THE MANSION BAR

THE MANSION BAR

As noted in the previous post: Dallas dining choices are very limited after 10pm when almost 99% of all kitchens in the city shut down.

But fear not- we are here to send your scrumptious suggestions with great atmosphere and even better flavors!

After a night at the Fort Worth Opera House- Bass Hall- we trekked back to Dallas for a late night hunger buster. While the options are slim, you can always count on a hotel bar to have a late night kitchen and hunger fix. However, please choose your late night hotel bar wisely- there are some promiscuous bars in Dallas that you can/should steer clear of around midnight. :)

There is however a delightful late night menu at The Mansion Bar (The Mansion on Turtle Creek).We indulged in a cheese platter and homemade burger with Out-Of-This-World Truffle French Fries! Which are perfectly flavored; not too salty, not to ‘truffley’ and perfect when dipped in a little ketchup. And yes, it’s entirely acceptable to ask for ketchup at The Mansion!

To add icing on the cake… the atmosphere is cozy and dark (this ‘man-cave') and the live music is phenomenal. The night we dined here, the gentlemen at the piano covered everything from Sir Elton John, Coldplay, Lady Gaga to Train. He was great- even got people off their feet and dancing.

Side note: There is great ‘people watching’ at The Mansion. I would go into details, but you’re just going to have to trust us on this one. You will not be disappointed!

AURORA

AURORA

If you are from Dallas or have lived here a while and have not heard of the greatness that is AURORA, don’t worry- it’s a well kept secret that we are about to expose. This place is so good- I don’t even know where to start….hmm... well maybe I’ll start by telling how why we ended up there for dinner the other night:

The world premiere of the Moby Dick opera was in Dallas at the magnificent Winspear Opera House , we had tickets, we're all dressed up and managed to sit through the first half of the performance. But come intermission, we looked at each other and it was clear we didn’t need to stick out the second half.

However, the problem with not eating before a performance in Dallas, is that almost every single kitchen closes at 10pm. It was 9:45pm… we made our way to the car trying to think of a place that would still seat us. My partner in crime came up with Aurora, we both hadn’t tried it so we called and announced our arrival!We sat down at 9:55pm and didn’t get up to leave until somewhere close to 1am.Ladies and gentlemen- this place is phenomenal!

From the understated stated building and front door- you would never expect to find such outstanding cuisine and tastes on the inside!The kitchen is open for every table to see, the service is out of this world and I can’t even being to explain the flavors and pairings that you will experience when you treat yourself to dine here.

On this occasion, my partner in crime spoiled us to the chefs tasting menu. And NOTHING was questionable. You would think the tasting menu would leave you hungry afterwards- this was quite the opposite. We were perfectly satisfied. Every course was a surprise- a great surprise at that. The flawlessly pan seared foie gras was a true highlight of the meal.
If you have tried foir gras before and not enjoyed the taste (like me) this will change your mind – trust me.

The service, attention to detail and overall experience was like no other dining experience in Dallas.
Save your pennies and treat yourself to this- you will not regret it.