Convivial nitespots

These recommendations by Mr. Dallas represent convivial nightspots for upscale (or at least poseur-upscale) singles, particularly those in their 30s and 40s who are out and about but allergic to grunge and frat-boy excess. In general, these clubs are easy to get to and easy to park at. They offer good sights (people-watching is a pre-eminent value), good sounds (extra points for droning, throbbing techno weirdness) and good times (the rooms, the drinks, the food). Follow links for location information.

Abacus
Abacus is a gorgeous restaurant with a gorgeous bar. It's a godsend to nicophobes – there's no smoking. But that limits its potential as a hangout. After all, bars are nothing if not sanctuaries for compulsive behavior. But if you don't indulge tobacco, or are willing to bolt out to the valet stand intermittently, Abacus will reward you. It's resplendent with cherry woods, mustard and eggplant colors, metal and glass. The lighting flatters.

Absinthe
This retreat for bohemians and beyond is lodged discreetly on the side of the South Side on Lamar development. Take a few steps down into a 21st-century speakeasy with polished concrete floors, dark comfy corners and art-for-sale on the walls. There's entertainment most nights, from poetry readings and comedy to bands and DJs.

Bice
The illustrious Italian chain has landed at the Crescent Court, and the bar provides a generously proportioned, well-appointed hangout for retail workers there and the occasional neighborhood drop-by. The plasma screen plays classic Italian films of the 1950s and '60s with the sound down, but, hey, they're subtitled anyway.

Cafe Gecko
Pleasant anomaly in the shopping-strip sprawl of Belt Line and Montfort, squeezed between a Mexican restaurant and a furniture outlet. It's more Lakewood than Addison – cool, dim, with comfy-worn booths and a long, sturdy bar. The small patio provides an outside sit for a crowd that mixes collegiates with refugees from the retail wars all around.

New! Central 214
The W Hotel and its nightspots get most of the buzz, but the Hotel Palomar rehab is buzz-worthy. The lounge is contemporary without being austere, hip but comfortable, a fresh rendezvous for Park Cities people who've been smoked out of Javier's.

Chateau Wine Market and Bodega Bar
When Trece or Suite get too overwhelming — or you just don't fit in — step across Travis Street to decompress at this largish wine bar. Low ceilings, intimate lighting and lots of nooks and crannies make for a date-enhancing, evening-ending experience.

Dragonfly
A precious little neon sign beckons scenemakers to the entrance of Dragonfly, a shiny sliver of South Beach or L.A. chic inserted into geographically challenged Uptown. All the Better Sorts (Youth Division) are milling around the illuminated, poolside “urban oasis” or squeezing into the tuna-can-tiny bar inside, where everybody's favorite bartenders from the last hot spot are mixing drinks. Go early. By 10 o'clock you'll be on the outside looking in.

Ghostbar (W Hotel)
It's got the reputation (Chicago-Las Vegas glam import) and the view (from the 33rd floor of the W), but Ghostbar maintains only a tenuous hold on the attentions of Dallas clubgoers. Its status as the party place for the Prison Break cast is offset by notorious valet problems, thimble-sized pours on the drinks and a middling music mix.

Kismet
Two cheers for modest ambitions met. Kismet, a 4,000-square-foot venue next to its sister restaurant Café Izmir, is almost worth venturing onto Lower Greenville for. Its Arabian Nights look, with arched doorways, draperies and cushioned divans, is laid on just thick enough to be appealing. The ceiling is a black firmament set with hundreds of tiny lights. There’s a pleasant side patio. DJs spin a kitschy mix that heats up as the evening does. The curvilinear bar doesn’t serve 40 different vodkas or 20 tequilas, but you can find a poison that will do.

Lee Harvey's
Under other names, the weathered one-story building south of downtown has been a unprepossessing dispenser of spirits for half a century. As Lee Harvey’s, it’s attracting hipsters from the nearby South Side on Lamar lofts, who are suckers for its roadhouse cred: frayed barstools, battered banquettes, a pool table set practically flush with the lavatory door, several generations of illuminated beer signs on the walls. There’s also Pabst in the can and a jukebox that plays classic rock, hair metal and synth-pop.

Living Room (W Hotel)
The W's second fiddle has the sweeter sound. The mid-century modern lobby lounge is cool, relaxed and makes for satisfying after-work decompression. The crowd, by the nature of hotel bars, is a bit random — guests, curious locals and diners waiting to get into Craft.

Lounge at the Inwood
Bring out-of-towners to this un-Dallasy Dallas bar: "See, see, see!" you'll sputter. Not quite the locus of Monday night hip it once was, but so what. There is much to savor: the sedating water wall, even more sedating (usually perfect) martinis, the 1940s murals high overhead, the smell of popcorn next door, the nonchalant, pierced servers and crazy-quilt music, a back room made for hatching Bolshevik plots. Favorite sit: the tables for two next to the window that faces the theater's downstairs auditorium.

Mercy
Here is evidence of intelligent life in Addison — located, amazingly, almost within spitting distance of Sherlock’s in the Village on the Parkway shopping center. Take a break from the furious consumerism all around at this comfortable, well-appointed wine bar. The effect is instant chill room — 3,500 square feet divided among dining, lounge, wine bar and mezzanine. A smart international music mix mists down from the speakers. Choose your medicine from among more than 100 wines and 25 beers. Mercy is a good place to start the evening or cap it. Slip up to the cozy cuddle corners on the second floor after wine has provoked ardor.

Monkey Bar at Mi Cocina Highland Park
The hipster-slacker Monkey Bar in Exposition Park is better known than this establishment in a third-floor aerie of the Mi Cocina in Highland Park Village. The space is confined, the vibe speakeasy-elite, geared to plutocrats in the know and visiting celebrities.