Drinking Diaries

A love letter to Time Out Tavern and its impossible-to-duplicate charm

I like to think that everyone has that one bar he holds in far higher esteem than it deserves. It’s the kind of place you take out-of-town friends for beers, and the whole time they’re wondering if this is the kind of place you go on a nightly basis, and if they should be worried about an impending downward spiral.

But they don’t know. Even if you were to explain to them all the stories and memories you’ve accumulated, it wouldn’t help your cause. They weren’t there, so they can’t possibly get it.

Or maybe your out-of-town friends know how to have a good time and they embrace going to Time Out Tavern as much as I do.

I hold the Tot dear the way one thinks about his first love, because Time Out Tavern was my first real bar.

Let’s get it out of the way: The Tot is nothing special. It’s a small, windowless bar on Lovers Lane just west of Inwood Road. You can get Miller Lite, PBR, Budweiser and liquor, and that’s about it.

But I hold the Tot dear the way one thinks about his first love, because Time Out Tavern was my first real bar. Sure, I’d been to other watering holes, but it was the first place where I really understood the potential of a bar beyond just putting alcohol in my belly.

It was where I spent my college breaks with my friends, sneaking in with our fake IDs, splitting pitchers, playing pool and talking. It was less about the experience of “going out” and more about being in a place with the people that you wanted to be with. It didn’t hurt that they let us bring in Campisi’s.

Each trip to the Tot was always different. Some nights it was packed with college students killing time between semesters; sometimes it was a bachelorette party getting their night started or a group of 50-year-olds setting the pace for the rest of us.

And sometimes it was just two guys sitting at the bar by themselves, drinking for who knows what. Or as it went on one Wednesday night, between a fortysomething patron and the bartender: Guy: “Long time, no see.” Bartender looks up: “Yeah, Sunday right?” And then deliciously awkward silence as my group pretended not to hear.

My buddy tried to buy a pitcher with quarters that night, and that was the closest I’ve ever gotten to being kicked out — though probably not the most deserving.

The Tot has shuffleboard and a pool table. And, if you’re lucky, a guy will come by selling brisket tacos, which you should buy — all of them, if you can. There’s a jukebox in the corner, and although theoretically you could play anything you want, the Tot really demands a steady diet of Outlaw Country.

Of course, it was also the place where a friend was introduced to the greatest wedding song nobody has ever played at a wedding: Marvin Sease’s 10-minute masterpiece “Candy Licker.” (That song is super NSFW without headphones.)

Unofficial traditions like watching the BCS National Championship and hustling cougars in pool make going back feel as comfortable as going home.

I don’t go as often as I used to, but if I were gone from Dallas for a year, the Time Out Tavern would be the first bar I hit when I got back. It's not too much to say that the Tot formed my opinion about what a bar should be, and it's why I prefer places that foster a relaxed, time-wasting kind of vibe as opposed to cramped, too-loud spots devoted to emptying your wallet.

The Tot might not be your flavor, but you’ve probably got a bar that holds the soft spot in your drinking heart. She might not be the prettiest or the richest, but man, does she know what you like.

The Tot might not be much to look at, but we love it just the same.

Photo by Monica S.

The Tot might not be much to look at, but we love it just the same.

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Romantic Dinners

All the best Dallas restaurants for Valentine's Day dining 2025

Omni PGA

Clink your glasses at Trick Rider at Omni PGA

Valentine's Day is a month away and it's not too soon to start planning, especially if you're planning a romantic dinner. Restaurants around Dallas are ready with special meals, and reservations are already being made.

This year, the holiday falls on a Friday — the perfect night for a romantic date. But some restaurants are also extending their Valentine's Day specials for that entire weekend. So if you can't make it on a Friday night, there's always Thursday or Saturday as a backuup plan.

These are all the restaurants so far with Valentine's Day meals, but we'll be adding new ones every day.

Here's where to celebrate Valentine's Day in Dallas:

Apothecary. Lower Greenville restaurant offering 7-course chef's tasting menu including oyster with champagne-rose mignonette, golden osetra caviar, and micro chervil; lobster & prawn with coconut saffron "tom kha," pickled mustard, Thai basil, and lime leaf chili crisp; and orange cardamom duck breast. A vegetarian menu is also available. $165-$185. Seatings start at 5 pm, February 13-15. 972-850-9192.

The | Bar. Loews Arlington bar offering Valentine's dinner drinks and a meal featuring Chef Luis Penaloza's Valentine's special, tiger prawn raviolo with shallots, garlic ricotta, prawn bisque, and a charred Fresno reduction. $25. February 13-14. 682-318-2810.

The Charlotte. Offering a special 3-course menu, but the full regular dinner menu will not be available for Valentine's Day. A Charlotte teddy bear can be added on for $85. $95, wine pairing for $55. Reservations here. 972-803-6720.

Coupes. Oak Lawn champagne bar will feature a flight of three elevated rosé champagnes, along with the featured by-the-glass selection, Champagne Didier-Ducos, and La Rosée, plus a special caviar tartlet feature and choice of entrée. $25 deposit. 214-434-1347.

Eddie V's. Plano steakhouse is doing special Valentine's dishes including surf & turf with 10-ounce center cut filet mignon & 5-ounce South African lobster with lobster beurre blanc, and bananas Foster butter cake. Prices a la carte. 4-10 pm. Plano 469-268-3758 and Fort Worth 817-336-8000.

Farena. Loews Arlington Hotel restaurant is offering exclusive dishes and the regular dinner menu including oyster pizzaiolo, beet-stuffed ravioli, King’s Cut Steak for two with Gulf shrimp, marble potatoes, and lobster sauce. Dessert includes a chocolate torta. Prices are a la carte. Reservations are encouraged here. 682-318-2810.

The Finch. Mockingbird Station restaurant offering 3-course couple's menu featuring shared salmon crostini, choice of soup or salad, and New York Strip or seafood risotto. $120 per couple. February 14-16. Reservations here. 469-893-0990.

Goldie’s. Lake Highlands neighborhood restaurant is doing an exclusive prix-fixe menu with champagne and dessert. 214-586-3033.

JOA Grill. Korean BBQ restaurant is offering a 3-course Valentine’s Day menu with yuzu salad, cod pancakes, meat board with prime short rib, NY strip, chuck flap, & ribeye, and chocolate cake. Reservations are recommended. $52. 972-241-3900.

La Parisienne. French Bistro is offering a 4-course Valentine’s Day menu in addition to their regular menu. The menu includes salad, soup, and choice of spicy rigatoni pasta, boeuf bourguignon, steak frites, Saumon Aux Amandes, and dessert. $75.

Malai Kitchen. Thai and Vietnamese restaurant with four locations will feature a special limited menu with crispy lamb “money bag” potstickers, lotus leaf steamed black cod, green chili hanger steak, Vietnamese five-spice pork belly, and Vietnamese tiramisu for dessert. Reservations are recommended. Preston Center 972-373-4434, Uptown 214-599-7857, Southlake 817-251-9141, Fort Worth 682-707-3959.

Montage. JW Marriott Dallas Arts District hotel restaurant has two options: a 3-course meal on February 13 and 15 with cognac celeriac bisque, seabass, and opera cake for $85; or a five-course menu for two on February 14 with lobster burrata crepe, corn bread with honey, cognac celeriac bisque, lamb agnolotti, braised short rib, and opera cake, $250 per couple. 214-736-7760.

Perry's Steakhouse & Grille. Downtown restaurant hosting candlelight dinner for two featuring salads a 12-ounce Filet Mignon Roast (prepared medium) for two with bearnaise, truffle merlot, and roasted peppercorn sauces, lobster tails, two sides to share, and chocolate-dipped strawberry kisses. $185 per couple. Reservations available 6:15-9:30 pm. 214-855-5151.

Ramble Room. Park Cities restaurant is hosting dinner with complimentary caviar plus cacio e pepe oysters, lobster salad, steak frites, and Chilean sea bass. Dessert features butterscotch crème brûlée. Reservations are recommended. 214-620-0385.

SĒR Steakhouse. Hilton Anatole restaurant hosts a 3-course dinner with oysters & pearls with osetra caviar, olive-fed Wagyu tenderloin with black truffle sauce, and desserts like rosé & berry verrine. $130, or $189 with wine pairings. 214-761-7479.

Society Bakery. Lakewood bakery and tea room is hosting a Galentine’s Day 3-course tea with an Emily in Paris-themed Afternoon Tea. The menu features “Savoir” sandwiches, baked scones, and desserts such as champagne & strawberry cake. Customers can also order The Champère, a blend of champagne and blackberry infusion. Reservations required at least 96 hours in advance. $75. Available until February 28. 214-827-1411.

Sushi | Bar. The 17-course omakase concept located underground in Dallas is featuring a specialty omakase experience with Valentine’s Day-inspired additional nigiri bite, caviar, truffle and foie gras on select bites, and a champagne toast upon arrival. $255. February 13 - 15. Limited reservations available. 214-420-8532.

Table 13. Addison bistro is doing a 4-course dinner with choices from shrimp cocktail, bacon-wrapped dates, crab-tini, lobster bisque, caesar, Caprese salad, sea bass or ribeye crab Oscar, surf & turf tenderloin and lobster tail, lobster frites with lobster tails & fries, berries & cream, chocolate cake, or red velvet cheesecake. $125. 6-10 pm. Served February 13-15. 972-789-9558.

Te Deseo. Uptown restaurant offering 3-course prix-fixe menu including ceviche, half dozen oysters aguachile, roasted beet salad, filet mignon, and a dessert choice of arroz con leche frita or pastelitos de guayaba. $85. 214-646-1314.

III Forks. Frisco steakhouse is offering a steak and lobster tail special featuring a 6-ounce certified Angus beef filet and a 6-ounce cold water lobster tail. $110, or pair your meal with Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label for $28 per glass or $149 per bottle. 972-267-1776.

TJ’s Seafood Market. Preston Royal restaurant offering caviar, oysters, crab cakes, lobster, complemented by a classic martini or a glass of sparkling wine. Prices a la carte. Reservations are recommended. 214-691-2369.

Trick Rider. Fine dining restaurant at Omni PGA Frisco Resort & Spa is doing a 4-course menu by Executive Chef Joe Riojas featuring hamachi crudo, his and hers 30-ounce porterhouse, and chocolate kiss. $198 per couple. Wine pairings available for additional $98. 469-305-4610.

Y.O. Ranch. West End steakhouse offering 3-course menu plus amuse bouche featuring choices such as chicken fried quail with wild mushroom brandy sauce, duck carnitas quesadillas, lobster bisque, steaks, wild game, seafood, dessert, and complimentary chocolate dipped strawberry. $100- $125. Three seatings: 5 pm, 7 pm, and 9 pm. 214-744-3287.

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