Well, Dallas just keeps impressing me! I had a beautiful night at The Ritz-Carlton. Although I expected it to be nothing less than the pinnacle of luxurious living and hospitality, it truly exceeded my "expected" expectations. The weather was perfect! A mild 81 degrees and a light wind from the south...aaaah!

The patio bar is a delightful place for a date or a group outing with friends. It is adjacent to the lounge/lobby bar, and is enclosed just off the McKinney side. You'd think with all the traffic on the busy street outside, it would be noisy, but it was minimal and you could actually hear yourself speak.

There's plenty of seating for dining and even a cozy nook around a wood-burning fireplace for the chilly nights; although I think we're done with chilly nights in Dallas for awhile! It was a great experience and I can't wait to go back! I'll invite you, my subscribers, along...

The Ritz-Carlton
2121 McKinney Avenue
Dallas, Texas 75201
Phone: (214) 922-0200

This week, I went to a New York salon opening…. Beautiful models, couture designs, Manhattan house music...eeeeeeeeert, scratch that, dammit, I’m still in Dallas! For a moment though I thought I was in a Soho-chic salon with the beautiful people, but alas I am still here. Click, click, click...on to Oz!

Michelle Patrick Salon’s grand re-opening event was a real treat! I didn’t know people this cool and artsy AND stylish existed in J.R. and Sue Ellen’s town. Sorry Dallas, you know I’m still feeling you out!

The atmosphere oozed with energy and creativity. I was swept away by the ultra edgy sophistication of the staff, yet charmed by the warm southern hospitality of the Michelle Patrick Salon team.

Owner, Mattie Michelle has been in business since 2008 introducing what she describes as a new salon concept which combines, “both cutting edge and classic style for multi-textured hair.” This “new” concept certainly works well. I grew up in a salon, and I’ve never seen so many beautiful heads of hair from locs to natural hair to big textured curls to fro’s, to relaxed blunt cuts – whatever your preference, this salon can do it ALL! Not something you see everyday…

The edgy-warm theme continued on in the design of the new location, which includes two cozy, but eclectically remodeled houses with all the salon bells and whistles, hardwood floors, and walls adorned with contemporary art.

Her campaign, “I am my hair,” a dramatic spin on India Arie’s song entitled “I Am Not My Hair” embodies the great lengths women (and men) go through to look good. Mattie believes we are our hair, because it is an investment of our time, money and our overall look.


Mattie’s concept is way ahead of the multi-cultural curve in Dallas. She and the Michelle Patrick Salon team are a class act…professionalism and style all the way! Genius Ms. Mattie Michelle, genius.

4209 Herschel Ave
Dallas, TX 75219
214-909-3030

Hello Dallas!I'm back and feeling pretty good about my explorations this week. I found a great new place to dine right around the corner from where I work. I LOVE crepes, and one of my new favorite places is Crêperie du Château.

It's a quaint little spot right at the corner of Routh St. and McKinney Ave. With all the hustle and bustle of sports bars and dives on McKinney, Crêperie du Château is definitely a serene midday retreat.

I ordered the chicken crepe which was phenomenal! They use what they describe as a "specially prepared wheat recipe" and the wheat flour they use is organic. The chicken was perfectly seasoned and the brown sauce (i don't know what it was) was delicious. If you're really hungry prepare to order something else from the menu however. They have a variety of sandwiches, soups and pastas among other things to choose from, and I'm sure it's all good.

Wait, Wait I'm not done...I had dessert too...

For dessert I made my own creation which was the Chocolate Sundae with strawberries and bananas. The fruit was fresh, and dessert crepes come with a side of ice cream and 4 towers of tasty whipped cream on each corner of a square plate... mmmmmmm.... mouth watering now!

It's economically priced, a great date place or a very good place to go close to downtown to get some peace and quite. They have a jazz brunch the last Sunday of every month and the service was incredible...for which I am a stickler. So, that's What's Good this week Dallas! Check out Crêperie du Château. I'll definitely be stopping in again soon!

http://www.creperie.us

OK...so I've been an unofficial Dallasite for 5 years now. As a transplant from Atlanta (...by way of Kentucky), I found that Dallas did not have the same robust cultural and social outlets to which I had become accustomed. So, after months of boring parties and lackluster events, I gave up and became a couch potato. I really didn't fit in anywhere here, and thought it would be best to save my "good" outfits for when I traveled out of town! But being a couch potato gets boring and when my doctor told me that I had a Vitamin D deficiency from lack of sunlight,(LOL) I decided that it was time for me to step away from the TV and start blooming where I was planted--every flower needs sun to grow!

So, I have taken on a new challenge to get to know Dallas and the surrounding areas! What's Good Dallas is a blog about my experiences in a city that I have yet to really embrace, but am finding that there are still some cool things to do, see and explore. Surprisingly, people call me and always ask me "where to go" or "what to do." Luckily, I'm a Saturday afternoon adventurer and can accommodate, but now I'll really know!

Over the next several weeks, I will tell you in words and pics, all about my journey in and around Dallas! If you're couch potato too, won't you join me. Subscribe to my blog and I'll tell you all about new places you may or may not know and if I really like it, I will invite you to return with me at a later date for a meetup and networking!

So c'mon let's goooooooo!!!!