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George Clooney, booze news and Trader Joe's: The 5 most popular stories thisweek

If you were a big somebody in the Dallas-Fort Worth spirits world, you got tosip tequila this week with George Clooney, pictured here at the Venice FilmFestival.
Photo by Ian Wilson/WENN via Ace Showbiz
A bar called the Kennedy Room opened in Uptown ahead of the 50th anniversary ofthe assassination of JFK in November.
Photo by Marc Lee
Singer, actor and voice coach Jeff Kinman was a beloved member of the Dallastheater community.
Photo by Mark Oristano
Trader Joe's No. 1 best seller was a spread made of ground-up cookies. Spread iton your cookies!
Photo courtesy of Small Kitchen College
TABC was a few weeks shy of its 18th birthday when it closed.
Photo by Jonathan Rienstra

Editor's note: Another week has come and gone, and there's a lot we all probably missed. But we're looking out for you, kid. Here are the most popular stories from this past week:

1. Longtime Uptown restaurant and watering hole Thomas Avenue Beverage Co. closes its doors. Located at the corner of Thomas Avenue (natch) and Allen Street, TABC was known as much for the food as it was for when the lights went down and the place transformed into a proper bar. In a notice taped to the window and dated December 31, 2012, J. Elmer Turner Realtors locked out TABC and owner Russell Hayward for failure to pay rent.

2. Dreamy Hollywood actor George Clooney spotted in Dallas. If you were a big somebody in the Dallas-Fort Worth spirits world, you got to sip tequila with Clooney, who was in town this week to promote a new tequila he's launching with hotel impresario Rande Gerber called Casamigos.

3. Sexy new speakeasy Kennedy Room stirs up cocktails and history in Uptown. Someone had to do it, and it's a surprise no one did before now: open a bar called the Kennedy Room, especially now that we'll be marking the 50th anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy in November of this year.

4. Addictive cookie butter tops the list of most popular Trader Joe's products of 2012. Trader Joe's has only recently opened in Texas, but one tradition that precedes the discount gourmet grocer's arrival is its annual listing of its most popular, best-selling products. The No. 1 item this year is Speculoos cookie butter, which tastes like spreadable gingerbread.

5. Dallas theater community remembers passionate and beloved performer Jeff Kinman. Singer, actor and voice coach Jeff Kinman died in the early hours of December 28 at Legacy Founders Cottage, the Oak Cliff hospice where he spent the last two weeks of his life. "He leaves a void in our theater community that no one will ever fill," says fellow voice coach and actress Wendy Welch.

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Concert News

Herb Alpert hits Dallas on first Tijuana Brass tour in 35 years

Photo courtesy of Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass

Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass will play at Winspear Opera House on August 2.

Legendary musician Herb Alpert will come to Winspear Opera House in Dallas on Saturday, August 2 as part of his first tour in 35 years with a new version of his band, The Tijuana Brass.

2025 marks a couple of big milestones for Alpert. He will turn 90 years old on March 31, and his classic album, Whipped Cream & Other Delights, will celebrate its 60th anniversary.

The tour, dubbed Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass & Other Delights, will feature the band performing many songs from that No. 1 album, including the seminal "A Taste of Honey," along with hits like “The Lonely Bull,” “Spanish Flea” — used famously as the background music for TV show The Dating Game — “Tijuana Taxi,” and more.

The 90-minute show is designed to be informal, as Alpert will answer questions from the audience about his career, his collaborators, and more. A giant video screen will display classic photos, videos, art, and various memorabilia from his music career.

Alpert, best known as a trumpeter, is still going strong despite his advanced age. He has released 48 albums in his career, including the new 50 in 2024.

In addition to his own storied career as a recording artist, Alpert founded A&M records with his business partner Jerry Moss. The two discovered artists like The Carpenters, Sergio Mendes, and many others.

Alpert and his wife, Lani Hall, have their own lengthy history together, as they'll celebrate 52 years of marriage in 2025. The husband and wife regularly perform together, including a concert at Majestic Theatre in Dallas in 2024.

Tickets for the show are now on sale for AT&T Performing Arts Center Center Circle Membersat attpac.org. They will go on sale to the general public on Friday, March 14 at 10 am.

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