DFWBlogs Cocktail Event – August

As with every month, I attended the DFWBlogs Cocktail Event for July — at the XPO Lounge this time. I had a good time, but I enjoyed it less than the previous two Cocktail Events that I’ve attended. I’ve found that any Cocktail Event has three key elements: conversation, drink, and food.

• Conversation: A conversation is achievable with two or more people, so this was easily done. However, we were subject to “the bar effect” at the XPO Lounge — as more people talk, it becomes harder to hear each other, so everyone talks louder, which in turn makes it harder to hear each other … Lather, rinse, repeat. At the Hurricane Grill, the bar-effect was generated by the large panes of glass that we sat next to — here, it was the flat cinderblock walls that created the effect.
• Drink: The XPO Lounge fared well here (more or less). I was excited to discover that they had Ace Pear Cider on tap! So, as a big cider fan, I ordered one; it was delicious. I also had a Newcastle after the pear cider (also on tap). I hadn’t had a Newcastle in quite some time, and I was quickly reminded how tasty they are. Dark and full of flavor, it almost seemed to have an essence of lime to it. I’ve now promoted Newcastle to the ranks of my top 5 favorite beers.
• Food: The Uptown Grill had good burgers and the Hurricane Grill had surprisingly delicious catfish fillets. Unfortunately, the XPO Lounge had no food at all. Luckily, I brought along a protein bar as a contingency plan. With 26g protein (and 2.5g carbs), its Lemon Cheesecake flavor was rather good. Still, I would have preferred a hot meal.

Don’t get me wrong — I had a good time at the XPO Lounge. I enjoyed their drinks and had good conversation. But, I look forward to a different venue next month ;).