saturday night in dallas. we pushed the Phantom around town last night and hit four spots.we stopped by Karlson's clothier lauch party. he has a great selection of patterns and ties. the place for his party i thought was very ecclectic. but there was no air conditioning. that is a BIG problem for throwing parties in texas. it was unbearable. we moved from there very quickly and dropped in at Bella. it now draws a nice neighborhood crowd from turtle creek through uptown. Tony and Peatrie are doing well with place. good food, great staff and a real new york feel. by the way, the drive up scene is 5 out of 5 stars. the lightly tinted wraparound glass and the highly lit valet area surrounding the patio as well, this is a great spot to pull up to. after a drink there bopped over to the Ritz. We have to have the ony Ritz in the collection where it is a designated hotspot. the rattlesnake bar was packed. this place is easily 5 out of 5 stars every time if the night is right. the valet is small but very good for pulling up to. you are bascially on display underneath the large concrete porta cochere, and the valet know how to treat you when you arrive. they all speak and announce your name if you are a regular. inside bar was packed with good lookin people everywhere.  the outside patio even had a nice crowd and it there was a small breeze inside their patio. plenty of room to mingle and have good conversation.
from there we went downtown and hit PM lounge. this place has so much promise but the small things are going to kill it.
main street is such narrow street so it always backs up. the valet do not have a clue and have no control over the situation. when you get inside this place literally becomes a club, the lounge idea is completely wrong. it is so packed you cant even move through. the only place to be is at a table. but since the tables are floor level and not sectioned off they are basically small coves inset into the sides of the walls. a better idea woul be to raise them somewhat so that anyone sitting down does not have a drink spilled on them and no one walks by with their rear end in your face. they have some good music but way too crowded. and if you are dressed clean, its not the place you want to go to.
but the worst part was valet. my car was parked upfront when we walked out. there is still a ridiculously long line of people waiting to get into the club. the valet who parked my car, never gave the valet mgr my key. so while he was out running after cars and moving cars we were waiting outside to the tune of almost 20 minutes. thats never good when you see your car parked right in front and cant get in and drive off. the valet is a huge part in whether someone will return. if you cant leave when exactly when you want, it turns a good night into a very sour ending.