SOUTHLAKE STYLE'S YEAR IN REVIEW
A look back at 53 of our favorite moments
Southlake-based singer andbrsongwriter, Cole Wilkinson, strummed his way intobrthe hearts of millions onbrNBC’s The Voice. Though hebrdidn’t get any of the judges’brchairs spinning during thebrBlind Auditions, Wilkinsonbris hardly done. His goal is tobrmove to Los Angeles whenbrhe turns 18 and score a re-brcord deal. Lofty goals—butbrsomething tells us he’s gotbrjust enough talent and te-brnacity to get there.
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A tall glass of water has its place, but when summer rollsbraround, sometimes what you really need is a well-crafted,brrefreshing cocktail. Among our favorite top-shelf libationsbrfor summer sipping? The Champagne Margarita at Mi Diabrfrom Scratch. Streaming dry ice makes this concoction partbrexpertly crafted cocktail, part spectacle in a martini glass.
Tom Klein, CEO of Sabre Corporation, one of the world’s largest travel tech-brnology companies, is at the helm of one of the country’s happiest workplaces.brKlein isn’t out of touch in a corner office – he makes a point to get to knowbrhis team, to create a friendly work environment and to offer unique perks. Hisbrworldwide team is taking note.
School bus drivers in Southlake come from all different walks of life.brWhile many other districts employ drivers who made a career of it,brour city is different. Explains one driver: “We are a bunch of peoplebrfrom different backgrounds who all happen to enjoy driving schoolbrbuses post-retirement.”
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BEST LAST WORDS
Our former Foodie Fellow, James Reid, penned his final review, wrapping up his monthly column for us to pursue his food-blogging career. For 18 months, he gave our readers a first look at some of thebrMetroplex’s best new dining establishments. Thanks, James, for piqu-bring our curiosity and our appetites.
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BEST REMINDER TO BE KIND
Our story on random acts of kindness brought many inspiring do-good tales to the forefront, including GRACE’s Acts of Kindness cardsbrand volunteers dropping off fresh fruit with Meals on Wheels. It wasbrcertainly a reminder of how we all can bring more warm fuzzies intobrthe world, one random act of kindness at a time.
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If only Southlake had a few good grocery stores. Mark that underbrphrases you’ll never say. By February, our city had a virtual cornuco-brpia of specialty and natural-foods grocers (and likely the highest kalebrper capita) thanks to Central Market, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, ThebrFresh Market and Sprouts.
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We tend to get a little misty-eyed reading through submissions inbrour decade-old Best Mom essay contest. This year’s winning sub-brmission was no different. Karly Weigl along with her siblings, Ryan,brCheylee and Royce, wrote about their mother, KC: “Thank you forbrthe hugs and kisses when we were born and the ‘final goodbye’ hugsbrand kisses when we went off to college. On this Mother’s Day, we saybr‘thank you’ mom for loving us unconditionally and reminding us tobrsmile and laugh each day because tomorrow is not guaranteed.”brTissue, anyone?
br br brOur February feature, “Gallery O’ Glazes,” was packed with all kindsbrof good stuff: Coffee liqueur-dipped ladyfingers, warmed dark choco-brlate cake, fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies. The way to our heart,brthough, is the scratch-made key lime pie at Winewood Grill. It’s lightbrand fresh with just the right amount of sweet zing.
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There’s no shortage of great burger joints in Southlake, but the hometown favorite is JohnnybrB’s Burgers and Shakes. This family-owned and operated restaurant proves that simplicity stillbrreigns supreme. When John Finlayson opened his namesake burger joint in 2003 with his wifebrSandi, they set out with the simple motto to be the hometown cheeseburger place. Missionbraccomplished.
br br brBEST NEW BOUTIQUES (E.Leigh’s Contemporary Boutique pictured above.)
Southlake Town Square is home to world-class shopping, and we can’t get enoughbrof two boutiques new on the scene: E.Leigh’s Contemporary Boutique and Kendra Scott. Webrlove E.Leigh’s for its chic, on-trend styles and friendly service, and when it comes to jewelry,brevery woman should own an iconic piece from Kendra Scott. We have the Elle earrings inbrmore than a few colors.
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The frozen concoctions are flavorful and funbrat HipPop, an all-natural popsicle, slush andbrshaved ice joint in Grapevine. Flavors on thebrmenu include Busta Lime (Jalapeño Cucum-brber Lime) and Insane in the Membrane (Man-brgo Habanero). HipPop even created DragonbrPride pops for our 10th-annual tailgate.
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Few of us can even fathom achieving a perfectbrscore on the SAT, but 16-year-old Nikhil Ravibrof Carroll High School did it. After strenuousbrpractice, Ravi, 15 at the time, took the exam inbrOctober 2014. The results came in two weeksbrlater and the rest is history.