointed. The atmosphere is cute and the tacos are well executed. We had popsicles at Picole. It seemed expensive for a popsicle to be honest. That night we went to a show at the famous Texas Theatre (where Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested). It is a cool, old venue which has maintained its 60’s vibe.
On Sunday we scratched my history itch with a visit to the Sixth Floor Museum and JFK Memorial in Dealey Plaza. It is a private museum, but I was still kind of shocked at the price. Still, I was thoroughly fascinated. It is a well done museum which was about much more than just seeing the spot where Lee Harvey Oswald shot President Kennedy. It presented all of the evidence, theories, and research out there. We spent more time there than I expected to. I am very glad I went. The whole Jack Ruby thing, ya’ll. That’s the piece that doesn’t make sense. It was a great museum to prompt discussion!
After a little drive around to see all the rich people’s fancy houses, our last stop was Deep Ellum. This area is known for its bar scene. It don’t think I would head there at night. The neighborhood looked a little rough, but we were perfectly comfortable in the daytime. Deep Ellum also has a great selection of restaurants and shops. We found a thrift store called 2nd Street that is set up like a department store. Shopping there we found several items of apparel to take home. We also found beignets! I didn’t know you could find them outside of New Orleans, but Le Bon Temps makes them fresh to order.
The real reason we ventured into Deep Ellum was to have a late lunch at Pecan Lodge BBQ. It was so worth it. The ribs and pork I had were delicious. But the collard greens, oh my! They were like candy, only good for you! I grow and cook up my own collards, so I am a bit of a connoisseur. I love my own greens, but I would eat these first.
It was a fun weekend in Dallas. Jimmy Buffet was wrong. Don’t skip Dallas. At least eat there!
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