HBO Series News

Uptown Dallas bar transforms itself into Game of Thrones museum

If you're a walking, breathing human being, you surely know what April 14 is: the premiere of Game of Thrones, the HBO's worldwide sensation series which is, tragically, now on its final season.

The importance of this pop culture event cannot be overstated, and one Dallas bar is pulling out the stops to mark it in style.

Ill Minster Pub, the London-themed bar located in a dark nook beneath the Gables Villa Rosa apartment complex, has transformed itself into a GoT museum of sorts, with tableaus, vignettes, and installations that are dedicated to Game of Thrones memorabilia.

Co-owner Chris Beardon says that he and his partners are all fans of the show, and decided to make it a theme.

"It was my business partner Jay's idea," Beardon says. "He suggested we do something for the final season, and we all thought it was a great idea since we all love the show."

It seems like a natural for this bar, which already has a medieval underground-cave ambience that lends itself perfectly to recreating the show's centuries-old milieu.

"It's the final season, so we decided to give it the going-away it deserved," he says. "We'll be throwing watch parties and doing fun weekly promotions, costume contests, and events."

Beardon says they sourced all of the decor themselves.

There are busts of key characters Jon Snow, Tyrion Lannister, and Daenerys Targaryen propped atop a fireplace mantel. There's a stockade of skulls in a corner, which, yes, look a little Halloweeny, but they also reference the show's "white walker" skeletal dead — come on, let's cut them some slack here.

There's even a miniature version of the famed Lannister throne, perfect for Instagram. "Hey, I'm Cersei!"

There is also a Game of Thrones cocktail menu, with drinks such as King of the North, with vodka, strawberry, lemon, and champagne; Creepy Littlefinger, with vodka, elderflower liqueur, lemon, and muddled cucumbers; and The Red Woman, with bourbon, ginger liqueur, and Compari.

Dallas bars turning themselves into TV shows already has a precedent: In January, Whippersnapper temporarily turned itself into The Drunken Clam, a fictional bar from Family Guy.

"We are doing this because we genuinely love the show and want to honor the season finale," Beardon says.

GoT bust presides over the bar.

Photo courtesy of Ill Minster

GoT bust presides over the bar.

Chef News

Beloved Dallas chef debuts farmers market restaurant Bucket & Rope

Bucket & Rope

Chef Victor Hugo is back.

A historical building near the Dallas Farmers Market has a stellar new tenant: Called Bucket & Rope, it's a new restaurant from acclaimed chef Victor Hugo, who previously owned the beloved Victor Hugo’s Dining and Bar in Oak Cliff, which closed in 2021.

Bucket & Rope is located at 600 S. Harwood St., in the space previously occupied by Green Door Public House, and is a partnership between Hugo and Mike Ruibal, owner of the famed Ruibal's Plants, who owns this space adjacent to his garden shop.

Dallas history buffs will remember that this structure, built over a century ago, was once home to Liberty Bank on Cesar Chavez Boulevard. It was relocated to the current location and rebuilt brick by brick to recreate the original structure. Green Door Public House was in the building for 10 years until it closed in August.

Ruibal was a regular at VH in Oak Cliff. He told Victor Hugo the first time they met that one day they would have a restaurant together.

“I decided to build a restaurant I would love, a neighborhood restaurant, and I wanted to do this with Victor," Ruibal says.

Bucket & Rope veggie plate Beautiful vegetable plate at Bucket & RopeInstagram

Hugo is an accredited chef who moved to Dallas from California and worked primarily for the Lombardi's group at Bistro 31 in Highland Park Village, before founding his own place in Oak Cliff.

After it closed, he launched a new VH location in Round Top at Oak Bones cabins, which he opens twice a year for the Spring and Fall antique shows in the area and for special events. He had a catering business as well — but was ready for more.

“Mike and I wanted to do something for the community, a place with great comfort food where neighbors can come two or three times a week, as an extension of their home," Hugo says.

The menu is New American, with steak, seafood, pasta, sandwiches and salads. Highlights include:

Rope In A Bucket: Crispy calamari strips, lemon caper aioli, Sriracha romesco
Steak Frites: 10oz New York Strip, green peppercorn sauce, skinny fries, spicy broccolini
Blackened Texas Redfish: Creamy parmesan risotto, green beans, mango habanero salsa
Duck & Rope Pasta: Duck confit, maitake mushroom, spinach tagliatelle, peppercorn cream, parmesan
Mike’s Burger: 8oz grilled Wagyu, bacon, cheddar, lettuce, tomato, bucket & rope sauce, grilled onions, pickles on brioche bun with skinny fries

Prices are reasonable, with salads and sandwiches at lunch for $12 to $18, and dinner entrees ranging from $18 for pasta to $28 for a Wagyu beef roast with cheddar grits.

An anecdote on the website explains that the name came from Ruibal's son, and that the team felt like it was a perfect fit for the building's history and aesthetic.

The restaurant represents a welcome return to Dallas' culinary scene for Hugo and his wife Brianna Ruelas, whose hospitality and great food at VH in Oak Cliff were much beloved.

“We are really excited to be part of this community, we have already met many customers who are happy to have us here," Hugo says.

downtown openings