The Walrus is not exactly an easy place to find, and it's in one of the city's most un-hip neighborhoods – the tourist-filled West End.
Photos by JASON JANIK/Special Contributor
Mark Fuentes (left), Jodi Keefer and Kerry Aldridge enjoy some quality patio time.
But since the bar opened in August, stylish locals have packed the place. Maybe because it has a huge patio? Or is it the free views of downtown? And the pretty girls in short skirts?
In any case, at 11:30 p.m. last Friday, we could barely squeeze through the bodies on the patio. Gucci Mane, the Atlanta rapper, drawled his Dirty South hit "Go Head" through the speakers.
Lesley Téllez
Up All Night
Women stood around in skinny jeans, pointy-toed pumps and perfect ponytails. Men wearing T-shirts and polos watched them. Most people looked mid-20s.
Even though we saw lots of plasma TVs tuned to sports, the Walrus' decor had a strange Mexican restaurant vibe. Earthy Saltillo tile covered the floor, and outside, the building is fake adobe.
Owner John Reardon says the place was designed for a Mexican restaurant before the Walrus moved in. And in the next few months, Reardon plans to add an elevated VIP area and a DJ booth. That should make the place seem more bar-like.
Elvira Gonzalez grooves to the Walrus' DJ while Don Kaiser chills.
The tile, at least, made for a great dance floor. As the night wore on, the area got more and more crowded as DJ Christopher Tracy spun the hits: Nelly Furtado's "Promiscuous," Justin Timberlake's "My Love."
The moment the single guys were waiting for came at 12:22 a.m. Two women in tight jeans made a girl sandwich, grinding against a column to Ying Yang Twins' "Salt Shaker."
We left before we could witness a hookup.
Got a hot nightclub tip, event or anecdote? Send it to Lesley at ltellez@quickdfw.com.
The Walrus
1914 Laws Street, near the intersection of Lamar Street and Munger Avenue
www.walrusbar.com
What to wear: Ladies, skinny jeans with zippered ankles, pumps, and décolletage. Men, jeans and a polo, or a T-shirt and blazer.
What the music is like: Mainstream hip-hop and Top 40
Seen/heard: We saw an abundance of men in newsboy caps and ladies in preppy schoolgirl outfits (i.e., short skirt, argyle sweater, heels). Was there an afterparty at the country club we didn't know about?
Drink of choice: Bottled beer. Try their 99-cent mimosas Saturday and Sunday.
Smoking: Not inside, but it's OK on the patio.
Cover charge: No
Bottom line: The Walrus has upped the West End's cool quotient. Now, if we could do something about Joe's Crab Shack. ...
