Tylerites - Your guide to everything Tyler! » Nightlife

Liberty Hall

Tylerites — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 02:24:46 +0000

The Tyler 21 Plan includes special revitalization for the downtown area to become an arts and cultural district. To support this, Liberty Theatre is being renovated into the East Texas Symphony’s Liberty Hall, which will host music, recitals, and meetings. If you would like to contribute to the project you can sponsor a seat with your own personal engraving. For more details go to:
http://www.cityoftyler.org/Portals/0/docs/departments/communications/pdf%20files/Liberty%20Seat%20Brochure%20pdf.pdf

Liberty Hall
103 East Erwin
Tyler, TX 75702

23rd Annual Tyler Cattle Barons’ Gala

Tylerites — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 02:49:29 +0000

Pickups and Pearlsnaps

I attended my first Cattle Barons’ Saturday night. I’d planned a trip for the weekend to float the river, but the strong storms across East Texas last week severely flooded the Guadalupe to the extent that no river floating will be happening for awhile. I’ve wanted to attend the gala ever since I had moved to Tyler nine years ago and this year I was finally able to go.

The event was held at The Park of East Texas between Hwy 31 and Hwy 64. After making our way down the dusty trail we parked and entered the party. It was set up much like a carnival. I am not sure what I was expecting, but this wasn’t really it. The Horseshoe Casino had a gaming tent with blackjack, roulette, a football throwing game and a wine toss. Oh, and a mechanical bull. Across from the Horseshoe tent was the auction tent which housed the numerous things up for silent auction and there was food and drinks a plenty.

A decent distance from the tents stood the stage where Lee Ann Womack would perform later in the evening. After making our rounds and taking in the sights we got in line for some food. The food turned out to be my favorite thing about the whole ordeal. There were pork sliders, burger sliders, avocado halves, barbeque ribs, brisket, sausage, potato salad, fried mushrooms, sweet potato fries, enchiladas, tamales, ice cream, strawberry cobbler plus much more. Everything I ate was fantastic. The food was provided by Eddie Dean’s catering, and those guys did an amazing job. I seriously went back for more food maybe four times. Yikes, so much for my summer diet!

Once it was time for Lee Ann to take the stage many people began wandering over to that area. She sounded incredible and put on a good show. By the time she was done it was about time to wrap things up and head home. I think it was around 11:30 at this point which is way past my bed time. Overall my first Cattle Barons’ experience was a great one. I saw lots of good friends, ate lots of good food, and finally got to see firsthand what all the fuss is about surrounding the event.

The Park of East Texas
2112 W. Front Street
Tyler, TX 75702
(903) 597-2501

Cajun Bayou Seafood Market

Tylerites — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 18:22:33 +0000

A new Cajun restaurant recently opened on 155 in Flint. Like Randy’s, it is a casual place with no air conditioning and it’s BYOB.

As far as ambiance, it is basically a huge wooden patio shaded by large trees. You walk to the counter to order, then your food is delivered once ready. I was having trouble decided what to get, so I asked the guy behind the counter what he’d consider the specialties to be. He said everything on the menu is great which is nice but didn’t really help narrow it down. I finally decided to go with a shrimp poboy, and my sis got the soft shell crab poboy. We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. Our jaws dropped when the sandwiches were delivered… These things were huge! They tasted good, but I could only eat about a third of mine before throwing in the towel.

I ended up going back with my husband several days later, since he hadn’t gotten to try it yet. This time we got the crab cakes, fried pickles, vanilla sweet potato fries and fried boudin. I am in love with fried pickles, and these were good. The crab cakes were good, but they were covered in a thick sauce which overpowered the flavor of the crab. Next time I’d definitely see about getting the sauce on the side. The vanilla sweet potato fries were also good, but I think the vanilla may have been a bit too strong for my taste. The fried boudin was good, and I think anyone who likes boudin would like it.

I’d say this place is a must for anyone who likes Cajun food. It is really cool and will be a great summer hang out.

Cajun Bayou Seafood Market
18950 Hwy 155 South
Flint, TX, 75762
(903) 825-1158

3rd Annual Cause For The Paws

Tylerites — Sun, 23 May 2010 19:47:00 +0000

I was not only beyond flattered but also super excited when Tony Boykin of That’s What I’ll Do (T.W.I.D.) invited the Tylerites to be his guests at Miranda Lambert’s Cause for the Paws concert at the Villa di Felicita. Cause for the Paws is the major fundraiser for the Humane Society of East Texas. Last year the event raised $125,000, and this year the goal was $150,000. Since the HSOET relies so heavily on donations, the generosity of East Texans is what keeps this fantastic organization afloat. The HSOET has recently become a no kill animal sanctuary. Therefore, they are no longer the recipient of animal sheltering contracts. Unfortunately, the ethical decision to become a no kill facility was also a costly one, so every dollar, bag of food, carton of laundry detergent and gallon of bleach donated are vitally important to the employees, volunteers, and animals residing at the sanctuary.

Though good food and plentiful wine are typically all it takes for me to have a good time, throw a few native East Texan celebrities in there and you’ve got a surefire recipe for a great evening. Miranda Lambert deserves so much credit for all she does to help the HSOET. She lends her name, her money, her time and her talent to the event, and it’s touching to know that despite her fame and success she is willing to come home and support this worthwhile cause. Before Miranda took the stage, both the Whiskey Myers band and Kacey Musgraves put on great performances, then Mark Scirto traded his meteorologist’s hat for his auctioneer’s hat and engaged the entire audience while the dollars rolled in. The food was provided by Villa Montez, and the wine was provided by Kiepersol Estates and Red 55 Winery.

When the time for Miranda to come on stage rolled around, everyone had taken their seat or camped up front in the standing room only area, and all eyes were on her as she delivered a thoroughly awesome show. As ending time neared, she warned those who were leaving early that they really should stick around… Even though we should have seen it coming, it was such an exciting surprise when Miranda’s new fiance’, Blake Shelton, joined her on stage for a couple of songs.

It was getting late, and though I was sad to see Miranda and Blake call it a night, I was more upset that this fabulous night was almost over. We hiked back to the truck and headed for home. I still smile when I think about what a fantastic time I had last weekend, and am excited about the wonderful friends I met while I was there. Only 51 weeks to go until next year’s Cause for the Paws!

Setlist

Kerosene
Only Prettier
Famous in a Small Town
Dead Flowers
Dry Town
More Like Her
Time to Get a Gun
Heart Like Mine
Guilty in Here
Maintain the Pain
You’re the Reason God Made Oklahoma (Rick Lambert)
Desperation
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
Love Letters
New Strings
Stay With Me
The House That Built Me
Sin for a Sin
Travelin’ Band
White Liar
That’s the Way the World Goes ‘Round
Gunpowder and Lead
Home (Blake Shelton)
Hillbilly Bone (Blake Shelton)

videos credit: KNUE 101.5

Villa Di Felicita
7891 State Highway 110 N
Tyler, TX 75704-4927
(903) 597-0002

Breakers A Seafood Joint

Tylerites — Thu, 13 May 2010 16:16:12 +0000

During what was supposed to be a quick trip to pick up a couple gardening necessities, we realized it was also time to stop somewhere for a quick bite of lunch necessities. But where? I hate the days when it seems nothing sounds good, so I was both relieved and excited when my husband suggested we try Breakers. I’ve been meaning to try this place as I’ve heard many good things, yet it’s one of those restaurants that too frequently slips my mind during the restaurant decision making process.

We were seated at a comfortable booth and I ordered a cool, refreshing Landshark. It only took a minute for me to realize that there are many, many things on the menu here that sound delicious. In the interest of trying as many as possible in one shot, we decided we’d try the crab cakes, the shrimp cocktail, and the avocado fries. Yes, that’s right. Avocado fries.

Our food arrived promptly, and I immediately dove into the crab cakes. They contained an impressive amount of crab meat, and they tasted great. Next, I tried a shrimp. It was a good shrimp. Hard to mess that one up, but a good shrimp none-the-less. Finally, I was ready to sample the avocado fries, which were wedges of breaded avocado, served with creamy dipping sauce. Very tasty, yet quite heavy as the name would imply.

I can’t wait to go back sometime and try their specialty drink, Orange Kush. I’m not exactly sure what it is, and I can’t find it on their website, but I remember it sounding very interesting. Maybe someone from Breakers can chime in and help me out? In any case, I can say with confidence that Breakers will be high on my radar from now on.

Breakers
5106 Old Bullard Road
Tyler, TX 75701
(903) 534-0161

Mariscos DJ’s

Tylerites — Wed, 12 May 2010 19:47:52 +0000

We knew we wanted to go out for dinner this past weekend in celebration of my sister’s birthday. We’d been hearing so many good things about the new Don Juan’s seafood restaurant, Mariscos DJ’s, so picking the restaurant was a no brainer.

I was a bit concerned that we might not be able to get a table since this was a Saturday night, but the restaurant was actually very quiet. There were only a handful of other groups there, so we got to choose a prime table on the patio. I promptly ordered a margarita, and my sis opted for a mojito.

I feel as though I have a pretty good handle on ‘authentic’ Mexican food and feel comfortable ordering and making selections even when limited English definitions are provided. Mariscos DJ’s is a whole new kind of authentic for me. Of course I could understand shrimp cocktail, shrimp fajitas, and a few other more commonly known foods, yet there were a few items that didn’t ring even the faintest bell. So, I put myself to the mercy of our fantastically sweet and kind server and asked him what he’d suggest.

I don’t know what my food was called or even what exactly it was, but it was very tasty indeed. I’m going to describe it in a way that may sound odd, but trust me, it was delicious. You see, I don’t know of an appetizing way to spin the words fried fish chunks, because that’s exactly what mine turned out to be. It was nugget sized pieces of really tasty fried fish on a plate surrounded by sliced cucumber. There was also a side of what I discovered was really, really, hot green sauce.

We were most impressed by our first visit to Mariscos DJ’s. In addition to the unique food and the warm service, the architectural details of the restaurant building were especially remarkable. Lots of intricate details were incorporated into the décor making it clear just how much love and hard work went into it. I am already looking forward to my next visit.

Mariscos DJ’s
1201 E. Ewrin
Tyler Texas 75702
(903) 533-1220

Randy’s Crawfish & Cajun Grub

Tylerites — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 01:21:07 +0000

I’ve been having really good luck with my restaurant choices lately, and Randy’s Crawfish is no exception. I’ve always been of the mindset that the whole process of eating crawfish is too much work for too little payout. However, I am a sucker for locally owned businesses, and I’ve been hearing so many great things about this place lately. So obviously when I was invited to meet a group of friends there one evening last week, I immediately agreed.

There’s nothing about Randy’s that can be mistaken for fancy (except for their brand new website), and that’s just fine with me. There is a time and a place for fancy, and that place and time is not on an aluminum picnic table off Hwy. 155 on a nice spring Thursday evening. The atmosphere at this particular crawfish restaurant may be low key, but the food is nothing to be taken lightly. I had the boiled shrimp and fried pickles (my #1 weakness) and both were beyond fantastic. Seriously, we’re talking food greatness here. I did try the crawfish and do admit it was tasty, just so long as someone else is doing all the shelling and shucking and sucking or whatever kind of work is involved there.

I strongly suggest that anyone who finds themselves in that area definitely stop in for a visit to Randy’s. Even if you’re not in the area I’d go so far as to suggest that it’s worth the trip to Lake Palestine. Oh, and Randy’s is BYOB so go to the beer store, gather up your friends, then stop in for a relaxing afternoon at Randy’s Crawfish with a cold drink, a few pounds of shrimp (ok, ok or crawfish), and some really cool folks.

Randy’s Crawfish & Cajun Grub
22318 State Highway 155 S
Flint, TX 75762
(903) 825-5000

South Lake Grill

Tylerites — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 20:30:48 +0000

This weekend I had the best idea ever. It was Sunday afternoon, the weather was nothing short of gorgeous, yet I was faced with the same dilemma I’ve been facing all spring… Where to spend a day like today? Tyler certainly has a decent selection of patio drinking and dining establishments, but for whatever reason none of those places sounded good. That’s when I remembered there was a restaurant on Lake Tyler. I was off to claim my table in the sun!

When we arrived at South Lake Grill I was pleasantly surprised that there were plenty of empty tables on the patio. I ordered some chicken quesadillas and a margarita and plopped myself down in the warm sun and thus began my new love affair with the South Lake Grill. My chicken quesadillas were pretty good, my margarita was awesome, and my sister’s huge South Lake burger looked really good too. (YES, we just ate at SmashBurger a couple of days before – don’t judge!) We stayed and relaxed for awhile and I even got a mild sunburn.

Too soon it was time to go home and start preparing myself for the reality that is Monday morning. Despite my sadness at leaving, I am still thrilled about this discovery and seriously can’t believe I haven’t been taking advantage of this place! It’s got everything I like in a restaurant – casual atmosphere, good variety of menu options, bar, and a totally awesome patio with a fab view of Lake Tyler. I am already daydreaming of the next weekend when I can go back and do it all over again.

South Lake Grill
18183 Concession Road
Whitehouse, TX 75791-5224
(903) 839-2827

Sweet Discoveries

Tylerites — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:14:05 +0000

Save the date

Monday, April 5th, the Tyler Discovery Science Place is holding the Sweet Discoveries Fundraising Event. The event, located at Jakes Tyler, will feature wine tastings from across the United States paired with dessert creations courtesy of Jakes. Tickets for the event are $100 a person, and proceeds directly benefit the Discovery Science Place. Activities for the evening will include a silent action, a Cole & Co. gem pull featuring a 1 carat sapphire, entertainment, and more!

The Discovery Science Place, named one of the Top 25 Science Centers in the Nation, is a hands-on family science museum that provides cool and exciting educational experiences for kids of all ages. I think the place is super cool, and I don’t even have kids! Sweet Discoveries is the major fundraiser for the science center, so as many people as possible are needed to come together for this great cause. If the tickets are a little steep for your budget but you still want to help, volunteers are always needed at the Discovery Science Place. More info on that, where to purchase tickets, and other DSP related info can be found on their website, http://www.discoveryscienceplace.org.

Jakes Tyler

Tylerites — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:32:06 +0000

There are two types of articles that are especially fun for me to write. The reviews of really bad experiences, and reviews of really great experiences. Luckily, Friday night at Jakes I had a really, really great experience. My sister and I decided to make an impromptu trip downtown just to get out of the house for a little while. We thought we’d have a drink and maybe share an appetizer if we got hungry. We took a seat at the bar and were immediately greeted by one of the polite and friendly (and handsome – hi Thomas!) bartenders. We were off to a good start.

Jakes is the type of place that you would expect to be exceptionally good, and it lives up to all of my expectations each time I visit. It’s one of the pricier places to eat in Tyler, but the atmosphere, service, and fantastic food really make it worth the price. Jakes makes the perfect spot to celebrate a special occasion, or to satiate a need for indulgence which is exactly what we did on Friday. We decided to share the Oysters Rockafeller, and I kid you not when I say they were the absolute best oysters I have ever tasted. I think even people who don’t like oysters would love these. Broiled with butter, Applewood smoked bacon, onion, spinach and freshly shaved parmesan cheese, Jakes’ Oysters Rockafeller are simply to die for. We devoured all dozen of the oysters, and on an oyster high made the impulse decision to finish the night off with Jakes coconut cream bread pudding. Yes, this was as fantastically good as it sounds. Not one word was spoken as we dove into the dessert, and we didn’t come up for air until the plate was scraped clean.

We could not have picked a better place to enjoy our girls’ night out. Everything was perfect from the moment we walked in until we bundled back up and headed home for the night. It was far too cold to enjoy this weekend, but Jakes roof top cheveta is one of the coolest places in Tyler to visit on a warm spring evening. You can dine while overlooking the square in downtown Tyler, and they even have live music on the weekends. I’m already looking forward to coming back for more oysters and bread pudding on the roof when the temperatures warm up.

Jakes
111 East Erwin Street
Tyler, TX 75702
(903) 526-0225