Flex Friday Happy Hours
Going home, snuggling into a pair of pajamas, and binge-watching something on Netflix is how I spend most Friday nights. What can I say, I’m getting old.
But with the sun setting a little later and my favorite summer tradition – flex Friday – in full effect, hanging out a little later to enjoy some of Dallas’ best happy hours has proven to be a lot more fun than hanging out with Kimmy Schmidt and Titus Andromedon (sorry guys).
This past Friday, me and my friends Donielle and Jacklyn found ourselves at Henry’s Majestic for its (almost) all-day happy hour.
If you’ve never been to Henry’s Majestic, the McKinney Avenue hot spot keeps it pretty up front with their motto: Good Food. Strong Drink.
Both are true.
Since I’d never been there before Friday night, and the last time Donielle and Jacklyn were in the building it was ACME F&B, I quickly decided to let the waiter and bartender run the show when it came to what I was eating and drinking that night. (Trust me, it’s a lot of fun to be surprised, and I’ve never been disappointed when I asked a bartender to peacock for me).
When it came to eating, there wasn’t a lot of vegan options on the menu – there wasn’t anything labeled vegan, but the waitress helped me navigate the menu, and I settled on the charred onion hummus. It was delicious.
My friends went for the short rib mac and cheese, East Coast oysters, seared diver scallops, and maple bourbon meatballs.
The mac and cheese, they said was creamy but beautifully textured with a nicely seared short rib; the oysters were well balanced with a hot Sriracha sauce and a citrus vinaigrette; the corn pudding beneath the scallops was a pleasant surprise, and the fennel in the meatballs was a nice touch.
As for the drinks, we started with the Can’t Hardly Wait, Beach on the Street, and my favorite, the Watermelon Fizzle. The latter two are part of the restaurants new charged spring cocktail menu.
During happy hour, which runs from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, guests can enjoy $5 house wine, draft beers, and the spring cocktail line.
We also tried the 8 a.m., a nitrous-charged Vietnamese blended coffee with vanilla infused bourbon and sweetened condensed milk (which surprisingly was not too sweet); the Honey Dew, Honey Don’t, a meaty Mezcal with honeydew, Serrano citrus, and agave; and a gimlet that had my teacher friend announcing that she was “ready for retirement.”
After we finished, the staff invited us to Atwater, a speakeasy in the back, where we sipped on Prosecco mixed with raspberry, salt, lemongrass, and lemon, and a take on a Bees Knees that added lavender.
What else can I say, it was pretty amazing there.