Scatterbrained recap: NOSH!, Rangers, concerts and fall-time!

Well, kiddos, another sporadic post, but hey, something's better than nothing right?

First, went to the OneRepublic & Maroon5 concert a few weeks back - I got the tickets on Groupon (my first GroupOn experience - $39 bucks for 2 reserved seats) - what a blast! Now first thing's first - I can't remember the last time I attended a concert at Starplex, err.. Verizon, err. SuperPages, err, whatever it is called today. But it wasn't half-bad and OneRepublic (who I really wanted to see) was awesome! Good weather, great company and saw a bunch of random friends there! If you are a OneRepublic fan, I highly recommend seeing them live. Lots of fun covers, and a wide spectrum of musical experimentation, in addition to the hits...

Did try the Green Room beforehand - $10 bucks for self-parking?!?! $24 for a beer and a glass of wine? Menu in the high $30's? Went back the next night for a private party. $10 for 8 ounce plastic cups of libation? ummm... No thanks. but thanks for playing.

Last Friday, went to NOSH (in the old Aurora space across from Al Biernat's, next to La Duni) on Oak Lawn. It's hard for me to give something a 10/10, but all-the-way, it was fantastic. Was able to snag an 8:30 res (although it was admittedly very busy and very loud) the day of, and there was no wait; granted, we were 30 minutes late arriving, nevertheless... The food was fantastic - we started off with the beef cigars ($5) and Hummus ($6), feasted on the amazing Scallops ($19) and Short Rib ($16, which was to-die-for), and also nibbled on the heavy yet very delicious Mac N' Cheese and the french fries ($5 each). In addition, a good bottle of wine and fantastic service accompanied a leisurely 3-hour dinner and a wonderful time. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

Saturday night 10/30, Cretia's played host to the annual Dervish Halloween Party. Smaller than in years past largely due to the location moving off the heart of McKinney Ave, the party was still well-attended (around 500) - but there was still plenty of room to move and check out the costumes. If you were in attendance, yes, I was one of the Handsome Mens Club members... Among the other fantastic costumes: a wonderful Kenny Powers, a gorgeous Hippie Girl, an Eggs Over Easy that noone understood but everyone loved, a hot dorothy and a Leprauchaun and his pot-of-gold (who enjoyed themselves, no doubt).

oh, and SMU won, UT lost, WOOHOO!

... Also a word of appreciation and commendation for our Texas Rangers. Wish you could have brought home the WS title, but hey, a magical year in which the team was bankrupt and auctioned off, we won the Cliff Lee sweepstakes due to the Yankees arrogance, and we went from a preseason 60-1 favorite to make the WS, beating the mighty Rays and Yankees on the way and taking a game from the Giants en route to their well-deserved victory. Josh, Ian, Michael, Cliffy, Bengie, Mitch - we love all of y'all and CLIFF: COME BACK. this is a young team poised to do great things in a very winnable division. When is Spring Training???

Go Mavs!

DMA Junior Associates - Curator's Choice!

Folks, seems like time flies, since I haven't posted since July. Nevertheless, summer is gone, fall is here (which means FOOTBALL IS HERE) and here we are, getting into the "fall social season." Last night, several hundred people attended the Dallas Museum of Art Junior Associates - Curator's Choice event, which consisted of drinks, guided tours, more drinks and nibbles. It was a see-and-be-seen event and everyone who attended was sure to have a good time (bottomless wine will ensure that). Hope you made it. What else is going on? You just missed the SYP Dallas' retro prom party on Sept. 10; but there are plenty of other events to enjoy, including a party at candleroom with free drinks this friday, SMU hosting Washington State this weekend and TCU next weekend, DiningDallas with Katie and Clayton at Dish on the 30th.

Also, has anyone eaten at DIVE Coastal Cuisine yet?

... Have a great weekend, enjoy!

~j

DMA JA Circle - wine tasting and tour of Coastlines

Greetings, friends, and hope everyone's having a great friday! After months of promising I'd help Halle with publicity for SYP, I'm finally getting in gear. I'm a Dallas resident of 15 years, SMU graduate, and professional working in business development for a consulting firm.

Last night, I attended the first event for the 2010-2011 year for the Dallas Museum of Art's Junior Associates Circle - or the JA's. The JA's-exclusive event featured free wine and hors d'oeuvres at the DMA's seventeen-seventeen restaurant, followed by our choice of an exclusive screening of a classic Hitchcock film, or a guided tour of a current exhibit, Coastlines, featuring several different galleries of Coastal-inspired pieces spanning several hundred years and artists from across the globe. Further adding to the uniqueness of this exhibit were a handful of pieces with specific "soundtracks" (if you will), which were only audible when standing in front of each piece on a designated circle. The auditory experience, combined with many wonderful works of art, truly made for an excellent Thursday evening and I feel a must-see, before the exhibit closes in August.

You can find out more about the DMA and the Junior Associates Circle on the DMA website, www.dallasmuseumofart.org. If you live in Dallas and don't visit our museum, you're missing out!

Added bonus: after the DMA event, my lovely date and I took the opportunity to check out the new menu at Sangria off Knox. The food was incredible and the waiter took the opportunity to share a couple free tapas: the Spanikopita, and an incredible dessert, the flourless chocolate cake. Also recommended are the bacon-wrapped dates and the sauteed calamari.

Look forward to sharing more soon - hope you folks also had fun if you attended the Blondes Vs. Brunettes charity Happy Hour at Times Ten Cellars, or the DiningDallas Happy Hour at Meddlesome Moth.

Ciao folks,

J

My SYP Dallas Story

Hi there! My name is Halle Smith and I am the VP of Public Relations for SYP Dallas. I thought I’d introduce myself by sharing the story of how I got involved with SYP…

My involvement with SYP was sort of an impulsive decision, but I can honestly say I’ve never looked back. I had just changed jobs and was actually at a company that encourages and appreciates volunteer work. I was looking to get involved with something I could feel passionate about, but really wasn’t sure where to start. I knew I wanted to do something different.

My long-time friend and sorority sister, Liz Healy, said “why don’t you come to Geisha House with me for dinner tonight. I’m meeting with a few people that want to launch a Dallas chapter for an LA non-profit. Why don’t you join me?” The next thing I knew I was on the board. For those of you that know Liz, you know her enthusiasm is infectious and she can be more than a little convincing. The reality is this wasn’t a tough sell. The minute I learned what SYP was all about, I was hooked.

At the time, the mission of SYP intrigued me – as an ambitious young professional, I can’t always commit to a regular Saturday volunteer day. Though I wish I could, unfortunately my schedule fluctuates too much with work. The idea that SYP allows people with unusual schedules a chance to give back was really appealing. I especially appreciated that SYP isn’t tied to a specific cause, which allows us to make a difference near and far, and for a variety of different causes – really anything we are passionate about. I also appreciated that by building this from the ground-up in Dallas, we as members could make SYP Dallas anything we wanted it to be. Every member has a voice and I loved that idea!

After that first dinner, I only knew Liz at the time and I had no idea just how inspiring each of the members on the board would be – not to mention kind, ambitious and fun! I am so lucky to now call them friends. SYP has afforded me so many amazing new friends and great business contacts. The enthusiasm Dallas has shown about SYP is viral – after only a few short months we have nearly 1,000 fans on Facebook and see new faces at every meeting. We’ve already come so far and I’m so proud to be part of something so new and different for Dallas.

Welcome to the SYP blog!

Welcome to the Society of Young Philanthropists’ blog! You’ll hear from different members of both our Dallas and L.A. chapters about the passions and interests of our members. On our blog we hope to highlight a variety of causes and look forward to sharing it all with you! Before we get started, here is a little background on SYP…

SYP is a 501 (c) (3) organization designed to create a network of distinguished professionals by supporting and promoting philanthropic causes. Through charitable events, we seek to raise awareness and instill a commitment to philanthropy in the next generation of community leaders.

Membership is free as we seek to tap the younger demographic (21-40 year-olds) by offering an attractive way to get involved in philanthropy. We aren’t tied to a specific charity, which allows our members to steer our direction and make an impact on several not-for-profit groups. Social activities and events are intended to benefit various causes while bringing youth together in a positive atmosphere to further our own interests and strengthen our ties and connections within the community.

SYP was founded in L.A. in 2004 by our fearless leader. Elishia S. Bolour. Our flagship L.A. chapter started with only 30 members and has since grown to include more than 3,000. SYP L.A. has since raised more than $300,000 for local and international causes, in addition to growing its own endowment. Elishia brought the mission and vision to Dallas in 2009 while earning her Master’s degree in Entrepreneurship from Southern Methodist University. SYP Dallas has already hit the ground running and aims to mirror the success of the L.A. chapter.

We love to give back, and have fun with one another while we do it. We look forward to sharing our stories with you! Thanks for reading!