In addition to giving you Whitewaller‘s favorite spots to eat, drink, and relax at, we’ve got a group of Insiders to share theirs, too. Below, we’re sharing tips from: artist Jen Ray; curator of The Joule, John Runyon; and art collector Johnny Pardee.
JEN RAY
Jen Ray Photo by Ed Marshall Photography NYC
WHERE TO EAT AND SIP
My first coffee was at Weekend so I’m already spoiled. I’ve had some great lunches at LARK on the Park at Klyde Warren and the nearby food trucks. Start at the beginning and eat your way to the end. The park is a natural magnet. At the end of the day, I somehow always seem to end up at the Americano for a drink or a snack.
WHERE TO SEE ART
I love the Nasher, of course—the exhibitions are outstanding and the gardens are beautiful. And the Dallas Museum of Art has great exhibitions. My favorite thing to do is to wander around downtown and look at the small sculptures, murals, and mosaics that pepper Dallas. Have you seen the beautiful stone cowboy on Commerce Street next to The Statler?
Courtesy of John Runyon.
WHERE TO HAVE FUN AND RELAX
I’m still waiting to visit several places that friends rave about, like the Round-Up. I was thrilled to see Sarah Jaffe at the Longhorn Ballroom, where in 1978 the Sex Pistols played their infamous Dallas show. I like window shopping downtown and I always check out Forty Five Ten.
JOHN RUNYON
Johnny Pardee Photo by Tony Valdez (Flashbox Photography)
WHERE TO EAT AND SIP
Downtown, one can never go wrong with Americano for the shaved cauliflower salad and authentic thin-crust pizza—my favorite is the Calabrian. For Mexican, I go to José on Lovers to get their shrimp tacos and the fresh squeezed lime juice margarita. For spicy fried chicken, I recommend a Korean dive called No. 1 Plus Chicken.
WHERE TO SEE ART
The Nasher Sculpture Center is an oasis in the heart of the Arts District, next door to the Dallas Museum of Art. The Rachofsky’s Warehouse offers curated art viewing experiences that rival museums. Don’t forget about The Power Station and Fort Worth—the Modern, Kimbell, and Amon Carter museums are world class. And check out galleries like Frank Elbaz, Liliana Bloch, Conduit, AND NOW, Barry Whistler, and Erin Cluley.
WHERE TO HAVE FUN AND RELAX
The best-kept secret is mountain biking and running the Trinity levees between Bachman Lake and the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge. When it gets hot, our family loves to wake surf at Lake Grapevine—I recommend DFW Surf for instruction, boat, and equipment.
JOHNNY PARDEE
WHERE TO EAT AND SIP
When in Dallas, you brunch, and Bistro 31 in Highland Park Village has great French and Italian dishes, like the daily pasta special, and amazing service. For dinner, there isn’t a better restaurant than Flora Street Cafe, Stephan Pyles’s new restaurant. For drinks, you can’t beat Mansion Bar—always great people watching, amazing drinks, and live music.
WHERE TO SEE ART
I love a stroll through the Nasher Sculpture Center—make sure to walk through the best sculpture garden in Dallas while you are there. The Modern in Fort Worth simply has some of the best modern and contemporary art in the Metroplex. Galerie Frank Elbaz is one of the only international galleries in Dallas, and always brings great artists found nowhere else in Dallas.
WHERE TO HAVE FUN AND RELAX
The Spa at The Ritz-Carlton—I mean, who doesn’t like to be pampered every once in a while? I love a good shopping day at Highland Park Village. I always head to Balenciaga to see Erin Benson and laugh the afternoon away. I enjoy working up a great sweat at a Pilates session with my bestie Julie Jacobs at Equinox on Oak Lawn Avenue.
