The Perfect Night: Friday, December 29

by Mike Orren

DALLAS — We're throwing a little afternoon into this week's perfect night -- after all, you're not really doing any work tomorrow, even if you've dragged your sorry corpse into the office.

Start out at the Nasher Sculpture Center for Friday Afternoon Tea. Sure, you've probably not had "tea" all year, so here's your last chance. And even with some rain in the forecast, there's plenty to see indoors, plus finger sandwiches and desserts from Cafe Nasher by Wolfgang Puck.

You'll have a little time before dinner, but you can still park once for dinner and drinks. Go to Uptown mainstay TABC, which is still a super watering hole despite all the gentrification and people actually trying to eat. Plus, the temperature will be nice even if the weather is not, and the patio is semi-enclosed. If you need more nosh to tide you over, get the grilled Boston salad.

Amble across the street to 2900 where Mike Smith lays out reliable, creative but not too chi-chi cuisine. I remember when he was slinging burgers in the early days of TABC, and cooking up fried turkey on Thanksgiving for the Uptown pioneers. We've all come a long way.

Time to roll to the Tea Room to catch the final Final Friday of the year.It'll be an all-star collection of the area's finest hip-hop talent. I hear that a James Brown tribute is in the offing. Should be a special show.