Bar Openings: July/August 2015

A Dallas sports bar pays homage to the Big Easy, and a new cocktail den on New York's Upper West Side goes back to the '70s.

Dallas’ 504 Bar & Grill has a rustic contemporary feel, with industrial features, garage doors and sliding barn doors that create an open-air space anchored by a four-sided bar.
Dallas’ 504 Bar & Grill has a rustic contemporary feel, with industrial features, garage doors and sliding barn doors that create an open-air space anchored by a four-sided bar. (Photo by Abraham Bencid)

Dallas Channels New Orleans At Creole-Inspired Sports Bar

Named for New Orleans’ telephone area code, 504 Bar & Grill is a new Creole fusion sports bar in Dallas. The venue opened in May with a large bar and a beverage menu that includes classic and specialty cocktails, craft and big-name beers, and a variety of wines. Mixed drinks range from Big Easy staples like the Sazerac, Hurricane and Pimm’s Cup to classics like the Manhattan and Old Fashioned. The venue also offers such signatures as the Texas Mule, made with Absolut vodka, Fever-Tree ginger beer, muddled jalapeño and lime, and the District 6, a blend of Nue vodka, club soda, basil, cucumber and lime (cocktails are $10). Lone Star state beers get top bidding at the bar, which offers 16 draft pours and a dozen bottled labels from brewers like Community Beer Co., Lakewood Brewing Co. and Revolver Brewing ($3 to $8 a draft pour or bottle). Budweiser, Coors and Miller labels are also featured. The wine list is equally diverse, boasting boutique labels from Latin America, California and the Pacific Northwest ($8 to $11 a glass; $20 to $46 a 750-ml. bottle). Food offerings range from sautéed crawfish tails to a fried oyster BLT sandwich to osso bucco ($7 to $30).

Joe’s Bar in New York City plays classic rock and offers a timeless menu.
Joe’s Bar in New York City plays classic rock and offers a timeless menu. (Photo by Sarah Boisjoli)

Joe’s Bar Takes NYC Back To The 1970s

Focusing on 1970s-era music and an easy-living vibe, Joe’s Bar brings a decades-old atmosphere to modern-day Manhattan. The bar opened in May on New York City’s Upper West Side and boasts a cocktail list divided into classics and newer creations (all $12) with names that reference ’70s pop culture touchstones. The Night Fever is made with Reyka vodka, Campari aperitif, Carpano Antica Formula sweet vermouth, house-made raspberry cordial and lime juice, while the Flash Gordon’s Breakfast comprises Cazadores Blanco Tequila, Dolin Blanc vermouth, cucumber, Thai chili and mint. The bar also has a bustling beer program that highlights craft labels from around the country ($6 to $10 a draft pour, bottle or can) and a simple food menu that includes burgers, fries and cupcakes ($5 to $11).

Bar Briefs

  • The operators of New York City’s Mexican restaurant Tijuana Picnic, which opened this past December on the Lower East Side, unveiled their new subterranean Tico’s Tequila Bar in May. Offering more than 80 Tequilas and mezcals, the drinks den serves cocktails and spirits flights, as well as tacos and light fare.
  • The Empire Room opened in San Francisco in May in a mammoth 8,000-square-foot space that incorporates private VIP rooms, plush lounges, a bespoke cocktail parlor and dance areas. Along with drinks of every kind, the venue offers food from the city’s top food truck chefs. The Empire Room’s interior is modeled after a ballroom and has an upbeat vibe.
  • Marriott International’s new AC Hotel Miami Beach unveiled the drinks den AC Lounge in May. Created in partnership with spirits guru Jennifer Massolo, the venue features a menu of craft beers and cocktails that incorporate local Florida ingredients. The bar also offers an array of Spanish wines.
  • Aiming to break the bar food stereotype, Chicago’s new Haywood Tavern offers nearly 50 beers and a menu of European-inspired sandwiches and light fare. The venue opened in late April with 12 rotating draft pours, as well as a handful of specialty cocktails and European wines and ciders.