HOME SWEET DALLAS — Go French Yourself

"214, all on my phone
We're from Dallas, baby, freak freak zone" -Erykah Badu

The BIG D will always have a special place in my heart. It was the place I raised my daughter, developed my incredibly successful career in the salon industry, fell in love with basketball and fuel city tacos, made amazing forever friends, and the place where I truly fell in love with myself. (Don’t forget to fall in love with yourself first.” Carrie Bradshaw said it, and if the words came from her, then they must be true. ) I went through a divorce here, lost my mom, had to move in with my dad for a few months.... It was such a crazy ride but I survived it. If you can survive that you can pretty much survive anything. This city is beaming with possibility for any any young dreamer...

YEE-HAW!

EVERYTHING I LOVE IN D.....And apologizing in advance for the lengthy post but having spent so much of my life here.............

BELMONT HOTEL: Cool 1946 restored hotel with amazing skyline views and it's pet friendly which is huge plus for me ! And only 2.9 miles away from The American Airlines Center where my sweet Mavericks play. The woodshed margarita's will give you a nice big Texas Welcome in The Belmont Bar ! (patio is divine)

ODD FELLOWS: Bustling, rustic-hip coffeehouse/diner offers American fare morning till night, plus cocktails. Fantastic patio. Amazing mimosas and cortados. Brunch is my favorite. Everything is just divine.

LOCAL PRESS + BREW: The first juice + coffee parlor in Dallas devoted to quality and local support. The juice is cold pressed and organic and the espresso is delicious. And don't even get me started on their toast. Drooling right now. I love how some of the juices are named after my favorite neighborhoods in Dallas. And praise Jesus for the The Day After....think of what activated charcoal does for your skin..so drinking it......??!!! I also need a pegasus painting for my home in Barcelona.

HOUNDSTOOTH: Branch of the funky Austin-based chain, serving coffee drinks, tea, beer & wine, plus pastries. Great space to let the creative juices flow and get some work done too. I also have a fond memory here . I was working for a couple of hours here when Man Repeller got her own emoticon !! I think I literally jumped out of my seat !!!!

EL BOLERO: Give me one of everything on the menu please and all the tequila and I will take the complimentary show shine too !!!!!

BOLSA: Delicious seasonal menu with local ingredients and the BEST cocktails in the city live here!!!!!

LA DUNI: This is actually my favorite restaurant in D. Fantastic for brunch, lunch, or dinner...or even just your morning caffeine ! The Vaca Blanca is going to be the death of me. Blending European traditions with Latin American soul, La Duni mixes the flavors, aromas, colors, textures, forms, and sounds of both cultures to create the ultimate "Mestizo" experience . Highly recommend the flautas, and the migas are sensational. The handmade white corn arepas are not to be missed and OMG ..the desert menu !!! The quatros leches is in my dreams !!!! It's sooooooooo good !!!!

CANE ROSSO: Most authentic Neapolitan style pizza in the metroplex. Their fresh, never-frozen dough is made in-house every day, using all natural "OO" flour imported from Italy. The sauce for their pizzas is made from hand-crushed San Marzano tomatoes, and the mozzarella is pulled fresh in-house daily. Cane Rosso pizzas are thin-crust, but are most definitely not “New York style.” Neapolitan style pizzas like theirs are meant to be eaten with a knife and fork and are crafted using only the highest quality ingredients available. Pizzas are fired in a specially built wood-fired oven from Italy that reaches 900 degrees and cooks the pizzas in under 90 seconds for a delicate and light, slightly charred dough. Cane Rosso also makes fresh pasta in-house and offers a selection of salads, sandwiches, and desserts. They always do a pizza of the day and I can't take my mind of a brisket goat cheese pie we had and then on a separate visit we indulged in a spicy pepperoni with honey! OMG!!!

FUEL CITY TACOS: Located in a gas station, this cash-only counter-serve spot is known for selling street tacos 24/7. The BEST place ever. AND open anytime to make your taco dreams come true!

VICTOR TANGOS: Insanely delish & innovative cocktails. Do get the Victor Tango obviously! The food is adventurous and fun and made for sharing! Do get a pic in the giant chair. It's VC tradition.

MURRAY STREET COFFEE SHOP: I have a special place in my heart for Deep Ellum . Such a cozy, unique space with lots of great natural light, remarkable original art, and a mid-century modern-meets-Scandinavia sensibility seasoned with an eclectic soundtrack. I love the latte's here and the Italian sodas.

DEEP ELLUM POSTAL & GROCER: I mean obviously mail your bff a postcard or love letter and grab some local coffee and even some toothpaste if you need that ! The front of the store is a small farm stand where a half dozen milk crates are filled with produce from the garden at Paul Quinn College or whoever else might have fresh goods that week. Coolers in the back are stocked with sweets from Zen Baking Company, Cita's Salsas, Blue Yarn Farm free-range eggs from Bolivar, Texas. Castillo has a small collection of classic vinyl records, a used book exchange and the locally made Wackym's Cookies. Oh..need something notarized..no prob !

BARK PARK CENTRAL: Your furry boys will love it here!! And before you go walk across the street and grab a watermelon iced tea from Twisted Root. Or a banana root beer!!!!!! You will not be disappointed! The fried pickles are really excellent too.

MANNY"S UPTOWN: Anytime I am craving delicious Tex-Mex style cuisine; for breakfast, lunch, dinner Manny's hits the spot. Adore the swirl margaritas and brisket tacos, super hot pica-pica sauce and puffy sopapillas. Love the eclectic dining room featuring gold booths and Frida images!! Great patio too!!

HIGHLAND PARK VILLAGE: Do go shop till you drop here!! Chanel, Hermes, Jimmy Choo.... you name it!! Do check out my cute little obsession Royal Blue Grocery for StumpTown Coffee and freshly picked flowers!

Do espresso and a breakfast sandwich at Mudsmith on lower Greenville ...soooooo sooooooo great !

Of course you must visit The DMA (Dallas Museum Of Art) The third Friday of each month they are open until midnight and host many fun events. Spend a few hours at The Nasher. Hang out at Klyde Warren Park with ping-pong and/or a good read. Run Katy Trail...or just ditch the run and join friends for drinks at The Katy Trail Ice House. Take the dogs for a stroll around White Rock Lake. This is one of my fave places in D...Love seeing that Dallas Skyline and water at the same time. Do try pizza at I-Fratelli. Do take a selfie in The Pegasus Dallas...the pegasus is the symbol of D. The Dallas Farmer's Market is unreal. It's such a treat! Do watch an indie flick at The Magnolia with wine! Shop at Forty Five Ten and have lunch at The T Room.

Walk around Bishop Arts...my beloved OC . (Oak Cliff) I have mad love for this area. I worked that territory when it was nothing but I knew it had the craziest potential! Experience Halloween on Swiss Ave. Just do it and add The Saint Patrick's Day parade on Greenville to your bucket list!!!! Do see a show at The Granada...Do get fancy and have drinks at The Ritz Carlton. But then do enjoy a beer at my favorite dive Cosmo in Lakewood. And do get a Capital Burger at the Capital Bar on Henderson.....(I have spent so many weekends there) and for the love of basketball.......go see a Mavericks game !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THE MAN, THE LEGEND. THE LOVE OF MY LIFE. SWISH 41.........

I will always be a Mavericks fan. This team......I will never forget the time we made it into The Finals...(and yes I say we) OMFG. It was one of the best moments of my life. But Miami took the championship and my heart broke. 5 years later we made it again.....

Just watch this recap and you will understand why the world loves this team.

We won! We finally won!! I will never forget that evening. I cried. I hugged strangers. We cried happy tears. Dallas was united. Our precious Mavericks had finally won the big one !!!!!!!! I waited for ten years. #letsgomavs.

In conclusion my dearest dearest friend Ackie is throwing an amazing event April 24th in D for Earth Month. Fashion is hitting the green carpet. It will be an incredible evening of fashion and creative brilliance as they raise funds and awareness for clean water. Since 1999 The Aveda network has raised over 44 million for Earth Month NGO partners, over 38 million of which has supported clean water projects. Vip Admission tickets are available for 50.00 and general admission tickets are 25.00. Raise awareness for a great cause! And yours truly is planning on attending as well so I will see you there!! Now what to wear. What to wear! Cannot wait to see what the design students at Wade College have in store for the #catwalkforwaterdallas!!! I am looking forward to interviewing Ackie very soon for a future post She was my first friend in Dallas and is such an inspiration to me and everything she touches!!!!! She is the Rachel Zoe of Dallas.

I will also be seeing you so soon Ms. Hill!!!

I just can't quit you beautiful D!

Xo,

Sam