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Local Sips: Saturday Tastings at Pogo’s Wine & Spirits (Dallas, TX)
Free wine is good wine, for the most part. All but the most hardened wine snobs can generally agree on that proposition. And yet, the more you learn about wine–the more you explore and taste–the more it seems that generic, mass-produced wine loses its appeal. Even if you don’t have to pay for it. Sure,…
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Swipe, self-serve, and sip at Salute Wine Bar (Fort Worth, TX)
Automated wine bars have been a part of urban life for a little while now. I’ve seen them on cruise ships, in hotel lobbies, and popping up in trendy neighborhoods in big cities like San Francisco and New York. So when I had a couple of hours to relax in Fort Worth, I just had…
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People-watching (and a great happy hour!) at Vinos on Las Olas (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
Passing through Fort Lauderdale and looking for a quality pour, I happened upon the excellent wine bar Vinos on Las Olas. With impeccable decor (and a generous happy hour!) it’s worth a stop on your way to the beaches, riverwalk, or shops of Fort Lauderdale’s waterfront. Passing under soaring white arches on the trendy Las…
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A small-town wine adventure at Zannotti’s Wine Bar (Stillwater, OK)
“Hold on, is that a wine bar?” Screeeeech went the brakes. A moment later I was sitting in a cool, dark corner, poring over the most comprehensive wine list I’ve ever seen in Oklahoma. Anchored by the largest campus of Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK is a town of about 50,000. That sounds like almost…
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Local Sips: CRÚ Food & Wine Bar (Plano, TX)
Wine Fairy here, checking in with another recommended watering hole in our big old town of DFW! Read on for a local’s guide to CRÚ Food & Wine Bar in Plano’s Legacy East shopping center. I’ve been going to CRÚ’s Plano location for approximately forever. My wife and I celebrated our first over-21 Valentine’s Day…
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75 do’s and don’ts of wine service
Last month, we published an article about how not to look like a dumbass when ordering wine at a restaurant. Today, we’re looking at the other side of the transaction–the server’s side. Dining room and bar service is a complex art. There are countless ways to mess up the deceptively simple act of selling wine.…
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Are bars the last great “third place”?
Earlier this week, Starbucks rolled out a new “Code of Conduct” for their cafes. The headline- grabbing change was a directive straight from the chief executive: You can’t pee for free. Beginning soon, restrooms and seating at Starbucks will only be available to paying customers. Baristas are currently being trained on enforcing this rule. The…
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New Dallas wine bar: Palate by Lekka
North Dallas has a stylish new watering hole for wine lovers: Palate by Lekka. It’s right next door to the home-and-gift shop, Lekka Retail Concepts. (Both storefronts share a shopping center with veteran Preston Road restaurants Banana Leaf Thai and La Hacienda Ranch.) Palate actually opened right before the holidays, but it emerged on my…
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Pour one out for Trova Wine Market as Dallas beverage scene continues a string of closures
CultureMap Dallas reports that Trova Wine + Market is closing next week, on January 18, 2025. It’s the latest in a series of sales and closures as Dallas’s wine and beer venues continue their rapid churn. Since 2020, the bar, bottle shop, and gourmet food market has offered wine and nibbles to a ritzy clientele…
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How much should a mocktail cost?
It’s practically the definition of a First World Problem: How much is too much to pay for some ice cubes, soda water, and syrup/bitters in a glass? About five bucks, you say? A big slice of the internet agrees. On a popular Threads post, user “ughchase” writes: “in no world should mocktails cost $1-2 less…
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Top ten North Dallas happy hours for winos
Dining out in Dallas has gotten expensive, y’all. Sometimes you want to go celebrate Hump Day without blowing your entire week’s budget on one so-so meal. Sometimes you’re itching to get out of the house or the office, but you ate a big lunch and you’re probably not going to be hungry for dinner. Sometimes…