The outside of American Airlines Arena where I spent quite a bit of time on this trip! Photo by: Evan Berman
Dallas is a big city filled with lots to do and I had a great time during my stay. From the Bruce Springsteen concert to tasting great food, every day brought something special.
The review of my time in Dallas is part of the February in Dallas trip. For more on this trip, follow these links:
Flight: American Economy, CHS-DFW
5 Days in Dallas (This Article)
Flight: American Economy DFW-CHS
Trip Summary:
Dallas, TX is a place unlike any other. Everything is bigger in Texas they say and that certainly includes the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metroplex. This sprawling area is the fourth largest metropolitan area in the country and is expected to pass Chicago for 3rd by 2030. That feels a little bit misleading as Dallas and Fort Worth are 30-40 minutes apart, not including the tremendous traffic of DFW.
I’d visited DFW in 2021, though I spent most of my time in Fort Worth. While Forth Worth is only a bit smaller than Dallas in population, the two cities have very different feels. Dallas is much more corporate and professional while Fort Worth is more old-timey and laid back. During my time in Dallas, I had goals of:
- Eating and drinking delicious local food and drinks
- Catching up with friends and enjoyed time spent with them
- Seeing the Tampa Bay Lightning win
- Enjoying watching Bruce Springsteen perform live
As you’ll see, all of those were accomplished!
Flight Info:
I flew American from Charleston to DFW on flight AA 2325. This flight was just under 3 hours and an easy ride without much in the way of disturbance or excitement– excluding the Biscoff cookies we received on an American, not Delta flight!
Read more details about the flight from Charleston to Dallas here.
Price: The roundtrip flight from Charleston to Dallas cost $325.79.
Points Earned: 966 American AAdvantage Miles for flying and 652 AAdvantage Miles for spending on the Barclays AAdvantage Aviator Business
Lodging Info:
I stayed with two friends the entire time. I treated each of them to a drink as a thank you, but the price was free for lodging on this trip!
Price: N/A
Points Earned: N/A
Airport Details:
As mentioned above, I flew into and out of DFW, the larger of the 2 airports serving Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington. This international airport has 168 gates, across 5 terminals, though there are plans to massively expand the airport, adding 24 more gates in the next decade. Terminal D is the international terminal, and American is the only airline to operate in Terminals A, B, and C.
I will review DFW in a separate article. Per Flight Connections, the airline that flies there by far the most is American Airlines. Spirit and Frontier have a solid presence, while Sun Country Airlines, Delta, United, Qantas, Southern Airways Express, and Volaris all fly multiple flights from DFW as well. There are many others that fly fewer than 4 routes (ex. Qatar, ANA, Emirates, etc.) In total there are flights to 63 international destinations in 35 countries and 189 domestic destinations. This is the largest airport in the US and second-busiest only to ATL in the world as of 2022.
There are quite a few lounges. It should be no surprise that there is an American Airlines Admirals club in each terminal to go along with the fancy Flagship Lounge in Terminal D. I visited the Centurion Lounge and Capital One Lounge in Terminal D. The Capital One Lounge, in my opinion, is the best lounge you can access with a credit card in the US– it was incredible!
Transportation Details:
Unlike in some of my international travels, being in the US of A meant taking either an Uber or Lyft as public transportation is minimal at best in DFW. Both friends I visited have cars, which meant I was saved the expense of a Lyft to and from the airport. In total, we spent $23.74 on Lyft and $31.89 on Uber.
Price: $55.63 (My portion was $37.82 and I used $25 in Uber credit so I paid $12.82)
Points: 333 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points (10x on Lyft and 3x on Travel with Chase Sapphire Reserve)
Food & Drink:
We had some terrific meals in Dallas over these 5 days. As always, I review the food and drinks in-depth in a separate article but will still list out some of the highlights here:
Jimmy’s Food Store:
I was looking for places to grab a quick lunch during one of the days that I was working and I came across Jimmy’s Food Store. If you visit Dallas, I highly recommend stopping in! Jimmy’s functions as both an Italian deli and a small grocery store. I opted for the Calabrese Panino, but everything in the place looked incredible!
Price: $10.81
Points Earned: 43 AmEx Membership Rewards Points (4x on Dining with AmEx Gold Card)
Pho Bowl:
No, I didn’t forget the name of the restaurant and call it by the food that is served! Pho Bowl is the name of a delicious Vietnamese restaurant where we had dinner the first night. There are two locations, one in the Deep Ellum neighborhood and one in the North Belt area.
An interesting note is that as is appropriate given the location, one of the protein options is brisket. I had the rare beef pho bowl and it was just what I was looking for! The food took a while to arrive but it was clear they were making it fresh, not reheating– both in time and in taste!
Price: $34.10. I bought my friend dinner as a thank you for letting me stay with him, but each of our meals were ~$14.
Points Earned: 136 AmEx Membership Rewards Points (4x on Dining using AmEx Gold Card)
Revolver Taco:
I had quite possibly the best taco ever conceived here: pato (duck breast)! Revolver Taco is quite trendy and has been featured on Netflix’s Taco Chronicles (for those who aren’t familiar, in its 4th season now, showcasing the must-try taquerias), and had the product to match. While the duck breast taco stole the show, the others we sampled such as lengua (tongue), birria, al pastor (pork shoulder), and pulpo (octopus) were no slackers. Additionally, the drink selection was solid with a Oaxaca Old Fashioned and Mezcal Negroni as our drinks. Though pricey for tacos, the quality is certainly there!
Price: $97.47. We split the bill so $48.74 each
Points Earned: 390 AmEx Membership Rewards Points (4x on Dining with AmEx Gold Card)
AllGood Cafe:
We felt like comfort/Southern food for lunch on Friday and ordered from AllGood Cafe. Despite looking forward to chicken fried steak, I neglected to order it as the delicacy appears on the “Main Event” menu, not the “Start Here” menu. I still kick myself a bit today! However, I didn’t suffer too much with a tasty burger and some of the best chilli I’ve had in awhile!
Price: $54.19 Again we split, so it was $27.10 each.
Points Earned: 217 AmEx Membership Rewards Points (4x on Dining using AmEx Gold Card)
Meddlesome Moth:
We went to the Meddlesome Moth for brunch at my friend’s suggestion and I was underwhelmed. While the reviews are solid, I ordered the house-made sangria which was tasteless except for the red wine. I understand that it is winter, but don’t advertise something if you can’t execute it! The beer list was solid though.
We all had the same entrée: Mother and Child Reunion. This is a fried chicken with grits and scrambled eggs. At the time it was listed as over easy eggs but the waiter suggested scrambled. I obliged and soon confirmed my suspicions that over easy was the way to go (as always!) It’s possible that had I stuck to beer or a Bloody Mary and opted for over easy eggs, my review would be more favorable, but for now I’d suggest going elsewhere for brunch in Dallas.
Price: $154.82. As usual, I paid then later we split the bill. In this instance there were 4 of us, so we each paid $38.71.
Points Earned: 619 AmEx Membership Rewards Points (4x on Dining with AmEx Gold Card)
Lockhart Smokehouse:
Like most places in Texas, barbecue rules in Dallas. One of the best BBQ places in Dallas according to every magazine from Eater to Condé Nast is Lockhart Smokehouse. I’ve now been twice and have come away with the same unfortunate conclusion– their cobbler is out of this world, mac-and-cheese is solid, brussels sprouts are great, and brisket is dry.
In Charleston, we are spoiled to have Lewis Barbecue, which has the best mac-and-cheese I’ve ever tried and brisket that is so juicy and moist you don’t need sauce! So when I make these comments, I realize I’m unfairly grading harshly, but still. I don’t like to add sauce to brisket as I feel it diminishes from the natural flavor but you need it here. The seasoning is terrific with a sweet-spicy flavor that really works well. Unfortunately, the brisket itself is dry and not as flavorful as I would like.
Next time I’m in DFW, I will try a different brisket place and hope to achieve a better experience. Until then, I’m sticking with my guns and Lewis Barbecue!
Price: $45.91 ($22.96 each)
Points Earned: 184 AmEx Membership Rewards Points (4x Points on Dining with AmEx Gold Card)
Activities:
Lightning Game:
It was a pleasure to watch my favorite hockey team the Tampa Bay Lightning win on the road! The game was close and well-played but the right team won in the end. This article details the game.
Price: $106.98 ($53.49 each)
Points Earned: 214 Capital One Miles (2x Points on everything with Capital One Venture X Card), 214 Membership Rewards Points (Rakuten 2x portal)
Bruce Springsteen Concert:
This was the focus of the trip and the main reason why I went to visit. Both Bruce and the E Street Band were incredible and I was thrilled to see him live. The arena was rocking and it was fun to see so many people enjoying the music we all know and love! Read this article for a recap of the concert.
Price: $291 ($145.51 each, though I used $42.04 in credits to drop my price to $103.47)
Points Earned: 291 American AAdvantage Miles (1x Points on everything with Barclays AAdvantage Aviator Business Card), 582 Membership Rewards Points (2x portal on Rakuten)
JFK Site:
Despite visiting for 5 days, we didn’t do much in the way of “touristy activities.” First, I was there to spend time with friends and also I was working. We drove to see the spot where JFK was shot. You’ve seen the video before so you might have an expectation going in.
Of course, this occurred on a major road leading towards the highway so the marker is a couple of lines of chalk. It was unclear to me, even with the sign to instruct us, where the shooting actually occurred. Again, there appear to be several lines. While the library is available for tours and there is a small museum, it was closed on Sunday when we visited.
Price: N/A
Points Earned: N/A
Photo of the Trip:
Havana Club holds a special place in my heart. One of my favorite memories of nightlife was at a club in Warsaw called Teatro Cubano Warsaw, surprisingly enough a Cuban themed club! I had some great times there drinking Havana Club and always think of those nights when seeing a sign. Oh, and the rum is much better than anything made outside of Cuba. 🙂
Total:
Price:
Food and Drink: $604.60 ($262.01 for me)
Transportation: $55.63 (My portion was $37.82 and I used $25 in Uber credit so I paid $12.82)
Flights: $325.79
Hotel: N/A
Activities: $397.98 ($156.96 for me)
Total Price: $1,384 ($757.58 for me)
Points Earned:
Food and Drink: 2,418 AmEx Membership Rewards Points
Transportation: 333 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points
Flights: 1,618 AAdvantage Miles
Hotel: N/A
Activities: 214 Capital One Miles, 291 American AAdvantage Miles, and 796 Membership Rewards Points
Total Points: 3,214 AmEx Membership Rewards Points, 333 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points, 214 Capital One Miles, and 1,909 American AAdvantage Miles
Dallas was a great time! Next up: in-depth reviews of the restaurants in Dallas we visited. Happy July 4th, everyone!
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