Here are my destination picks for May 5:

Tacopalooza – This taco fest is where I’ll be stuffing my face at Bryan Street Tavern between the hours of 1 and 7 PM. Ten different taquerias, taco trucks, and dessert trucks will be available to taco-hungry people. There’ll be live bands, drink specials, and even a taco eating contest. My friend, the Taco Trail blazer José Ralat-Maldonado, will be doing some taco judging, too.

WHEN AND WHERE
Saturday, May 5, 1 to 7 PM
Bryan Street Tavern
4315 Bryan Street, Dallas, TX 75204

May 5 also happens to be the Kentucky Derby, and what better way to celebrate than to head over to Sissy’s Southern Kitchen & Bar for their Jockeys & Juleps party? Guests will be dressing up in sharp, race-day attire and sipping from a selection of refreshing cocktails for $5. Watch the Red Carpet Special and Kentucky Derby on the big screens behind the bar and in the Scotch Room. Plus, you’ll receive a special prize if you’re wearing the best Derby outfit in the house.

Saturday, May 5, 2012
Drink specials run from 4 p.m. – 7 p.m.

WHERE:
Sissy’s Southern Kitchen and Bar
2929 Henderson Avenue
Dallas, TX 75206

The Dallas Wine & Food Festival is actually starting today and running until May 6. On Cinco de Mayo, though, there’ll be Chef Demos at Mockingbird Station from the likes of Kay Agnew (Bridge Bistro), Tre Wilcox (Marquee Grill), and David Trubenbach (Asador). Learn how to entertain with style.

Go here for the Chef Demo schedule.

WHEN AND WHERE
Saturday, May 5
Mockingbird Station
Northeast corner of Mockingbird Lane & Central (I-75) [Map]
Registration inside the Angelika Film Center – Dallas [Map]
11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Dress: Smart Casual - Free Surface Parking

$25 per person
$15 added cost to guarantee a place in each Seminar and Happy Hour*

]]> http://sidedish.dmagazine.com/2012/05/02/alternative-ways-to-celebrate-cinco-de-mayo/feed/ 1 http://sidedish.dmagazine.com/2012/05/02/cinco-de-mayo-in-dallas-where-to-down-those-tequila-shots-and-don-those-sombreros/ http://sidedish.dmagazine.com/2012/05/02/cinco-de-mayo-in-dallas-where-to-down-those-tequila-shots-and-don-those-sombreros/#comments Wed, 02 May 2012 14:36:38 +0000 Raya Ramsey http://sidedish.dmagazine.com/?p=40247

Cinco de Mayo at Mattito's. photography by Jerry McClure

It’s that time of year again. Time to load up your amigos and head to the local Mexican watering holes for mariachi music, discount drinks, and too much tequila. Check out our list of 10 best bets for getting in the spirit of the annual fiesta.

CHUY’S
11 am to 11 pm
Drink This: All day happy hour with $3.95 house margaritas, $7.25 house Texas martinis, and $2.75 domestics along with Corona specials and onsite alcohol promotions
Festivities: Tune in to the sounds of a mariachi band at 7 pm.

HACIENDA ON HENDERSON
11 am to 11 pm
Drink This: $5 margaritas
Festivities: It’s a whole block party full of live music, mariachis, and DJs. If you get bored, head to the dunk tank, onsite photo booth, or giant Jenga. Bring a receipt and prove you caught a cab there, and the $5 cover is waived.

URBAN TACO
11 am to close
Drink This: Five different drinks for $5 (Limonda Corrupta, Bloody Maria, Sangria, Tequila Slammer, and Gran Centenario Azul Silver Tequila shots), $3 Dos XX
Festivities: Live music, mariachi band, and $2 chicken and steak tacos

Cinco de Mayo at Primo's (photography by Jerry McClure)

BLUE GOOSE
10 am to 10 pm
Drink This: Bring a sombrero to participate in drink specials: $2 Dos XX, $4 house margaritas, $3 Bloody Mary bar, and $5 El Jimador top shelf margaritas.
Festivities: The best sombrero wins a trip to Cancun for two and children’s area for hat decorating and face painting.

MATTITO’S
2 pm
Drink This: Free tequila tastings and all-day drink specials.
Festivities: This party is one of the most beloved Cinco celebrations in town. Find live music, DJs, mechanical bull rides, games with prizes, Tex-Mex noshes, and, of course, the Bob Armstrong Queso Eating Contest at 8:15 pm.

MARGARITA RANCH
11 am
Drink This: $5 fruit-flavored tequilas and Margarita al Dia
Festivities: Grab a discount on favorite plates like $5 tamale and nachos combos, $7 fajita skewers

IRON CACTUS
2 pm to close
Drink This: $3.50 Dos XX, Tecate, and Tecate Light
Festivities: Live music until 10 pm

Cinco de Mayo at Mattito's (photography by Jerry McClure)

PRIMO’S
11 am to close
Drink This: $5 margaritas and beer
Festivities: A tent will house live music all day, a mariachi band, and Corona promotions

MONICA’S ACA Y ALLA
11 am to midnight
Drink This: The usual suspects. Although there are no particular drink specials, Monica’s makes the list because it is always a fun spot to shoot tequila and let loose.
Festivities: Live music during the evening includes the weekly salsa, Latin jazz, and blues lineup.

WILD SALSA
11 am to midnight
Drink This: Happy hour specials all day, $4 El Jimador margaritas, $4 Brugal mojitos, $10 buckets of Coronitas, $4 Herradura tequila shots, $10 bottomless mojitos (bottomless mojitos until 3 pm)
Festivities: Live music.

photography by Matthew Shelley

Yep, it’s that time of year again: time to celebrate the Mexican army’s glorious victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla, on May 5, 1862.

Now, how about a margarita? Here are your best bets for making the day a grand fiesta.

Brackets
Booze: $2 Dos XX, Coronas, margaritas, tequila shots
Food: $2 street tacos, Mexican pizzas, and nachos
Tunes: Live DJ music
When: 7 pm to 2 am

El Ranchito
Booze: $5 El Jimado tequila shots, $3.50 regular margaritas, $4.50 large margaritas, $2 drafts, $2.50 domestic bottles, $3.50 imports
Food: $5 choriqueso, cheese enchilada dinner, or half orders of nachos
Tunes: Mariachi music starts at 7:30 pm
Extras: all day happy hour
When: 11 am to 10 pm

La Calle Doce
Booze: $3 margaritas and draft beers, $5 El Jimador tequila shots
Food: $5 food specials like shrimp cocktail, cheese enchilada platters, and half orders of nachos
When: 11 am to 10 pm

Urban Taco
Booze: $5 house margaritas, Sangria, Bloody Maria, Limonada Corrupta, Tequila Slammer, and Silver Azul Blanco tequila shots and half-priced drafts
Extras: all day happy hour
When: 10 am to 11 pm

Mattito’s
Tunes: Salsa and Mariachi band
Extras: The famous Bob Armstrong queso-eating contest
When: 5 pm

photography by Jerry McClure

Rock ’n’ Taco
Booze: $4 well margaritas from 2 pm to 6 pm, $5 house tequila, and $7 top shelf margaritas
Tunes: DJ Joe Vega
When: 11 am to 2 am

Blue Goose
Booze: $2 Tecate and Dos XX all day and $4 house margaritas from 2:30 pm to 6:30 pm
When: 11 am to 11 pm

Richard Avila’s Mextopia
Booze: $5 Tequila Sunrise and $3 tequila shots and frozen margaritas
Food: $2 tacos and $2 tamales
Tunes: Live music from 7 pm to 10 pm
When: 11 am to 11 pm

Café San Miguel
Booze: $5 margaritas
Tunes: Mariachi band from 7 pm to 9 pm
When: 11 am to 2:30 pm and 4 pm to 10 pm

Chuy’s
Booze: $3.75 sangrias and $3 Coronas
Food: Free nacho cart during happy hour
Extras: Happy hour from 4 pm to 7 pm includes $3.75 margaritas and $7.25 Texas martinis
When: 11 am to 10 pm

Iron Cactus
Booze: $3 Dos XX and $5 Patron margaritas
Food: Half-priced appetizers from 4 pm to 7 pm
Tunes: Mariachi band at 5 pm and live music at 6 pm
When: 11 am to 10 pm

Lochranna’s Irish Pub & Eatery
Booze: $2 margaritas
When: all day

The Loft Bar at NYLO
Booze:$5 frozen margaritas, $9 popcorn candy martini, and $3 theater candy and popcorn
Food: $10 Mexican flatbread, chicken flautas, and beef fajitas, $8 beef tacos, and $5 cinnamon sopapilla
Extras: Featuring “Desperado” movie at 8:15 pm
When: 4:30 pm to midnight

The Quarter Bar
Booze:$3 Dos XX, Pacifico, Corona, Corona Light, and frozen margaritas
Food: Free Mexican-themed buffet at 4 pm
When: all day

Anybody else offering free margaritas in Dallas on Cinco de Mayo?

Update: Sevy’s Grill is offering complimentary Quervo Silver Margaritas or Palomas from 5 – 7 pm!

Pastor tacos at Urban Taco. (Photo by Kevin Marple)

Around here, we love us a little Cinco de Mayo. The mariachis, the tequilla, the queso—it’s enough to make a grown woman forget that the holiday has actual historical underpinnings. So, let’s pause for a brief history lesson.

The Battle of Cinco de Mayo is actually your typical David & Goliath story: diminutive Mexican army slays formidable French one in the Battle of Puebla—1862-style. Sure the Mexican government owed Napoleon some money, but why not settle it like gentlemen and charge some interest? No need to kick in the door and try to take over the joint.

Now, if we know anything about Napoleon, it’s that he was a small man who liked big conquests (underendowed men buying big cars isn’t called a Napoleon Complex for nothing). Napoleon had his general on the ground try to set up a puppet government (which makes it sound almost jolly, no?). Needless to say, the Mexicans didn’t really cotton to the idea. What started on the coast traveled inland to the hillside fort at Puebla. Flash forward to bayonettes, itchy hairshirts, and a poorly planned attack, started too late in the day (who, except Clint Eastwood, starts a battle at high noon?), and hindered by afternoon rains and slippery hillsides. The plucky Mexican’s held their ground; the French retreated.

Caveat: I’m sure I’ve mangled some part of my history on this, and I’ve certainly insulted both nationalities by some unintended slight, but you get the point. So, now that you’re clued in on what you’re drinking to next week, let’s look at the bars that are ready to help you do exactly that. jump for the Cinco de Mayo specials… JOIN URBAN TACO’S FUN-FILLED FIESTA IN CELEBRATION OF CINCO DE MAYO Enjoy Five Drinks Priced at $5 Thursday through Saturday Festivities Conclude on Saturday with: Live Music, $2 Tacos and Complimentary Mojitos Urban Taco Uptown is the place to be this Cinco de Mayo! The restaurant will celebrate Mexican heritage over three days starting Thursday, May 5 through Saturday, May 7 with five of Urban Taco’s delicious drinks for only $5 each: Sangria, Bloody Maria, Limonada Corrupta, Tequila Slammer and Silver Azul Blanco Tequila shots. The festivities conclude on Saturday, May 7 from 11 a.m. to close with a fun-filled Cinco de Mayo Fiesta that includes: Complimentary tastings of DonQ Rum mojitos: coconut, berry and mint flavors $2 taco stand: chicken and steak $5 drink specials: Limonda Corrupta, Bloody Maria, Sangria, Tequila Slammer, and Silver Azul Blanco Tequila shots $3 select imported beers Mexican wrestling show Live music and mariachi band

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La Calle Doce Celebrates Cinco de Mayo with $5 Specials All Day Long La Calle Doce will host a Cinco de Mayo party at both Oak Cliff and Lakewood locations. Guests can enjoy happy hour prices all day long including: $3 margaritas, $3 draft beers and $5 El Jimador Tequila shots. La Calle Doce will be offering $5 menu items throughout the day in honor of this Mexican holiday including shrimp cocktail, cheese enchilada dinner and a half order of nachos especiales. Salsa your way to La Calle Doce for the best Cinco de Mayo party north of the Rio Grande! La Calle Doce Oak Cliff Location 415 W. 12th Street Dallas, Texas 75208 La Calle Doce Lakewood Location 1925 Skillman Dallas, Texas 75206 When: May 5, 2011 11 am – 10 pm $3 Margs $3 Draft Beer $5 El Jimador Tequila Shots $5 Select menu items

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El Ranchito It’s Fiesta Time! El Ranchito Celebrates Cinco de Mayo Shake your maracas at El Ranchito this Cinco de Mayo where guests can enjoy happy hour specials all day long including $5 El Jimador Tequila shots, house margaritas- regular $3.50 or large $4.50, draft beer- regular $2 or large $3, domestic bottles for $2.50 and imports for $3.50. Enjoy mariachi music beginning at 7:30 p.m. while devouring $5 specials like choriqueso, cheese enchilada dinner, or a half order of nachos de fajita. Don your favorite sombrero and head to El Ranchito this Cinco de Mayo! El Ranchito 610 W. Jefferson Blvd. Dallas, Texas 75208
May 5, 2011 11 am – 10 pm $3.50 & $4.50 House margaritas $2 & $3 draft beer $2.50 domestic beer $3.50 domestic beer

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Brackets
Brackets Celebrates Cinco de Mayo
Join the fiesta at Brackets as they celebrate Cinco de Mayo. Enjoy live music from a DJ while tasting these unbeatable specials: $2 Dos XX, Coronas, margaritas, tequila shots, street tacos, Mexican pizzas and nachos. Start the weekend off early with this unforgettable Cinco de Mayo bash.

Brackets Cinco de Mayo Fiesta
Thursday, May 5, 2011
7 p.m. – 2 a.m.
$2 Selected Cinco de Mayo specials