Bar News

Deep Ellum bar closes down milkshakes to make way for pinball

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Photo courtesy of Texas Pinball & Arcade

Deep Ellum bar The Pharmacy, the bar known for spiked milkshakes, has closed, to be replaced by an arcade with the clever name Select Start.

Select Start will feature an expanded selection of arcade games, floats, ice cream, and a higher-end cocktail and beer program.

According to Danny Wilson, one of the owners, the closure was prompted after they received notice from the Texas State Board of Pharmacy that the name "The Pharmacy" was in violation of the Texas Pharmacy Act.

The name "pharmacy" or "apothecary" cannot be used by any business except those that are registered pharmacies with the state.

The owners will seek a new location for The Pharmacy, and a new name, obviously, that's better equipped to make milkshakes.

Select Start, will initially open with 18-20 arcade games, with more to be added later.

They will feature a mix of new-school and old-school games, with titles such as Marvel vs. Capcom, 4-Player Pac Man, Guitar Hero, & Crossy Road. Several pinball machines, skee ball, and basketball are also in the mix.

A 75-inch TV hanging over the bar will be playing live Twitch.tv streams of games. Two 55-inch TVs will also be mounted behind the bar with Xbox One and Playstation 4 consoles preloaded with several popular games.

The bar will offer a menu of gamer-themed cocktails and shots. Soda and beer floats will still be available, along with a selection of snacks and ice cream scoops.

"Nobody thought to check for obscure laws about pharmacies, unfortunately," Wilson says. "We didn’t know it would be an issue."

nightlife deep-ellum

Get Out and Eat

Luxury rules the 10 best food and drink events in Dallas this week

Thompson Hotel

Thanksgiving is still more than a week away but season's "eatings" have already begun. This week brings a holiday themed "giving" dinner for a good cause, an opulent truffle experience, and not one, but three bourbon whiskey pairing events. Looking for restaurants open on Thanksgiving? Find that list here.

Tuesday, November 19

Cask & Barrel November Bourbon Dinner at Carrabba’s Italian Grill
All outlets of the Italian dining chain, including Hurst, Plano, and Addison, will host a five-course Friendsgiving Feast Tuesday and Wednesday. The menu includes wild mushroom soup, grilled Calabrian wings, rigatoni with garlic rosemary cream and fennel sausage, prime strip with gorgonzola walnut butter, and bourbon cinnamon panna cotta. The $70 price, plus tax and gratuity, includes bourbon pairings. Seating time is 6:30 pm both nights.

Wednesday, November 20

Wine Cellar Social at The Mansion Restaurant
This month’s theme is “Wine for the Holidays.” Participants will explore new classic wine regions of the world with The Mansion Restaurant wine director, Brian Huynh. Light bites included. Tickets are $95, plus tax and gratuity, and the social begins at 6:30 pm.

Booker Vineyards Wine Dinner at Republic Texas Tavern
Courses include pan seared sea scallop with celery root ravioli and truffle, butter poached lobster with parmesan risotto, pressed duck with apple butter, arugula and pepitas, prime New York strip with crispy new potatoes and a sunny side up quail egg, and a chocolate tarte with espresso cream and hazelnut ganache. Wines will be paired with courses one through four, with an espresso martini to accompany dessert. Dinner is $150 per person, including tax and gratuity, and begins at 6:30 pm.

Wine Dinner with Lynmar Estate Wine at Gorji
In an intimate setting limited to just 20 guests, this personalized dining experience features commentary from celebrated Lynmar Estate Winery, known for its remarkable wines from Sonoma County's Russian River Valley, paired with a four-course tasting menu designed by Chef Gorji himself including Caesar salad, Prime beef tenderloin, fried catfish, and persimmon-vanilla ice cream. Tickets are $200, and it starts at 6:30 pm. Reserve through Lynmar Estate Winery (link here) or call 972-503-7080.

Monarch Sabatino Truffle Dinner
White truffle season has arrived and Monarch is here for it. Six indulgent courses will range from white truffle gnudi to Rosewood Ranch strip loin with truffle risotto. Dinner is $350, plus tax and a service fee, and begins at 7 pm. Wine pairings included.

Don Julio Tequila Five-Course Dinner Experience at Barrel & Bones
The seafood-forward menu will include mahi mahi ceviche, shrimp bisque, chipotle marinated salmon “meatball,” an array of tacos including red snapper, and passionfruit white flan. All courses come with a Don Julio neat pour or cocktail. Dinner is $70, plus tax, and begins at 7 pm.

Thursday, November 21

Dean Fearing's Margarita Happy Hour with QUI tequila
The celeb chef will host a patio happy hour at The Ritz Carlton, Dallas with a private barrel of QUI Tequila extra añejo, made exclusively for the hotel and his namesake restaurant. Sip various tequila concoctions paired with bites, including guacamole from the hotel’s iconic “guacamologist.” Tickets are $52, plus tax and a fee, and include two cocktails and food. The event will run from 6–8 pm.

Wine-Pairing Dinner at Little Daisy
This wine dinner kicks off an annual holiday series at the Thompson Hotel. It's a communal dinner that'll take place in the chef’s garden. Early bird tickets are $125, plus tax, and the dinner begins at 6 pm. (General admission pricing jumps to $210 closer to the event, although they do not say when that happens). An optional VIP reception starts at 5 pm for an extra $75.

Garrison Brothers Whiskey Social at Renny’s
Monthly social at The Stache — the speakeasy at Preston-Forest restaurant Renny’s — will feature Garrison Brothers bourbons and cocktails and a lengthy list of hors d’oeuvres, including poblano jack-stuffed ribeye lollipops, bourbon apricot meatball on Hawaiian roll, and Mexican street corn deviled eggs. The price is $55 and the event will run from 6–8 pm.

Whistle Pig Dinner at Rye
Pairing dinner at Rye restaurant centers on Whistle Pig’s Boss Hog XI: The Juggernaut, a new whiskey finished in thandai barrels – thandai being a traditional Indian drink with ingredients like almond, cardamom, poppy, and saffron. Nine courses will be themed around said ingredients, accompanied by cocktails and neat pours of the Whistle Pig line-up. Think beef shank with saffron and cinnamon crust paired with a Piggyback Bourbon cocktail, and milk curd doughnuts paired with the Boss Hog XI. Dinner is $400 plus tax and a service charge, and begins at 6:30 pm.

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