THE PERFECT V-DAY TREAT

Chocolate caramels

So many wonderful traditions tell the story of Valentine’s Day. Who doesn’t love a bouquet of red roses, a heart full of chocolates and yummy Champagne? Mix it up this year and share the love of handmade food with family and friends; there is nothing more romantic than that. I want to share one of my favorite treats: chocolate caramels. These little gems are ideal because they fall somewhere between the chewiest caramels and the most decadent dark chocolate fudge. If you love chocolate, play around with the different intensities, and choose your favorite brand to make these bite-sized confections your own. Before serving or wrapping the caramels individually, garnish each one with powdered sugar, cocoa powder, nuts or spicy red hearts. Pour yourself a glass of Champagne and toast to chocolate caramels that are sure to be a Valentine’s Day tradition.

Chocolate caramels

The perfect combination of chewy caramels and chocolate fudge

INGREDIENTS:

500 ml heavy cream

1 ¾ cup granulated sugar

2 ¾ cup corn syrup

1 ½ tablespoons butter, cubed

1 ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips

9-inch square pan lined with foil

DIRECTIONS:

Combine the first four ingredients in a saucepan, and cook to 245 F, stirring constantly.

Remove the pot from the heat. Add the cubed butter and chopped chocolate and stir to combine (do not over-mix or the ingredients will separate).

Immediately pour the mixture into the foil-lined pan.

Let it cool at room temperature until set. Cut the caramel into the desired shape and size.

Leave the caramels plain or dredge in powdered sugar or a mixture of cocoa powder and powdered sugar.

Wrap caramels in wax paper and store in an airtight container until ready to serve. Makes about 50 1 ½-inch pieces, takes 30 minutes

ANY TIME IS A GOOD TIME FOR A DATE IN OAK CLIFF

A typical date night could include dinner at Boulevardier or Nova followed by a show at the Kessler or the Texas Theatre. It could be pool and fried chicken at Chicken Scratch/The Foundry. There’s always dinner at Smoke and cocktails at Bar Belmont or beer and horseshoes at Waldron Lodge. But why not try something unexpected this month? Let us take you through one impossible day of dates in Oak Cliff, our picks for affordable, neighborhood-centric date ideas anytime.

6 A.M. | SUN SALUTATIONS, $24 ($12 DROP-IN RATE)

Our neighborhood’s only yoga studio offers a 6 a.m. vinyasa flow class from instructor LJ Hash. It is intense, but if you and your sweetie can face the challenge, you can do anything together.

SYNC YOGA & WELLBEING

611 N. Bishop

214.946.2224, syncdallas.com

7 A.M. | WATCH THE SUNRISE, FREE

The sun rises at 7:22 a.m. Feb. 1, and it arrives a little earlier each day. Lovely places to watch the sunrise in our neighborhood include Lake Cliff Park and near the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge.

7:30 A.M. | COFFEE AND DONUTS, $2-$8

We don’t need no Krispy Kreme. Our neighborhood has Southern Maid, Oak Cliff Donuts, Maroches and Vera’s, among many other fine bakeries. At Lone Star Donuts, a square “pretzel” donut costs about 80 cents. They also have cheap coffee, but it’s cheap for a reason. For a perfect cup, try Davis Street Espresso (which serves Vera’s donuts and churros plus croissants from Rush Patisserie), Oddfellows, Bolsa Mercado or Espumoso in the Bishop Arts District.

LONE STAR DONUTS

1727 N. Beckley

214.946.2185 lonestarfunfoods.com

DAVIS STREET ESPRESSO

819 W. Davis

214.929.6752

8 A.M. | RIDE THE LEVEES, FREE-$70

Show off your adventurous spirit by taking your date for a bike ride on the Trinity River levees. Borrow or rent mountain bikes and get on the levee at Trinity Overlook Park. If gravel grinding is not your thing, try a spin on the fully paved Santa Fe Trestle Trail, which starts at Eighth and Corinth, crosses the Trinity River and ends at Riverfront Boulevard.

OAK CLIFF BICYCLE CO.

408 N. Bishop 214.941.0010, ocbicycleco.com

TRINITY OVERLOOK PARK

Beckley and Commerce

SANTA FE TRESTLE TRAIL

1837 E. Eighth, trinityrivercorridor.com

9 A.M. | TEE TIME, $23-$50

Take in the North Oak Cliff hills and excellent downtown views at Stevens Park Golf Course. Our neighborhood is home to one of the best municipal golf courses in Texas. Play 18 holes with a cart Monday-Thursday for just $43. Weekday afternoons, without a cart, it’s $23. If you’re rusty, get in shape for this date through Clairevista Vitality Club’s golf conditioning classes.

STEVENS PARK GOLF COURSE

1005 N. Montclair 214.670.7506, stevensparkgolf.com

CLAIREVISTA VITALITY CLUB

2001 Sylvan 214.744.5400, clairevista.com

10 A.M. | TREASURE HUNTING

Bond over a mutual love of all things retro. Go upscale vintage shopping at Zola’s Everyday Vintage and M’Antiques. For a more adventurous shopping trip, try the thrift stores on Jefferson at Marsalis.

ZOLA’S EVERYDAY VINTAGE

414 N. Bishop 214.943.6643, zolasvintage.com

M’ANTIQUES

424 W. Davis 214.941.4195

11 A.M. | FOOT SPA

Treat your sweetie to reflexology at Oak Cliff’s only foot spa. A 40-minute foot treatment costs $26, and 90 minutes costs $60

YA YA FOOT SPA

509D N. Bishop

214.707.0506, yayafootspa.com

NOON | DO THE D-LINK, FREE

Dallas Area Rapid Transit now provides free transportation from Oak Cliff to Downtown via the D-Link. It picks up about every 15 minutes at Davis and Bishop from 11 a.m.-11:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Disembark at Main Street Park or the Dallas Arts District for people-watching, museum-going or a fancy lunch.

DART D-LINK dart.org/dlink

1 P.M. | FANCY LUNCH

A lunch date is a good way to come across as posh without spending a lot, and our neighborhood has several options, including Smoke and Tillman’s, both romantic options. Hattie’s, however, has all that natural light to make you look like a noontime angel for your special friend.

HATTIE’S

418 N. Bishop

214.942.7400, hatties.com

2 P.M. | CHOCOLATE, $5-$30

God bless Oak Cliff. We have not one but two chocolate shops. February specials at Dude, Sweet Chocolate include cherry whiskey and walnut fudge, preserved lemon and Bailey’s truffles, and a sexy “potion or syrup made with vodka, orange liqueur and lime. At CocoAndré, find heart-shaped boxes of hand-rolled truffles including strawberry/passion fruit, raspberry/lavender, café con leche and lemon chiffon.

DUDE, SWEET CHOCOLATE

408 W. Eighth

214.943.5943 dudesweetchocolate.com

COCOANDRÉ CHOCOLATIER

831 W. Davis

214.941.3030, cocoandre.com

Twelve Hills Nature Center provides about a half-mile nature walk, which is nice especially when wildflowers are blooming in the spring. To throw a little cardio into your date, try Kiest Park, which has two miles of paved trail, ideal for baby strollers or skating.

TWELVE HILLS NATURE CENTER

817 Mary Cliff twelvehills.org

KIEST PARK

3080 S. Hampton

214.670.1918, dallasparks.org

The classic and famous Aunt Stelle’s sets a standard for sno cones in Oak Cliff. But they have limited hours and are only open between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Any other time, try a smoothie or fruit cup from Frutería Cano or Papaya. While Cool & Hot does have good sno cones, its location in a former gas station on the Interstate does not scream romance, so maybe pick a couple up and bring them to the park.

AUNT STELLE’S

2002 W. Clarendon 214.946.1431

COOL & HOT

930 E. Eighth 214.944.5330

FRUTERÍA CANO

1133 N. Zang

214.943.9677

PAPAYA

925 W. Jefferson 214.948.0311

5 P.M. | HAPPY HOUR

Every cocktail on the menu at Bolsa is $5 all day on Tuesdays (and 3-5 p.m. MondayFriday). At La Calle Doce, happy hour runs 3-7 p.m. Monday-Friday with $3 margaritas. Most places in our neighborhood offer happy hour specials on weekdays. There’s something for everyone.

BOLSA

614 W. Davis

214.367.9367, bolsadallas.com

LA CALLE DOCE

415 W. 12th

214.941.4304, lacalledoce-dallas.com

6 P.M. | WATCH THE SUNSET

The sun sets at 6 p.m. Feb. 1 and sets a little later every day after. Various places on Jefferson Boulevard will give a view of the sky on fire, including the Texas Theatre and Sunset High School.

6:30 P.M | TACO TIME

Taquería El Sí Hay is a go-to for taco tailgate dates. But Oak Cliff has plenty of options for indoor seating and great tacos. Los Torres specializes in goat tacos and serves them in house-made tortillas. The Mexico City-style street tacos at El Tizoncito beat those Uptown taco places any day. Taco Wagon, the renovated Chuck Wagon restaurant that opened last summer, has a covered outdoor seating area and serves Tex-Mex tacos with guiso or ground beef.

EL SÍ HAY 601 W. Davis 214.941.4042

LOS

4:30 p.m. |

FEED THE DUCKS

Kidd Springs and Lake Cliff parks have plenty of benches, pavilions and recesses that lend themselves to canoodling. Feeding the ducks is a great excuse to find yourself in one of them on a date with someone new. It’s also great for a date with little ones in tow.

KIDD SPRINGS PARK

711 W. Canty 214.670.7535

LAKE CLIFF PARK 1200 N. Zang

7 P.M. | LUCKY DOG BOOKS

Browsing a bookstore is a great way to get to know someone. One’s preference for Harry Potter or Western novels or academic histories or Elizabethan poetry says a lot. There is plenty to do with your eyes and hands during awkward moments. And if it’s really that bad, the maze-like aisles of this bookshop make it easy to duck out unnoticed.

LUCKY DOG BOOKS

633 W. Davis

214.941.2665, luckydogbooks.com

7:30 P.M | PIE AT NORMA’S, $2-$5

Pie is half price thirty minutes before closing time at Norma’s every day. Pick your favorite booth or sidle up to the counter with cups of coffee or a cherry Coke with two straws.

NORMA’S

1123 W. Davis

214.946.4711, normascafe.com

9:30 P.M | FREE TACOS AT OUTPOST

The owners of Smoke and Bolsa recently purchased Outpost from its creators, Coeval Studio (see page 14). Chef Tim Byres is adding his touch to the place, and the restaurant is going for a later crowd they’re open till 2 a.m. Let the siren song of free tacos draw you and your date to this trendy spot. They serve free suckling-pig tacos starting at 9:30 p.m. every Monday.

OUTPOST AMERICAN TAVERN

1115 N. Beckley

214.946.1308, outpostdallas.com

10 P.M. | KARAOKE AT BARBARA’S

Don’t just tell your date you love her, sing “Ring of Fire” for her at Barbara’s. If all goes well, you could be singing “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” together later. Barbara’s has karaoke Thursdays, Sundays and every second Saturday of the month.

BARBARA’S PAVILION

325 Centre; 214.941.2145

8 P.M. | COUPLES SKATE, $4

Make your date feel like a kid again at Red Bird Skateland. The skating rink on the outskirts of Duncanville has adults-only skate from 8-10 p.m. Thursdays, and it only costs $2 per person including skate rentals.

RED BIRD SKATELAND

1206 N. Duncanville Road 972.298.7400 redbirdskateland.com

11 P.M. | TEXAS THEATRE

The Texas Theatre has late-night movies and dance parties every month. Movie tickets cost about $10 each, and you can always just have a drink and chat in the comfy upstairs lounge.

THE TEXAS THEATRE

231 W. Jefferson 214.948.1546, thetexastheatre.com

MIDNIGHT | METRO DINER

Play Michael Jackson on the CD jukebox and stare into your lover’s eyes over a plate of pecan pancakes before saying goodnight.

METRO DINER

2316 W. Davis 214.943.7473

Giving

Norma’s Café donated more than 7,500 free meals and $6,500 to charities in 2013.

The new Walmart Supercenter at Interstate 35 and Ledbetter donated $62,000 to the North Texas Food Bank to celebrate the store’s grand opening in January. The store also gave $2,000 to neighborhood schools, $1,000 each to the Dallas police and fire departments, $1,000 to the Mooreland Family YMCA, $1,000 to Oak Cliff Churches for Emergency Aid and $1,000 to Leading by Example.

Nonprofits

The Well raised almost $30,000 during its fundraiser at the Kessler Theater in December.

Road construction

The Sylvan Avenue bridge is expected to reopen partially to traffic starting April 9. The new $42.3-million six-lane bridge had been scheduled to reopen in January, but now it is expected to reopen completely July 9.

Streetcar rails are in place across the Houston Street Viaduct and into North Oak Cliff. The rails now run from the bridge, up Zang to Colorado, where they make a right turn toward Beckley. All 1.6 miles of rail are expected to be complete soon. Once the installation is complete, traffic interruptions at Zang/Colorado will lessen. The streetcar is expected to begin service around this time next year.

HAVE AN ITEM TO BE FEATURED?

Please submit news items and/or photos concerning neighborhood residents, activities, honors and volunteer opportunities to editor@advocatemag.com Our deadline is the first of the month prior to the month of publication.

Show Off Your Pad

Have you recently finished a major home remodel that’s the envy of the neighborhood? Or, maybe there’s something else special about your abode — a killer art collection, impressive DIY, themed rooms or clever uses of space. We want your stories for our annual Advocate Home Design issue. Send beforeand-after photos and a description of your project along with your name, zip code and contact information to editor@advocatemag.com. Who knows? Your home could end up on the cover.

Lakehill Preparatory School

Leading to Success. 2720 Hillside Dr., Dallas 75214 / 214.826.2931 / lakehillprep. org Kindergarten through Grade 12 - Lakehill Preparatory School takes the word preparatory in its name very seriously. Throughout a student’s academic career, Lakehill builds an educational program that achieves its goal of enabling graduates to attend the finest, most rigorous universities of choice. Lakehill combines a robust, college-preparatory curriculum with opportunities for personal growth, individual enrichment, and community involvement. From kindergarten through high school, every Lakehill student is encouraged to strive, challenged to succeed, and inspired to excel.

ST. JOHN’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL

848 Harter Rd., Dallas 75218 / 214.328.9131 / stjohnsschool.org

Founded in 1953, St. John’s is an independent, co-educational day school for Pre-K through Grade 8. With a tradition for academic excellence, St. John’s programs include a challenging curriculum in a Christian environment along with instruction in the visual and performing arts, Spanish, German, French, and opportunities for athletics and community service. St. John’s goal for its students is to develop a love for learning, service to others, and leadership grounded in love, humility, and wisdom. Accredited by ISAS, SAES, and the Texas Education Agency call 214.560.4203