A few weekends ago, James and I got dolled up on a Saturday evening to have a date night at Gemma, the latest Dallas hot spot that has won the affections of many of our friends, prompting us to try it out. We had a blast – the ambiance of the space is conducive to great conversation and lots of laughter (plus the decor is oh-so-pretty), and the service is excellent. Regarding the food, we weren’t totally crazy about our entrées (maybe we picked the wrong thing? I had roasted artichokes with a poached egg, Provençal sauce, and arugula and James tried the pasta with boar ragu – while both dishes were beautiful, they left a bit to be desired) but we were swooning over our gorgeous and delicious cocktails. For the first round, I had a Salty Dog (I loved the salt on the rim and Gemma’s addition of a rosemary garnish) and James drank an Old Fashioned. We both had the seasonal blood orange margaritas for our second round, and we loved them. We also polished off a plate of the fried olives (major yum!) and ate way too much of the freshly baked Gouda-stuffed bread they kept delivering to our table. For dessert, we really enjoyed savoring some fresh, tangy Meyer lemon ice cream.

The verdict? We would be thrilled to head back to Gemma for cocktails, appetizers, and a little something sweet. The restaurant is pricey so we probably wouldn’t go for another round of entrées, but our friends have raved about meals they had so if you’re interested in going, dinner might be worth checking out! It’s definitely a spot I would be happy to go back to with James or with a group of girlfriends.