The Denton Top 3: Hangouts

I am back, and I have been thinking about this for a while and thought I needed to express my confusion with what ideas keep coming out for restaurants in Denton yet they keep doing horribly. With the closings of Gold Mine Barbecue and Café Herrera as the latest victims, I start to wonder if people are just throwing out these concepts and thinking that the Dentonites will just flock to it if it looks cool or sounds interesting. I get a little upset that they think we as Dentonites are that mindless sheep. I digress, I just thought why not some of these ideas to fill those spaces.

#3 Tapas Restaurant:

So, there are a few out there, yet Denton does not have a great tapas restaurant on the square, it would work well, it would be fun, interesting, and a place like that would be nice on the square. With the small amounts of food and good clean cooking, someone could open a fun and great place that would cater to an upscale yet affordable food. You feel as if you are in a fancy place when you eat there yet you can have a lot of different menu items at a low price. Bringing your friends can be especially fun to share plates and get some different food.

#2 An English Pub: 

I think there should be a English pub that has more of a low key atmosphere. Somewhere there is not
loud music where you are having to scream to try and talk, Somewhere nice, quaint, and quiet that you can have a conversation and a drink. I know there are bars out there, but I would like a place that is more like a pub that is where you can hold a conversation. 

#1 Jazz and Blues Lounge:

This one is a given, with Denton being one of the places where jazz is a staple and blues has a place in the heart of all Dentonites, this is something that should be considered due to the UNT influence to jazz and legendary blues artists from this area including Tom "Pops" Carter. Now, I refer to a LOUNGE for a reason, there are bars out there, and there was an attempt at this a little while back, yet it went out of business due to other issues, I think it would work well if it was done well and managed properly. Something that brings a feel of the old jazz bars with a band and a small dance floor, with bands on a stage. 

These are just my opinion, but I think these are solid ideas for any young entrepreneur ready to make Denton city lights shine. Just some ideas that I think could work, comment if you have any suggestions that would be a good concept that you would like to see. 

And as always, when you are out, tip your waitstaff and bartenders, they work hard so you can have some fun.

Yea, I Like Beer...

Hello fellow Dentonites, if you are anything like I am, you have been seeing many changes to the landscape of Denton. This includes one new bar, the Oak Street Draft House and Cocktail Parlor. Oak Street Draft House (OSDH&CP) is a great place to hang out and relax. They have lots of things going on and interesting beers from some local brewers and more the craft beer specialties. Uniquely placed in a Victorian style home on Oak St near Bell, this place is great with a great patio and outside seating. It is a great place for groups to just hang out and have a beer. Also, they have started offering cocktails with the local Armadillo Ale Works sodas. These are great and have a refreshing flavor that can't be beat. The one thing I enjoy about OSDH is that the atmosphere is like a relaxed house party in your back yard, but no cleanup. I love that feeling where you can have a group of friends and have some  fun and some drinks, with conversation and good music. The beer that you can find there is excellent, very eclectic and lots of variety, plus you can go just up the street to Mellow Mushroom or order food into the back yard. All the bartenders are friendly and will help with a great selection if you need some help pairing a beer with your food. I believe this is a place that is here, and will become another great Denton tradition.

Now if you want to get more involved and have an affinity for a good beer, they do host the Denton area home brewers. You can get more info at www.dchg.org. 

As always, be careful, God bless, and have fun. Always tip your servers and bartenders.