NEW BARS:...Toloa Rooftop In North McAllen...Take The Babe Out On The Town...

 

By EDUARDO PAZ-MARTINEZ

McALLEN, Texas | The City of Palms keeps me well-entertained. I mean, I have my sweet, always-there Babes, but we never tire of hitting a new bar, of which there have been more than a few lately. Not that long ago, it was Harvey's On 10th, a small, but noisy joint we still enjoy, especially on Sunday afternoons.

But this latest one is a gas.

Toloa Rooftop way on the far-northern side of N. 10th Street is the latest entry into the high-dollar dine and drink market. Its uniqueness is being talked about in town as if the first of an emerging trend: Primo bars and nightclubs.

The mayor was over there the other day. Without hesitation, he labeled it a winner. Mayor Javier Villalobos even had someone photograph him inside the bar.

It is the neat, airy rooftop that grabbed at us, even as our late-September Friday evening date still felt the remains of the day's heat. But come cooler weather, Toloa Rooftop may have to limit the number of patrons it allows into the bar.

Many of the customers seemed to be enjoying the expansive (and expensive) menu, some out in the rooftop patio awaiting tables. It's not like the skyscraper bars of New York that held my attention back when I was writing for the New York Post, but Toloa offers a different view of North McAllen.

The week had been a long one for both of us (me with a new cleaning lady for my apartment and Laura messing with the Fiat dealer for her car), the exhaustion perhaps something to blame on the Summer's scorching weather. A cooldown is coming next weekend, however, and, well, we'll likely hang out at Toloa one more time.

Hey, new is new, and we like the new.

Oh, do enjoy the great DJ music at Toloa. It's worth the price, that being whatever you get on your tab when you cash-out at evening's end. Toloa Rooftop is located at 1200 Auburn Avenue.

The Rio Grande Valley is coming up in the world.

Well, at least the western end of it...

-30-