The Perfect Night: Friday, December 15

by Mike Orren

LAKEWOOD — This Friday's "Perfect Night" takes you to Lakewood. Just park at the Lakewood Shopping Center and pocket your keys for the evening.

Start with dinner and cocktails at Kitchen 1924. The restaurant is on its second chef, and its upscale-but-homey cooking now tends more to the upscale side of the equation. I preferred the original motif (goodbye coca-cola braised barbecue!), and the prices seem to me to have gone up in the shift. But anyplace that offers deviled eggs as an appetizer gets my vote. The wine list is broad and reasonable and the waiters are super-friendly without being intrusive. Reservations aren't a bad idea, but in a pinch, there is a big "community table" in an alcove by the main dining room where you can eat if you don't mind sitting beside a stranger.

Get there before 7:00 to take advantage of the generous happy hour including $2 beers and $4 off select bottles of wine.

After dinner, amble down to the Lakewood Theater to catch Local Honey, which is the musical moniker of Kelly Brown, formerly of Frankly Scarlett. She'll be backed by an all-star band including Freddie Jones, Bryan Wakeland, and Milo Deering. There'll also be a DJ and comedian to warm up the crowd. You can get a preview of the alterna-loungey sound on Local Honey's MySpace page.

When the show's over, you do what you should always do when you find yourself out late in East Dallas. Climb the stairs to the Balcony Club to catch Blue in Jazz. Get a nightcap, smoke with impunity, chat up your date, but be sure to stop and just listen to the band for a while. These guys play like they've played together 1,000 times -- which they have.