Tag Archives: ilume

Carlos Saenz at ilume Friday night

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I went to check out Carlos Saenz’s CD release party in the Great Room at the ilume Friday night and it was quite the scene. A hefty crowd turned out for the Voice of Pride top 10 finalist as he celebrated the release of his single, “Elaborate Lives.” It didn’t hurt that Bar 10 was there doling out the free drinks.

His vocals sounded good but the sound wavered off a bit by the end. The mike issue went unnoticed however, and he turned in a decent gig with covers of Erasure, The Doors and even Journey by way of Glee. Backup singers included other VOP finalists Mel Arizpe, Juliana Jeffrey and Robert Olivas. There was even an “awww” moment when he introduced his family who had come up from Brownsville to see his show.

Looking at this now, it’s a whole lot darker than I figured on. D’oh! But you should get the idea of the show.

—  Rich Lopez

The Petropolitan and ilume team up; Eatzi's expands with second location

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ilume has been blooming with the openings of Red Mango, Beyond the Box and Dish. Now they got resident pets in sight. According to ilume’s Facebook, they announced today that they are teaming up with The Petropolitan (you know, the guys who sponsor our Pet of the Week) to offer pet services starting right now. So if Fido is starting to look a little scraggly, the Purr and Fur Lounge is now open to snip and groom him back to pedigreed perfection.

In other business news, NBC 5 reported last night that Eatzi’s is opening a second location in February in the Lovers Lane/Tollway area. After closing up many of their other shops a few years back, it sounds like the food market is embracing the idea of expansion again. But really, we dig how reporter Ellen Goldberg says “Eatzi’s on Oak Lawn in Dallas has a cult-like following.”

—  Rich Lopez

Ladies' Lunch loves a good 'Box'

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A hearty 'Box' lunch.
A hearty ‘Box’ lunch.

The Ladies’ Lunch gang apologizes for the lack of reports. Timing just hasn’t been on anyone’s side. But today, the gang was back in action and I jumped at the chance to join in for new ilume resident, Beyond the Box. Glad to say, it was a good decision for this cold day.

I made my way over there earlier this week and had some pretty fantastic and way spicy tortilla soup. Although it was more puree than chunky, the flavors worked nicely. Being that it was piping hot only made it better for the dropping temps. This time, the three of us took stabs at the sandwich options. But I couldn’t resist another soup serving. But before I get to mine, here’s LL regular Chris’ take on lunch.

Continue reading “Ladies' Lunch loves a good 'Box'” »

—  Rich Lopez

Another new retailer opens at ilume

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BeyondTheBox

Beyond the Box, an upscale deli/restaurant/convenience store, today became the third retail business to open at ilume. Beyond the Box, which also has a smaller location downtown, features everything from soups, salads and sandwiches to beer and wine and even organic dog food. Owner Doug Brown, shown above, describes it as follows: “Beyond the Box is to 7-11 what Whole Foods is to Kroger.”

—  John Wright

Red Mango officially open at ilume

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I’ll have an update on the continuing changes on the Cedar Springs strip in this Friday’s Voice. But for now I wanted to let everyone know that Red Mango, the frozen yogurt store in ilume, is officially open as of today. Stop by for a free sample.

—  John Wright

Doughman: ilume won't be blocking access to sidewalk for future Tavern Guild events

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Apparently you had to be dressed like this in order to get onto the sidewalk of ilume during the gay Pride parade.
Apparently you had to be dressed like this in order to get onto the sidewalk in front of ilume during the Alan Ross Texas Freedom Parade.

In today’s Dallas Voice we printed a letter to the editor from George Castro, who’s miffed that ilume blocked public access to the sidewalk in front of the development during the Pride parade, which Castro called “offensive and quite presumptuous.”

Late yesterday Castro forwarded me the response he received to his complaint from Michael Doughman, executive director of the Dallas Tavern Guild, which puts on the parade. Here’s what Doughman said:

“I am e-mailing to let you know I am aware of the problem the closing of the sidewalk at ILUME caused and accept full responsibility for the problem. We have spoken with [ilume developer] Luke Crosland and the property management and have resolved the issue and the sidewalks in front of ILUME will remain open to the public for any future Dallas Tavern Guild events. I am sorry for the inconvenience it created and we have made the appropriate adjustments to our policies to avoid this happening again.
“Thanks so much for your response and I appreciate the feedback as we strive to make Pride a pleasant and agreeable event for all our neighbors, friends and guests.”

—  John Wright

If you haven't had a chance to check out ilume, and you like free drinks …

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RedPartyPosterFINAL

It looks like ilume, the newly opened mixed-use project on Cedar Springs Road, will host its first red-carpet gay fundraiser tonight, when Dallas Stonewall Young Democrats and LifeWalk Team Legacy put on a benefit for AIDS Arms Inc. According to a press release I received from DSYD President Travis Gasper this morning, the Red Party will feature an open bar (yes, that means free alcoholic beverages), hor d’oeuvres, valet parking and music by DJ Garrett Weiss. There will also be performances by Miss LifeWalk 2009 Skyla Miles, Aspen Tyler, Jenna Skyy, Sassy and 2nd Degree Fire Performers. A $10 donation is suggested at the door, and the event runs from 8 p.m. at 11 p.m. As of a few minutes ago, the Red Party had 187 confirmed guests on Facebook, so you may not want to miss it. For more info, e-mail dallasstonewallyd@gmail.com.

—  John Wright