Tag Archives: Dallas

Mesa

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There is no shortage of delicious Mexican cuisine in Dallas, certainly, but there always seems to be room for more spots with menus boasting delicious treats from south of the border. Even though I have my favorite Mexican staples around town, I never pass up the chance to try out a new fiesta-flavored spot, and Mesa was certainly no exception. In March one of my Matrons of Honor, Erin, and I had a night in Dallas to ourselves before the rest of our best gals arrived for my bachelorette festivities, so we headed to Oak Cliff to try out the newest hot-spot. We had to circle the block a few times before finding Mesa, a small restaurant nestled into a strip on Jefferson Boulevard. We snuck inside just before happy hour ended and snagged a quiet table near the bar, ordering margaritas (a spicy version for Erin) and guacamole to start the night off.

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Our margaritas were out-of-this-world, necessitating a second round. They were extremely flavorful without being sugary or sweet. My drink was the perfect blend of lime juice, tequila, and nectar agave, and Erin’s beverage, made with habanero serrano tequila, was undoubtedly special. The guacamole was polished off in moments, making us consider another order, but we diversified and chose to order some ceviche instead. Being the foodies that we are, we had scoured the menu earlier in the week, deciding that we wanted to split the vegetarian enchiladas for dinner. We munched on our tasty, fresh ceviche (complete with more of the homemade chips that we had devoured alongside the guacamole) and chatted excitedly about our entree, which turned out as beautifully as we hoped: we were served a plate of delicious julienned vegetables wrapped in homemade tortillas and topped with an incredibly flavorful mole & black bean sauce, so we rolled up our sleeves to dig in. To say that was delicious would not be giving the dish enough credit.

The gist? I can’t wait to get back to Mesa. In fact, I’m sort of ashamed that I haven’t dined there since March. I’ve got my eye on the black bean & chicken enchiladas as well as the lobster enchiladas. Who wants to meet me there, say, tonight?

Week & End

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It’s Memorial Day Weekend, eeeeee! Exactly one year ago yesterday, James & I got engaged – so cool! To celebrate, we headed to Chicago for a mini-Johnson family reunion, which was a total blast. This year we’re spending the weekend in Dallas doing lots of fun things with friends. Last night we were at a benefit concert hosted by the Cones & their friends from their church community, the Kellums – The Black Frames played (and James got to do a cameo on his fiddle, so fun!) and the proceeds of the event benefitted Touch A Life. Does it get any more awesome than that? Tonight we’re having friends over for a backyard barbecue, and on Sunday we’ll meet more friends for dinner at Hopdoddy & a game night (where a few rounds of Cards Against Humanity will definitely be involved). I plan to soak up the sun on Monday and convince James to take me out for a Mambo Taxi (or two). Three cheers for three day weekends!

And now, for some fun links from around the web…

Everyone (including myself, clearly) has been posting gorgeous pictures of peonies & I don’t blame them – they’re in season right now and they make me so happy! I picked some up at Trader Joe’s for our house and my office and I need to read up on how to care for them so they last for as long as possible.

I am obsessed with Daily Greens juice (made in Austin but widely distributed in Dallas, even at my yoga studio) – I drank a bottle of the Harmony juice every day while we were in Austin for our wedding festivities, even on the big day itself! When I read that they are opening a juice bar where they’ll also serve cocktails, I nearly fainted – what a delicious concept.

There are so many good new restaurants cropping up around town. I want to try Pecan Lodge, Top Pot Doughnuts, and Stock & Barrel.

Wouldn’t it be fun to host a build-your-own sliders party?

These sandals! Swoon. So perfect for summer!

Calligraphy Brunch

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It’s Monday once again, but don’t despair – this time next week we’ll be celebrating Memorial Day, wahoo!

Yesterday I got to take a fantastic workshop: a Calligraphy Brunch with the über talented Lauren Essl. The workshop, hosted by Fullosophie, was held at Chicken Scratch + The Foundry, a restaurant & bar that I love for its amazing outdoor space, super cool decor, and beyond delicious chicken dishes. There was a group of 15 women ready to learn calligraphy, and we kicked off the class with salads, bottomless mimosas, and supremely tasty chicken and waffles.

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The weather was absolutely perfect so we started class outdoors, munching on our brunches on picnic tables while we learned the basics of calligraphy from Lauren. After a brief and helpful overview, we got set up inside The Foundry, the bar area of the space, and got to work with our pens, nibs, and lettering samples. Lauren was such a good teacher – informative, encouraging, and helpful. She answered individual questions quickly and kindly, and she made her rounds at the table, pausing for each person to show us samples of her lettering, all the way through the alphabet (yep, from A to Z). She made us adorable packets of take-home goodies, including a personalized notebook, a fun pink pen, washi tape, ink, extra nibs for our calligraphy pens, and a pretty notecard with a bright, fun envelope.

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Calligraphy is a whole lot harder than it looks – although, actually, I never thought it looked easy in the first place. Everything from the way you hold the pen to how much pressure you put on the nib is calculated precisely, and it took me awhile to get a handle on this new way of writing. In spite of the challenge, I found that calligraphy is really fun and it’s sort of relaxing in a way – it’s almost like it’s therapeutic. Anyway, I can’t wait to continue practicing so that someday I can address letters and make my own notecards and such – don’t you think it would be cute to have a large XO on a notecard, something similar to what I was working on below?

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If you ever have the opportunity to take one of Lauren Essl’s workshops, I highly recommend that you sign up immediately – not only are they fun and interesting but they also sell out in a heartbeat. I learned so much and had an absolute blast, and Lauren was a fabulous teacher. Fullosophie did a great job hosting the brunch, too! It was the perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

 

Garage Sale Fundraiser

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CARE CENTER

Today I did a bit of heavy lifting along with some sorting and organizing and shifting and moving for a garage sale that my friend Jessica and I are hosting in September. We’ve signed up to participate in a Fence Fundraiser campaign to help Touch A Life  build a fence around their Care Center in Ghana, a beautiful space where formerly trafficked and exploited children are free to live, grow, and heal. As the Director of Project Development for Touch A Life, I can confidently say that this Care Center is making an enormous difference in the lives of the children in Ghana, and also (maybe even especially) in the lives of our U.S.-based staff (myself included) and supporters.

I love the idea of hosting a garage sale to raise money for a cause – you simultaneously get to declutter your home while making a difference in the lives of others. We’re starting our collection process early, gathering tons of goodies that we hope people will be anxious to buy. Our families and friends have our sale on their calendars (September 6th!) because we are going to need all the help we can get.

The best part? You can host a sale, too! Sign up at Touch A Life’s website to have your own garage sale to benefit this project. Gather up your gently used items, collaborate with your family and friends and community, and commit to hosting a sale that will raise money to support some of the most beautiful children on the planet. Join us, won’t you?

Gemma

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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.

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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.