DALLAS has a certain glamour to it, but it’s hardly Hollywood. Super Bowl weekend changed all that, turning the Big D’s usually-not-very-buzzy hotels, restaurants and nightclubs into A-list hot spots, many with a decidedly New York, Miami or Las Vegas feel. And a lot of the big names in town proved to have good taste. Giants co-owner Steve Tisch, Entourage’s Kevin Connolly and Hugh Jackman were all spotted at the ultra-luxe and now quite old-school Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek. (Jackman also popped by Hotel ZaZa for Saturday’s Leather & Laces party.) Usher even came by the Mansion prior to his Saturday performance at Mark Cuban’s HDNet party at Victory Park.
That same night, prior to late-night parties all over town, Alex Rodriguez and Cameron Diaz held court and Alec Baldwin dined separately at Fearing’s (shown above) at the Ritz-Carlton Dallas, considered one of the best eateries in town (though it must be said, reviews seemed to be mixed during the very busy weekend). Over at Nick & Sam’s Grill, a steakhouse favored by athletes (many of whom have signed wine bottles at the restaurant), Tisch, Ron Howard and Franco Harris all had tables.
Over at a massive outdoor area outside the chic Joule hotel downtown, ending one bash just meant getting ready for another. The space was home to a Saturday afternoon Marquis Jets/Netjets party hosted by Chris Berman that brought in Phil Simms and Mark Teixeira. That night, it turned into a 1OAK pop-up (OHAI, Ashton Kutcher).
Another successful pop-up was Liv/Axe Lounge at the new Rio Room club. On Friday night, those who came by despite snow that made driving treacherous, were rewarded with a Pitbull performance before DJ Vice’s set. Vice, like many high-profile Super Bowl weekend visitors, was in the middle of a typically crazy schedule. We saw him the next day at the Belmont Hotel (where NFL players and wives were taking advantage of gifting suites, grabbing vital party-weekend items like iRenew bracelets that “restore body balance.”) A few hours later, Vice DJed the Maxim party, his last stop before heading back to Las Vegas, where he gigs regularly at Lavo.
