Hannah Steiner
This Friday, Head To Deep Ellum For Dinner, A Show and Some Pastries.
Welcome to Perfect Date Night, a new weekly feature that acts as your spirit guide for going on a perfect date in what is objectively Texas' best city, Dallas. Each week, we'll give you a night's worth of suggestions for a date night in a specific neighborhood, complete with recommendations for bars, restaurants, concerts, art shows, sporting events or, well, anything, really. Just make sure you include an emoji or two when you text your crush to invite them out.
Date Details.
• When: Friday, December 4, 2015.
• Duration: 2.5 to 6 hours.
• Number of Stops: 3.
• Modest Estimated Budget For Two: $115.
• Ballin' Estimated Budget For Two: $210.
• Ideal Partner: The cool person you met at that concert last week.
• Romance Scale: 2.5 out of 5 hearts.
Just in time for cuffin' season, we welcome you our first-ever Perfect Date Night column.
This week's featured neighborhood is Deep Ellum, mainly because it's a personal favorite of mine, but also due to the fact that there's genuinely something interesting happening in this part of town each and every weekend.
Stop 1: Armoury D.E. (2714 Elm Street). To start things off on this night, head down Elm Street to one of Deep Ellum's newest spots, Armoury D. E. Unlike most beer-swilling joints that also keep a kitchen in the back, Armoury sells food until 2 a.m., so growling stomachs late in the night are welcomed. Don't let the fact that the kitchen's open late lead you to believe the food is all slop, though, because the cuisine's actually quite good. You can always expect the Damn Burger to be damn excellent. Don't be afraid to try one of their several Hungarian dishes on the menu, either. Goulash is always a treat for the soul, and, by ordering it, you can even try to seem a bit sophisticated or worldly for your date night companion. Bonus points: Armoury is one of the few spots pouring hot cocktails right now, so don't skip ordering the cognac and vermouth-laced Nightcall.
Stop 2: Club Dada (2720 Elm Street). If you're anything like me, you hate Christmas music and find the sudden influx of harrowing “Jingle Bells” and “Silver Bells” renditions to be a nasty assault on your nervous system. Combat this sing-songy nightmare by continuing on to Club Dada for Parade of Flesh's Chrismukkuh bash. Now seven years strong, this event's punk-heavy 2015 lineup features Jeff the Brotherhood, Diarrhea Planet and DFW's own Sealion and War Party. Wait, punk rock after Hungarian food? It's a good look, I swear! You know what's a great way to impress your date? Showcasing some duality. Oh, you can pronounce Hungarian dish names correctly without a stumble and you still know how to party? That's some gold right there. Also, at only $13 a ticket, this will likely be one of the cheapest vaguely Christmas events you'll find in December. Plus, it'll rock. So don't waste your money on yet another showing of A Christmas Carol.
Stop 3: Glazed Donut Works (2644 Elm Street). End your wintry night out with a stop at Glazed Donut Works for some seasonal donuts like Apple Cider Cake and Deep Ellum Peppermint. I mean, who's not into hot chocolate with house-made marshmallows? No one. No one at all. Your date will love it. Promise.
