Destination Guides - Southpoint.com Blog

The French Room in Dallas receives AAA Five Diamond Award for 2011

AAA has recently awarded 179 establishments the AAA/CAA Five Diamond Award® for 2011. The AAA award listing accounts for only 0.3 percent of the total 59,000 AAA listed lodgings and restaurants that receive the prestigious honor. “It is encouraging to see an increase in the number of AAA Five Diamond establishments this year,” said Michael Petrone, director of AAA Tourism Information Development. “The recent economic downturn has presented many challenges for the travel industry including increased closures and fewer new restaurant openings."

Executive Chef Jason Weaver of The French Room
Congratulations go to The French Room restaurant located in The Adolphus in Dallas and featured here at Southpoint.

The Adolphus Hotel
The Adolphus is a museum unto itself, and includes a rare 1893 Steinway piano which was destined for the R.M.S. Titanic. The piano was owned by the millionaire Benjamin Guggenheim, who died after refusing to get into one of the few available lifeboats just before the Titanic sank in 1912.

Watch in February as we visit The French Room in a new expanded feature.

View here for a full listing of the AAA Five Diamond Award list for 2011.

Willie's Place at Carl's Corner, Texas

While on a return business trip from Dallas, we stopped in at Willie's Place at Carl's Corner. Even though Willie Nelson has gotten in trouble with the law with a weed possession, by the looks of Willie's Place he appears to be doing well with his Cafe/Saloon/Restaurant/Bio Fuel Station. Entertainers play at the Saloon often. Check them out on Twitter.
A fun and entertaining stop between Dallas and Waco for country music fans and travelers alike.
The only thing that would make it an all around experience for those that travel through would be to open an RV Resort with cabins next door....
  
The Blue Skies Cafe offers a wide selection of tasty dishes. Photos, posters, awards, and Willie memorabilia line the walls. The Whiskey River Saloon offers nightly entertainment. You may just see Willie make an appearance.
   

New Restaurant Opens Near Historic Jackson, Ms. Hotel

The Parlor Market has opened in downtown Jackson next to the historic King Edward Hotel (which has opened as the Hilton Garden Inn). According to Craig Noone, the chef and restaurant owner, "I've always dreamed of opening a restaurant." Noone grew up in Jackson, moved away, and came back when he saw the potential for a restaurant near the hotel. The restaurant's name derives from the Parlor Market Grocery Store that thrived here back in the 1920s. The standard fare of the Parlor Market is local Southern meals made from scratch, including even moon pies, plus an oyster bar.
Growing up in Jackson, I'm glad to see the downtown area getting revitalized.
Reserve a table at the Parlor Market and other area restaurants.

Old Soda Fountain in Dallas

During our recent quick trip to Dallas we made a special trip to Highland Park Pharmacy at 3229 Knox just a few blocks from the Hotel Palomar. I love to see it when a soda fountain is still serving up custom sodas like the old days. This corner pharmacy is a great place to get a tasty lunch and soda and get all nostalgic. Serving sodas like days of old, the doors were opened back in 1912. Glad to see it was busy with the lunch crowd. Now owned by local grocery magnets Sonny and Gretchen Minyard Williams, Mr. Williams has been a steady customer since he was a kid and continues on a great tradition of service. When you visit be sure to read about the history of the place that hangs above the soda fountain. We settled on a fudge sundae for dessert. Yummy, and yes they serve cherry Cokes and the original Dublin Dr. Pepper (with pure cane sugar) as well.

Read our new feature on the highly acclaimed Hotel Palomar in Dallas.

Omni Hotel - San Antonio the Colonnade

A dominant fixture along I-10 as you approach the hotel, we were pleasantly surprised by how friendly the staff was.
Read more in our new Omni Hotel San Antonio at The Colonnade travel feature.