Sugarbacon Gets a Buddy

McKinney's Sugarbacon renders a small spinoff restaurant where sandwiches rule

New McKinney spot Butcher Board will build on the successes of its big sibling Sugarbacon.

Photo courtesy of Sugarbacon

McKinney's Sugarbacon Proper Kitchen is sprouting a little buddy. Called Butcher Board, it will occupy a space adjoining its big sibling, where it will serve sandwiches and to-go foods. It also will have a fun sidewalk patio.

The team is the same, with the management executed by Johnny Carros and the kitchen overseen by chef Jon Thompson, who describes the menu as "simple, chef-driven sandwiches."

"It's all about hand-carved large roasts," Thompson says. "We'll have roasts like porchetta on display on a butcher board, and you can see the show of the guy carving it for your sandwich."

Although the model will be quick-serve, a la Chipotle, the sandwiches will be minimally garnished, Thompson says.

"It's not the assembly line of toppings, but instead chef-driven fully created sandwiches that you can watch be hand-carved," he says.

There'll also be a signature side that utilizes an ingredient from Sugarbacon.

"At Sugarbacon, we do a lot of smoked pork belly where we render out the pork lard, and we've been using that to make potato chips," he says. "So these are smoky lard-fried potato chips."

Butcher Board will sell beer and wine, and maybe some breakfast tacos. Design-wise, the space will have a minimalist feel, but the patio out front will feature vintage 60-year-old Texaco pumps; there used to be a gas station there at one time.

Thompson says they're building on the success of something they've witnessed at Sugarbacon. "Every time we do a sandwich as a special, it kills it," he says.

openings

Ice Cream News

Global ice cream brand Kelvin Scale makes creamy U.S. debut in Frisco

Kelvin Scale

Ice cream cones by Kelvin Scale

A unique new ice cream shop has made its U.S. debut right here in the Dallas area: Called Kelvin Scale Ice Cream, it's a dessert shop featuring ice cream, waffles, shakes, brownies, and ice cream cakes and it's now open in Frisco at 2650 King Rd. #750, in a former spa business near the intersection of Main Street.

Kelvin Scale was originally founded in India, where it has approximately 40 locations. The name comes from a temperature scale used by scientists that starts at zero — which they wink at with a motto that says "the Absolute Zero of additives."

Bringing it to the U.S. is a team of entrepreneurs who were impressed with the premium quality of the ice cream and other menu items, says spokesman Ram Bonda.

"We make the ice cream from scratch, not from a mix, with none of the additives or stabilizers used by some ice cream brands," Bonda says.

They also tout their use of A2 milk, a whole milk that has become popular because is supposedly causes less gas or digestive discomfort than regular milk — a claim that has yet to be proven. Nonetheless, A2 milk is more expensive.

They also do not whip in much "overrun" — the industry term for infusing air to make ice cream lighter (and less costly to produce).

"The texture of our ice cream is very creamy and rich, and you definitely get more with each scoop," Bonda says.

They offer an unusual selection of flavors, with global influences such as Belgian chocolate, Biscoff cookie caramel, cotton candy, and blueberry cheesecake. More exotic offerings include chikku, made from the sapota fruit which has a distinctly caramel flavor; lychee, from the floral fruit that's popular in Asian cuisines; and Rajbhog, a flavor that pays homage to an Indian dessert featuring almonds, pistachios, and saffron.

"We'll feature 24 flavors in the store, pulled from a total bank of 70 to 80 flavors, with flavors rotating in and out according to what's in season and trending," Bonda says. The company enjoys keeping tabs on social media and weaving in flavors that turn viral.

One scoop is $4.50, but additional scoops are a dollar, making it irresistible to get two scoops instead of one.

There are sundaes of all kinds, brownies solo or with ice cream, and an entire menu of waffle treats: waffles with Nutella, waffles with fruit, a red velvet waffle, and a waffle sandwich with ice cream sandwiched between two waffles.

Frisco was a natural place to introduce the brand in the U.S., Bonda says.

"It's one of most rapidly growing cities in the U.S., and it seemed like the ideal place to launch our flagship location," he says. "The location has an open kitchen so you can see the ice cream being made."

ice cream openings