Atomic Christmas

This month, and I hope in time for the holidays, I bring you some more artsy crafters. I don't know anything about them - other than they keep their lawn retiree-neat year round, and for the last 11 years - at least - they've offered up these awesome holiday light configurations.
And I say "holiday" consciously. I don't care if you don't put up a tree and Christmas isn't your thing; it's my opinion that everyone can enjoy decorating their houses with greens and lights. That harkens back to a muuuch older tradition.

Stepping off of her soap box, your friendly neighborhood Dentonista asks, "You recognize these lights, right?" They aren't just holiday lights - these are pieces of classic Americana.
Made in the traditional fashion, from roughly a squajillion Solo cups, you need to see them to fully appreciate the clever craftsmanship - my crummy pictures certainly don't do them justice. (I hate this camera.)
And you can see them, at the corner of Panhandle and Fulton streets.

You know what else I like about them? Their fresh, contemporary appeal.
As you know, mid-century modern style is all the rage right now (here, here, here), and I can think of nothing more atomic-chic than these Sputnik-y lights.
And you know what? You can take one (or several) home!
That's right. For just $20 you can own your very own bit of hand-crafted holiday kitsch.
Even if you're not lucky enough to live in an atomic ranch, (and I know they're tough, though not impossible, to come by in Denton), these lights are so classic, they'll go with everything. If you live in one of the gazillion post-war 'grannies' (check out the Panhandle, Egan, Congress streets area, right around this house), these lights are even architecturally appropriate.
So drive by and check them out, or call 940.387.1480 to grab some of these awesome lights. I have the feeling that when they're gone, they're gone for the year.

Oh, and have a very happy holiday season and a safe and lovely New Year, my dears.

The Pagoda on Locust Street

Last week when I told you that the Pagoda on Locust Street inspired me to write about the north end of Locust, I promised to try to satisfy your curiosity about it.

Well, I must admit, I wondered about it for years before I ever gained entry to the first floor – as a student at The Yoga Hut – but I’ve never been in the apartments on the upper floors. Nor do I have a complete story on the Pagoda’s history, though I do have 3 pretty complete stories, two of which come to me from wise and nearly life-long Dentonistas.

One Dentonista told me a story of a family-style religion that took up residence and built the pagoda and an adjoining vegetarian restaurant, in the late 60’s early 70’s. (The last time I was in that restaurant, Enrique’s Mexican occupied it, and the woodcarvings and stained glass work were fantastic. Most recently, Jonathan’s Bar was there, but I never visited. You can see what’s left from the outside – look for the stained glass and wooden doorway on Congress Street, near Locust.) Apparently the food at the vegetarian restaurant was good, and all the members of the religion, mostly college students, worked there. According to this one Dentonista, many of these students dropped out of college, but did not notify their parents. They did turn their parent-funded tuitions over to their messianic leader. He eventually dropped out too, leaving them on their own…

Now, my other source, another wise Dentonista and yogini, told me the story of a “Kundalini Yoga group that bought up half the land around UNT, and built up that whole corner-- the ashram, the restaurant with the stained glass, and they had a bakery downtown-- all in the 70's. The Rudra Ashram. The leader, Rudi, was from NY. He had gone to India, obtained enlightenment, and founded two colonies – one in Denton and one in New York. Unfortunately, Rudi died in a plane crash in New Mexico, and two members split the property/followers, etc. Stuart Perrin got Denton and was not charismatic. As the 70's died, so did the Rudranandra ashram in Denton.”

A bit of easy research on your friendly neighborhood Dentonista’s part unearthed this additional version:

“Rudra Center emerged in the early 1970’s out of the spiritual need of a small group of seekers in Denton Texas, who happened to meet Swami Rudrananda (Rudi) in Dallas Texas, while attending Swami Mutananda’s first’s tour.
After the…presentation, he was personally invited to Denton by this group. He obliged and the wheels of creation followed him, as he then offered to set up a meditation group for them and established an Ashram (place to study spirituality) in 1971.
To house this spiritual school for study, a small two story plantation house was pulled off the real-estate market at 611 North Locust Street… . He left the rest to be generated and paid for by the students. The work that followed created immense growth potential for all involved.

After Rudi left for his home in Manhattan, New York, the small group of students realized that it would be difficult to maintain these efforts by themselves, at this early stage, and requested a 'teacher' be sent to them to assist in their learning. Rudi then sent one of his leading disciples at the time, Stuart Perrin, to fulfill this role for him.

Rudi would continue to visit Denton, once or twice year, until his untimely crossing in 1973, to promote and assist in the Ashram’s spiritual growth and development. His guidance, and the demands that he placed upon all involved, were the inspiration and the light that nourished this seedling into growing and blooming into its present expression.

Upon Rudi’s crossing, Stuart Perrin assumed the full task at hand in Denton and continued to teach within and build the situation until 1978, when he passed the mantel to Mister Robert Baker (Silver Ra) who has maintained and continued to build upon it until the present time. As the present 'caregiver,' Silver Ra has incorporated many additional spiritual approaches, besides Rudra Meditation- the founding discipline, into the teaching format and has been the vehicle and focus of this Oasis of Awakening since that time. During Silver’s personal learning years with Rudi, his teacher often told him “to create a type of Spiritual University, where many kinds and types of spiritual work could coexist together”. Silver Ra has continued to build upon his ‘God Father’s’ vision to this day as chief instructor and guide for the Rudra Center for Enlightened Awareness.”

Fascinating, no? And, if you compare the three stories, you can see they’re all the same, all true – can’t you? They’re just slightly different versions of the same story.

In the years I’ve been here, the most significant external changes to the pagoda that I’ve noticed were the addition of a thunder bird to the roof, which I don’t think was a positive change, and the further cultivation of the gardens, which certainly is. To see it from the inside, why not check out a Yoga class? Or go to the oxygen bar? You could take some lessons in shamanism. Not for you? How about some purification in the sweat lodge? Or a pipe ceremony at the next full moon? No? At least go chill with some meditation - everybody could do with a little mind-clearing quiet time. Everybody.

Go on; ankle on over and bliss out on the myriad delights Locust Street has to offer, this gorgeous pagoda included!

North Locust Street

You know I think Denton is a city eminently suited to strolling with the historic neighborhoods, interesting architecture spanning over 100 years, and the little nooks and crannies of local shops, restaurants, and weirdness, and today I’ll suggest you walk down the north side of Locust Street, between Congress and University.
“What’s so great about this stretch,” you ask? Well, you already know it's in a great neighborhood. The Greenhouse is on Locust Street, and The Cupboard is just one street west. Of course, one block east is Austin Street and just two streets east is the Emily Fowler Library - reasons enough you might say. However, north Locust has some really great little bits all its own.

One of those, the pagoda, inspired me. Yes – the pagoda on Locust Street. If you’ve lived in Denton for any amount of time, of course you know the building I’m talking about, and I’ll bet you’re as curious as I was. Well, I won’t satisfy your curiosity here, but in my next post.
Why not now?
Iris season has just started in Denton - the only flower your friendly neighborhood Dentonista can grow with any guaranteed success - and I saw those gorgeous white ones blooming in a surprise clump, right by the side walk. I also noticed a few species of bulbs coming up, and I don't want you to miss them. Once they're gone, they're gone for the year.

What else? How about this house? I really like this house.
I don’t have any stories about it, but I would love some information about this architectural style. In fact, I didn’t even know this was a style, until I saw a house just like it, with the bowed front wall and sunrise detailing in Lorena, TX. They could have been twins. What’s in Lorena, TX? Nothing I could see but a tiny little business district (Old Towne), about ¼ of a block and some fabulous old Texas architecture. Sprawling, huge houses, a bit run down, and still residential. One wonders what they might be worth, if they were located in a larger city?
Anywho.
You know how I love shouting, “To the Internet!” right before I research anything? Well, I do, and I think I’m a pretty good researcher. However, I couldn’t find a bit of info about this style of house. I don’t know if architecture is difficult to research, or if I just don’t posses the correct language to pose the queries. So, my dears (Pat C., I’m looking in your direction), if anyone has any info on this style – or know where any others like it are located – I would really love to hear from you.
Look what else I saw, just wandering around. Y'all that is a vintage fire engine. It sits outside a local insurance company's offices. You know, I like that too. If you wander down this street, you'll see lots of great houses (several bungalow style, I believe) that have been restored or maintained as businesses. When you stop to notice, there are a lot of businesses on this street, and they fit in beautifully, for the most part, with their residential neighbors. A really nice example of mixed use space, without breaking new ground or razing existing buildings or trees.
And, on that note, I'll leave you, my dears
Be sure to tune in next week to learn about that awesome pagoda.

Babe’s Chicken Dinner House

In a small corner of far north Denton County, a large barn-like building houses possibly the best fried chicken you will ever eat.

Though just one of the now seven Babe’s, and not even the first, this is the Babe’s I think of as the ‘original one’.
Why?
Simple. It’s the first one I ever went to; it’s still my favorite, and I think it alone keeps Sanger from drying up and blowing away. You know anything that contributes positively to Denton County is cool with me.

Located on 4th Street, in down town Sanger, Babe’s is so influential on its little corner of the world that the gift shop next door stays open late Friday and Saturday nights to catch the spontaneous trade from the folks milling about outside waiting to get tables in Babe’s. And I know that strategy works for them. I saw one dinner companion drop around $200 on some things that just caught his eye. Additionally, a new gallery (art and jewelry – good prices!) opened up across the street, and does the exact same thing! I’d say they’re both lovely places to kill some time.

Now, because your friendly neighborhood Dentonista loves you, I will tell you:
Do not go to Babe’s if you are dieting, or on any sort of ‘eating plan’
Do not go thinking, “I’ll just have one piece.”
You won’t.
Do not think you will be able to pass on the biscuits and honey (or sorghum).
You won’t.
And once you’ve crossed that line, why not have the mashed potatoes, cream gravy, creamed corn, and beans and greens? Even if you could resist round one of the sides, served family-style, you’d never be able to resist when your waitress comes around with refills.
Oh, and do not go thinking you’ll just have some of the Smoked Chicken, to cut down on the calories. The only reason to go to Babe’s is to get down on some fried chicken. (In a pinch, I’ll go you the Fried Chicken Tenders – who doesn’t love boneless? And they come with green pepper-infused honey mustard!) I understand they also serve Chicken Fried Steak, Fried Catfish, and Pot Roast, but obviously I have no first-hand knowledge of those things.

Know what else? Babe’s is BYOB. I'm tempted to suggest some wine coolers or a bottle of Boone’s to go with fried chicken but then, you are not going to Babe’s to slum. You are going there for the honestly good food.
Food like your Mom would cook.
If your Mom was raised on, then moved off, a farm to attend college, get married, have kids and a career.
Yes the mashed potatoes are so-creamy-they-must-be-instant (“You try working all day, then mashing potatoes!”), and the creamed corn comes from a can ("SO convenient!"). But, the beans and greens taste fresh; the chicken is as perfectly fried as any chicken ever will be; the iceberg lettuce salad is dressed with the vinegar, sugar and vegetable oil dressing your grandmother used to make, and the biscuits are lightly crisp on the outside and tender-on-the-inside, in a way only that can only be made from scratch.

Fetching and stepping all this food (and all those refills) takes a lot of hustle, and it is carried out by the hardest working teen-age waitresses you’ll ever see.
YFND did some time in the purgatory called waitressing, and I don’t think I ever worked as hard as these girls work every shift.
Go prepared to tip like a drunken rock star. They deserve it. These girls, these young WOMEN, work hard in a town that doesn’t have many jobs.
Did I mention they sing too?
Oh yes.
A recent visit had a waitress warbling, “Stand By Your Man” to a packed house. No one else seemed to twig to the irony of a teenager singing that particular song.
In 2009.
Whatever.
She DID have a good voice, as do all the singing waitresses there.

And when you’re not enjoying a live floor show, you can people watch (maybe a game of people-watching bingo? Camouflage? Check. Granny-mullet? Check. Overalls? Bingo!) while listening to music from the bubbling juke box. Mostly playing top 40 hits – from the 50s – they are a tad more progressive with the Country music, reaching all the way into the 70s. Oh don’t front; you love it, and you know ALL the words!

One last bit of HIGH praise from you friendly and frugal neighborhood Dentonista – Babe’s is as cheap as it is good. A fried chicken dinner, with a full round of all you can eat sides and their stout ice tea cost like $13.
$13!!
You can’t beat that with a stick. AND you can afford to mad tip that waitress, Big Shot. Go on, strap on the feedbag and see that I’m right.

Texas First Ladies Collection

You know, part of the joy of and the impetus to become your friendly neighborhood Dentonista was to avoid "local malaise".
Know what I mean? Friends come to town and you don't know what to do with them in town (because you can't think of what you do in town), so you end up schlepping to Dallas or Ft. Worth.

Or worse, friends from out of town say, "Denton? Cool! Have you been to/done XX?!" And you have to mumble, "Er, no." Cause why? Because subconciously you think, "Oh yeah, I'll check that out later. There's plenty of time." But later never comes. (True story - I was fourteen [14!!] before I took the Circle Line cruise around the Statue of Liberty. I've still never been inside the Statue of Liberty and, I think, I've only been to the Museum of Natural History once. Pitiful. I am determined not to repeat the mistakes of my youth.)

I also hate missing out on things. You know I made it to The Funky Eclectic before they closed, but I missed the Southern Fried Pie Company and, apparently, the bison tamales at the Cupboard. And, that's a shame.

So, I've heard about Texas Woman's University's (TWU) Texas First Ladies collection for years and never checked it out. Until this summer... I enlisted the company (and camera - mine was on the fritz) of another Dentonista and headed over to TWU's beautiful campus. I want to note, when I called TWU for directions, they were incredibly helpful, and parking was free and close!

Assembled in 1940 by the Texas Society Daughters of the American Revolution(DAR), the gown collection now belongs wholly to TWU, and is located on the 2nd floor of TWU's Administration Conference Tower (right next to the historic Hubbard Hall). The exhibit displays 17 (of the collection's 46) gowns and corresponding mini-bios for the former owners at any given time, and members of the Benjamin Lyon Chapter of the DAR act as docents and provide other support for the collection. That's an interesting little tie in too, isn't it? Want one more? While I was there, Laura Bush's (Texas) inaugural gown was on display. No matter where you are on the political spectrum, you will certainly agree she was a dull dresser. What you may not know, which that gown amply demonstrates, is that she has an amazing figure, and that makes her satorial blandness a near crime. Let's hope she feels free to cut loose, now that she's out of the White House. Girl certainly could rock some fun threads, and she deserves a rest. Meanwhile, you can use these dresses as historical proof that some Texas first ladies really put on the dog. I certainly hope there are some 80's gowns on display for you, my dears. They were outstanding!

Believe your Dentonista when she tells you, it's worth a trip to TWU just to park and walk around the campus. Be sure to see the Little Chapel in the Woods, the Library, and the gardens. Add this free, historical, and pro-woman exhibit and you have a nice little afternoon.

What more could you want?

My Local or What's for Dinner?

I know I mentioned previously that Hannah's was my local, go-to restaurant, prior to their price hikes, and I wonder - Did you, dear reader, think that left me local-less? Have no fear my dear, I'll let you in on a little secret; I've always had two locals. Now, I'm down to one: the Green House on Locust St, at Congress, and it's all good.

I know I've mentioned the Green House once or twice in passing, and it's high time I take a moment and give it its proper due. Even though I think they may have the worst gin martinis in town (it's the well gin, I think, not the bartenders), their John B's burger may be the best in town. Add the newest patio in town to their seriously good selection of draft beers, and the thrills of their monthly food\wine\cocktail specials with their very reasonable prices aaaand, ding, ding, ding! We have a winner!

In fact, I've been going to the Green House, pretty much since it opened, and I think they just keep getting better. Comfortable and casual, but dim enough to be romantic too, the Green House even offers live music in the gorgeous bar. That music comes to you Mon. and Thurs. nights, with $2 drafts and wells!

Now I hope you're asking, "But Dentonista, what do you recommend?" because I really do want to tell you.

The caesar salad - I get it with half grilled chicken, half grilled portabello mushroom. If you do too, I promise you won't regret it.

The blue mussels appetizer - Divine. Comes with crostini and is more than enough for a meal.

The John B's burger - I get it with sweet potato fries and balsamic mayo. They will nickel and dime you on these. Go with it; they're worth it.

The Trout - My regular dining companion orders this and jones for it. Honestly, I think it's a bit dull, but that's only one opinion.

The cheese ravioli - Home made, of course, enormous, and delicious.

Their home made salad dressings - In addition to the caesar, they make their own, delicious bleu cheese and roasted red vinaigrette salad dressings.

Special Note

The immensely improved service. If you've ever had spotty service there, in the past, I'm happy to say, I think you can leave that experience behind you. Snaps to the current wait crew.

So, looking for a place to eat tonight? Go there. I guarantee, unless it's homecoming or graduation weekend, and if they're not booked for a rehearsal dinner or an office party, they will be able to get you seated, without too long a wait. And if you have to kill some time in their beautiful (if sometimes smoky) bar, so what? (One of December's drink specials is a Pomegranate Mimosa) Now, lest you think their ability to seat you quickly equates to a big-box dining experience, perish the thought! There are actually 4 separate dining areas - 5, if you count the lovely patio dining on Congress Street. And you should. I know the weather's getting cooler, but I think you can still enjoy relaxed, al fresco lunch-time dining. (Any other nominees for patio dining? Please comment!)

**PS - See the nice picture? That's my caesar salad (with just portobella) and an adult beverage, sitting on a patio dining table. I enjoyed an al fresco lunch with another Dentonista just this week. Tasty lunch, good company, beautiful weather. Ah, yes! I LOVE Denton.**

The Austin Street Area

This area always strikes me as our tiny, little French Quarter (VC to you LA-ers), and I mean the residential areas - not the puke-slimed streets the drunk fraternity boys roam. In fact, proximity to TWU and the multitudes of sleek felines sauntering these sidewalks (right on, my sisters!) makes me think you'd be hard-pressed to find a boy of any variety, much less a frat daddy. What's not to love?

So, what does it mean when I say New Orleans? Well, check out the wrought iron balcony detailing on the funky and old (but recently renovated) Austin Villas apartments, and imagine them with the original white balconies and yellow shutters...

Now, look up. See the heavy tree canopy?
And then - hear the quiet? Believe me when I tell you, residential NOLA is very quiet.

Are you noticing all the cool, old houses, in various states of renovation? I think they're architecturally interesting, as well as inspiring to anyone who owns (or wants to own) an older house.

Did I mention this neighborhood is a cat haven? Cat watchers and crazy cat ladies will enjoy strolling and trying to entice the kittens to come play with them.

Just check it out - this is a great area in which to go walking; you can even finish up by the Greenhouse and sip a restorative beer on the patio.

Delightful.

Feeling Patriotic This Labor Day? Go See The Statue of Liberty on Bolivar Street

Don’t you love the Statue of Liberty? Ever notice that even though she lives in NYC, her likeness is all over the place? Even all over the world? You know about the mini Statues of Liberty in Paris and Tokyo right? Do you know there’s one at customs on the US Canada border at Niagara Falls? How about this – I was in Mongolia a few years ago and there were not one, but two, separate references to the Statue of Liberty that I saw.
In MONGOLIA people!
A restaurant and a health club, as I recall.

She gets around.

But, if you don’t feel like going to NY, Paris, or Mongolia (and I can’t recommend it), why not just drive down Denton's own Bolivar Street and check out this awesome, semi-public art installation?

Just the other day I was wondering where the folks with the Statue of Liberty moved to, and then bang! There she was. Get by and see her soon folks, clearly she’s seasonal or special occasional.

Three Quick Things I Like About Denton

1. This Blog
I LOVE this blog – Green Across Texas – about one woman’s journey to get her family green.
Wow!
Could I have made that sound duller? You know, there may be no way I can do her well-written, amusing, and informative blog justice, and I happen to know, she’s a Dentonista too. (Shout out to the wider Denton County!) So, listen to YOUR friendly, neighborhood Dentonista, click the link and give it a quick eyeballing. Beware; you may have to add another blog to your must-read list!

2. The Emily Fowler Library
You may know it as Emily Fowler, you may know it as the Main Branch, you may know it as the original library, down from the post office, up from the Greenhouse, but I think of it as my neighborhood library, and it is my favorite of the three branches.
Do you remember the indoor, sunken garden that was scrapped with the 2004 renovation?
I do.
It was bizarrely groovy, and went beautifully with the midcentury modern decorative woodwork. Though the librarians tell me the moisture was wreaking havoc with the printed materials, I do miss sitting near it and listening to the water sounds. For more info on the library's midcentury credentials (and we're talking O'Neil Ford folks!!), see this excellent little page the excellent Mike Cochran put together.

Hey! Does anyone remember when they would check out artworks, which were expressly for use in decorating your dorm room or apartment? They’d check them out by the semester…
I had totally forgotten about that, until I was writing this entry! I wonder what happened to that stuff and that program? I wonder if the folks who contribute to this blog will address that question?

Anyway, this library, with its incredibly nice check out staff, outdoor fountain, indoor genealogy special collection, comfy reading chairs, numerous public-use computers (thanks to the renovation), and great (and always expanding) collection of books, mags, CDs, and DVDs is not only just a brisk walk (added bonus) from my house, it’s the comfiest library in the system.

Now, if we could just get the WiFi that’s been promised, and endlessly delayed, it would be pretty much the perfect library. If you’re wondering, as I am, just what the hold up is, or why only the South branch (the smallest and noisiest branch!) has WiFi – contact your city council person. That’s what they tell me to do when I ask at the library!

Speaking of that sweet walk from the Dentonista’s to the library, brings me to item number:

3. The New Pergola at the Cupboard
Walking to the library takes me past the Cupboard – more properly known as Cupboard Natural Foods - which is now sporting a brand-new pergola, just outside the café!
Have you seen it?
Can patio dining be far behind?
Now, if you’re thinking, “BFD. Dining with a view of the parking lot.” Shaaaame on you - Oh ye of little imagination!
Think of it as street theatre as you trip to the various hippies, weirdos, poseurs, Jesus freaks, and soccer Moms and Dads that cross your line of site. Maybe you’ll even be sipping a wheat grass juice? I know I’m looking forward to it!

The Haunted House on Oak Street

See the eerie perfection of the house and lawn?
Know what’s eerier?
No one lives there!
I have never seen a single person come or go from that house. Who takes care of it? Must be ghosts - and that’s why I call it the haunted house. Spoooooky!

OK, this house isn’t really empty, as this article in the Denton Record Chronicle will attest (though that’s no proof it’s not haunted). Either way, I stand by my observation of never seeing anyone out front.
SO, more power to you folks – I don’t know how you do it.
I’m day dreaming about covert garden operatives and ninja yard care right now…

Well, enough of that. Do you want to see some other houses that have people living in them, but are surely haunted too?! Check out the rest of Oak Street, between Carroll Blvd. and Fry St. (But keep on going down to Bonnie Brae if you like - more fun houses and the Orthodox Church!) Be sure to make the block and come back up on Hickory St.

Called “Silk Stocking Row” (oy vey) by local realtors, The Oak\Hickory historic block is one big bunch of great old houses. Someone with more knowledge about architecture can surely say more about the styles, significance, etc. All I can say is: they’re beautiful, and the short block (just up to Fry St.) makes a great little walk.

If you DO take a walk or a drive around this historic block, or just know something cool about it and want to share, please DO leave comments. It's not just MY Denton, it's YOUR Denton too people!

Update - June, 12 2010
Wow! Some variant of 'Haunted Denton' is a really common search that brings folks to my blog.
So, I thought I'd add a link to the Denton section of Ghosts of America. Hope it helps you, Reader.

Update - Sept, 12 2012
And if 'Haunted Denton', 'Denton Ghosts', 'Denton Haunted Houses' or some other search for ghosts, hauntings, spirits or the supernatural in Denton, Tx brought you here, I want to refer you to the Denton Haunts facebook page. These folks will take you on a ghost walk around the square and regale you with stories of the "...haunted history and spooky spectres of the Denton Square!" Their and the Denton Haunts wordpress page has stories abot our ghosts and the group's upcoming activities. Check them out.

Dinner in the bar at Hannah’s

Why the bar? Is it the wine list? No, though it is impressive. The martinis? Honey, no. With concoctions like: Key Lime Pie; Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend; and Geisha Girl crapping up the offerings list, no one is there for the martinis. (Though it IS possible to get a proper martini. I assume you know that’s gin; your server may not, so be specific. I like mine extra dry, with a twist.)

You want to eat in the bar at Hannah’s because that’s where you can order from the tapas menu or the cheese board, which is literally a black board.

Let me go back a year or so. Back in the day, Hannah’s had a much larger, much more affordable dinner menu so it was possible to make it your ‘local’.
You know, “What do you want for dinner?”
“I don’t know; what do you want?”
“Let’s go to Hannah’s.”

(Disclaimer: It was MY local. “Bitter? Party of one?” “Here.”)

Granted, it was never cheap, but it was certainly doable, without too much aforethought. Not so now.
Hannah’s has moved their dinner menu straight into ‘special occasion’ ($19-$30) territory.
Which is lovely for them, I’m sure, but too bad for the rest of us. The old menu had plenty of fancy–delancey dishes in the $20ish range, not to mention the fabulous evening specials, all appropriate for special occasions, but it also had plenty of choices in the $12-$17 range, which meant you could go there for, well, the hell of it.

And, not to belabor the point, if I‘m going to make a night of it, I may want to see an indie flick, or a play, or take in a museum, etc. All of which, sadly, I still have to go further south to find.

Now, all that said, you can still hit Hannah’s for a quick or not so quick dinner with friends or fam, without special budgeting, if you order from the excellent and changing tapas menu. I met a friend for dinner there the other night and got out for $16, before tip. I had an order of the Crispy Pork Pot-stickers ($7), a bowl of the amazing poblano corn chowder ($8) and an iced tea ($2). (Side note – Am I the only one outraged by the global jump in price of iced tea? You think your tea is still $1 or $1.50? It’s not. Look at your tab.)
Now, I agree, at $8 the soup is on the high side, but it’s just so good, and the pot stickers were really too numerous for one person – plenty to share. My lovely dining companion had the shrimp cocktail ($13) and the one eleven salad ($8), from the dinner menu. I think she may have gotten a half-price cocktail as well.
Ah! And that IS good to know – Happy Hour is every day, from 3-6 p.m. Featuring half-price martinis & wine by the glass, $2 domestic drafts, and $3 import drafts & wells, you can certainly get have a couple civilized drinks, without breaking the bank.

So, go on; try it. Goodness, I may zip over there tonight.

Update – I DID go back, with another charming dining companion. We stayed a bit longer, so I DID run up the tab swilling gin, but drinks aside, another very affordable meal. I had the one eleven salad ($8) that night (it was as good as it looked earlier that week). From the tapas menu, my charming companion had the Greek Steak Salad ($11). Huge. A bargain at that price and as delicious as you’d expect, loaded with med rare beef and kalamata olives. Completely share-able. We split the Kobe Beef Sliders ($13). If you don’t know that a slider is a mini-burger, don’t feel like the Lone Ranger. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t these. Happily, they were excellent, and surprisingly large. (In fact, there was a half left over, and I snacked on it, cold, while making dinner last night. Delicious.) Now, since we were having such a nice time, we were psychologically compelled to order desserts. (OK, so gin, on-tap Dos Equis, and desserts ran up the tab.) I won’t bore you with our choices, but if you want some reliably good sugar-delivery mechanisms, by all means, see the dessert menu. And, if there’s a sorbet on the menu, do yourself a favor and order it.