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| TURNABOUT IS FAIR PLAY Rainbow Lounge began in controversy but quickly became Cowtown’s top spot for gay revelers. (Photo by Rich Lopez) |
TOP FORT WORTH CLUB
Rainbow Lounge
651 South Jennings Ave., Fort Worth
817-870-2466
Myspace.com/RainbowLounge_FtWorth
A June 2009 raid by the Fort Worth Police Department and Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission on this newly-opened neighborhood pub thrust the Rainbow Lounge into the national spotlight as a modern-day Stonewall — and made it a barometer of LGBT civil liberties in Texas. And while the story of the Rainbow Lounge continues to play out, it’s become more than just a place where "everybody knows your name." The Rainbow Lounge is a symbol of our community’s ability to come together for a common goal … all while enjoying a gin and tonic and a game of pool or a drag show with the style that makes Fort Worth home to many in the gay community.
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| BOOT SCOOTIN’ | From the line dancing men to the smiling bar staff, the Round-Up Saloon scored as Dallas’ favorite overall club. (Photo by Rich Lopez) |
TOP DALLAS CLUB
SEXIEST CLUB STAFF
FRIENDLIEST CLUB STAFF
BEST KARAOKE
The Round-Up Saloon
3912 Cedar Springs Road
Open daily 8 p.m.–2 a.m.
214-522-9611
RoundUpSaloon.com
Just like on the plains of the Serengeti, where animals of all shapes and sizes gather round the watering hole, the Round-Up Saloon brings together a menagerie of gays in Dallas. Some come dressed in their best Western to boot-scoot the night away; others opt for something more casual that doesn’t limit their movement during a rousing karaoke number. And then there are the line dancers, a proud and majestic breed who’ve memorized every step to perfection, or will keep trying until they do. But whatever the persuasion, everyone at the Round-Up is unified by one thing: a love of the laid-back, all-accepting vibe of this urban homo honkytonk staffed by sexy and friendly fellas. Y’all come back now!
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| GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS | The ladies of the Rose Room — including best drag performer Readers Voice Award winner Jenna Skyy, third from right — have made Dallas home to the best female impersonation show in the Southwest. (Photo by Arnold Wayne Jones) |
DRAGFABULOUS
The Rose Room (inside Station 4)
3911 Cedar Springs Road
Shows: Wednesday-Sunday 11 p.m., midnight and 1 a.m.
214-526-7171
Caven.com
Dallas has no shortage of drag queens, and when it comes to drag venues, the Rose Room has maintained a high bar with its glitzed-out space. Lots of seats, handy drinks and a big stage give Edna Jean Robinson, Cassie Nova, Jenna Skyy and a rotating cast of regulars a home to call their own. It’s the perfect setup for a Showgirls showdown, but the room is so fab that the ladies don’t have time to be bitchy and backstabbing when they have a weekly chance to be stars. When the divas step out onto that Vegas-lite stage to roaring packed weekend crowds, they are all winners in this drag race. And they don’t need RuPaul to tell them that.
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| WHEN HE POURS, HE REIGNS | Robert Stahl knows how to shake it behind the bar at Alexandre’s. (Photo by Arnold Wayne Jones) |
BEST BARTENDER
Robert Stahl at
Alexandre’s Bar
4026 Cedar Springs Road
Open daily until 2 a.m.
214-559-0720
What makes a bartender memorable? Is it the extra half-jigger of Bombay Saffire in your gin and tonic? How about fast turnaround that keeps the evening well-lubricated with liquid courage? Or maybe its the capacity to come up with creative twists on classic cocktails. We’re sure Robert Stahl, a daytime mixologist at Alexandre’s, possesses all those skills. But it’s probably his killer smile and friendly attitude that keep his customers coming back. We can raise a glass to that.
EDITORS CHOICE
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BEST WAY TO MAKE THE MAINSTREAM GO GAY
Guerilla Gay Bar
GuerillaGayBar.com
One of the top vote-getters in Straight But We Go wasn’t a place at all, but a concept: Guerilla Gay Bar. For nearly two years, this floating bar party — call it a moveable fest — has been a monthly must-do, a gathering where gay men and lesbians descend on traditionally-straight watering holes, from Uptown haunts like Ginger Man to Fair Park dives to Oak Cliff traditions, making them fabulous for a few hours. The bars have usually welcomed their temporary queer customers — though some (McKinney Avenue’s Frankie’s did not want to go to West Hollywood) have balked — making the movement, by and large, a rousing success. It’s how we — and they — see how the other half lives.
BEST HAPPY HOUR
JR.’s Bar & Grill
3923 Cedar Springs Road
Open daily until 2 a.m.
214-528-1004
Caven.com
BEST PLACE TO TAKE CO-WORKERS
JR.’s Bar & Grill
3923 Cedar Springs Road
Open daily until 2 a.m.
214-528-1004
Caven.com
BOTTOMS DOMINATE HERE
JR.’s Bar & Grill
392
3 Cedar Springs Road
Open daily until 2 a.m.
214-528-1004
Caven.com
TOPS CENTRAL
The Dallas Eagle
5740 Maple Ave.
Open Sunday–Thursday until 2 a.m.,
Friday–Saturday until 4 a.m.
214-357-4375
DallasEagle.com
BEST WOMEN’S HOT SPOT
Sue Ellen’s
3014 Throckmorton St.
Open daily until 2 a.m.;
after-hours dancing until 4 a.m.
214-559-0707
Caven.com
DICK DANCER DEPOT
The Tin Room
2514 Hudnall St.
Open Sunday–Thursday until 2 a.m.,
Friday–Saturday until 3 a.m.
214-526-6365
TinRoom.net
OFF THE BEATEN PATH • TIE
Jack’s Backyard
2303 Pittman Road
Open daily until 2 a.m.
214-741-3131
JacksBackyardDallas.com
The Tin Room
2514 Hudnall St.
Open Sunday–Thursday until 2 a.m.,
Friday–Saturday until 3 a.m.
214-526-6365
TinRoom.net
BEST AFTER HOURS
Station 4
3911 Cedar Springs Road
Opens Wednesday-Sunday until 2 a.m.;
after-hours dancing until 4 a.m.
214-526-7171
Caven.com
BEST CLUB DJ
Paul Kraft,
resident DJ at The Brick
2525 Wycliff Ave., Suite 120
PaulKraftProductions.com
IT’S STRAIGHT BUT WE GO
The Grapevine Bar
3902 Maple Ave.
Open daily until 2 a.m.
214-522-8466
TheGrapevineBar.com
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition March 19, 2010.
Who is Paul Kraft? Anybody that goes out in Dallas knows this title belongs to RONNIE BRUNO.
Paul must have more money to buy the title!