oh, you’re so naughty.

i’m obvi talking about my recent trip to dallas, tx.

if nyc is my second city (really 1b), and miami is my third, dallas is my proud #4! i have spent the better part of my life visiting dallas annually. in fact, my sister and i spent our childhood summers being booted off to the big D with our fun and patient aunt & uncle and gaggle of cousins. from test-driving college life @ SMU, sunset wagon walks as a family to unlimited fruit rollups (my parents would never) and fantastic blue goose dinners (IYKYK), we have a near lifetime of idyllic texas memories.

a few weeks ago, we embarked on a roadtrip that is as familiar to me as the delta nonstop to lga, and landed on a fantastic dallas weekend. i was lucky enough to have work meetings that kept me there through the next week, so was able to solo-mini-explore the city for the first time…literally in my life.

my current dallas loves:

• honor bar in highland park village– hp village is giving rodeo drive a run for its money, with a strong emphasis on the money. we had the most hilarious and casually luxe dinner involving 4 adults, a 3-year-old, zero reservations and good ol’ texas luck. 25 minutes after fighting the crowd to the hostess stand, we were seated at a corner booth. the service was phenomenal, views super fun and my ice-cold shrimp louie impeccable.
• every inch of fort worth is shockingly adorable and giving major city. i cannot wait to get back there!
• la victoria on haskell. the picadillo taco is so TDF, i was figuring out when i could go back as i was eating the gd thing! it is mom/pop, authentic to its core.
• kimpton pittman- we know i am a big IHG girl, so my expectations were sky-high as i pulled up to the door. don’t tell the eventi, but the pittman staff treated me like a queen. as if they knew i was already high on dallas and just needed a small push into delirium. i was upgraded to a legit one bedroom apartment, and came home on my first night to a bottle of wine, a dessert spread and a love note.
• the heights is a neighborhood bar at its best, meaning the regulars pour in at two minutes past 5 pm, the playlist is curated, the chips are homemade and the owner (decked in red suspenders) makes sure you want for absolutely nothing. it was like being catapulted back into 2018 when we had no fucking clue how carefree life was!
• always northpark mall, always. it was pouring rain and mother’s day, but my sis and i piled into the car for a quick fix of one of our favorite malls in the country. to quote my inimitable big sister, “this is how i want to spend my mother’s day.” during our last dallas trip, we spent a workday at NP, so had to show a bit more restraint this go-round. 90 minutes later, we walked out (to more pouring rain) but with a steal on a pair of Gucci sandals and a PR pitch for my bro-in-law as to why they had to come with us. the mother of invention…is a really good mall.

don’t mess with big texas, baby! xx

**image via dallas cowboys- DCC forever!