New North Dallas bar opened yesterday, with a grand opening celebration on Friday

by Laura Seewoester

Photo by Laura Seewoester

I always thought a bit of the charm was lost when you play no limit Texas Hold 'em for free. But hey, it's free. That makes it fun, dammit.

Kristie's Bar and Grill held a soft launch last night, which I might add had quite a turnout for a place with no sign (yet) and no advertising. They will be open for business all week, with a grand opening celebration this Friday night. The couple behind the new North Dallas bar is Mike and Kristie Cheves, and they have all the necessities: a pool table, golden tee, a full bar, a patio, poker, and a large dose of enthusiasm. The place has some good things going for it, the main one being poker 7 nights a week. Yes, I said free amateur poker 7 nights a week, so all you poker players out there have a place to go any time you're itching to play. The poker also has its own secluded room, so no non-poker playing drunkards will be spilling beer on your table.

The menu is also pretty good. You look at it and it has the typical bar fare - onion rings, queso, some salads, sandwiches, bbq and pizzas, etc. From what I had (onion rings and some pizza) the food is "bar food", but tastes better than the half-ass attempts most bars put into their menu (which usually serves only to soak up alcohol so the patrons can drink more). What? Bar food can taste good too? The horror! This is what happens when you find a bar that also caters. The catering part of the business, called ACE catering, has been in business since April. I thought this was a pretty smart move to work out any kinks in the menu before opening up. Everything is made in house, it's all fresh and you can get brisket on the caesar salad (clever, I know).

The most impressive thing I found about Kristie's Bar and Grill was Mike and Kristie. Yes, they want to run a bar and make money, but they genuinely care about their patrons and the community. Mike wants to unite the community, and provide a fun (and safe) place for people to go and have a good time. He actually sometimes refers to the customers as "joy consultants". They will also be offering live music, and are mainly interested in booking local bands.

Aside from ironing out a few details (ie: not all the TV's are installed just yet), the only real problem with the bar is parking. Read the signs, people. Apparently the gas station next door owns some of the parking spaces right in front of Kristie's.