Deli News

Dallas' Preston Center lands a delectable deli from West Texas chef

Sandwiches are in a different stratosphere.

Courtesy photo

A revered West Texas restaurant is expanding to Dallas: Called PV Deli, it's a spinoff of the much-loved San Angelo restaurant Peasant Village and will open in Preston Center, at 6130 Berkshire Ln., in what was previously a Marble Slab Creamery.

PV Deli comes from chef Jason Helfer, a graduate of the prestigious Johnson & Wales University who comes from a restaurant family.

He and his dad, chef Art "Pops" Helfer, founded The Peasant Village Restaurant in 1995 in a 1927 bungalow in San Angelo, where they showcase world-class cuisine from their extensive international travels.

They've earned acclaim, including spots on numerous top 10 lists from Southern Living, Texas Highways, and others.

The deli, which will be open 10:30 am-6 pm Monday-Friday and 10:30 am-3 pm on Saturday, will serve buffed-up sandwiches, wraps, flatbreads, soups, salads, and a variety of Southern-influenced mac 'n cheese choices.

Sandwiches come stacked nice and tall and include the Hall Of Fame with chicken, bacon, cheddar cheese, and avocado on wheat berry bread; and the Ladder with chicken, ham, salami, caramelized onions, Provolone, cheddar, spinach, banana peppers, black olives, tomato, chipotle mayonnaise, and Frank's Red Sauce on a jalapeno cheddar roll.

Mom's chicken salad features their signature marinated roasted chicken mixed with dill mayonnaise, celery, red onion, bell pepper, Romaine, tomato, and sliced almonds, served on a croissant.

A vegetarian wrap has avocado, basil pesto, and grilled vegetables on a sun-dried tomato tortilla wrap. Salads, dressings, and soups are made from scratch. The signature soup is the classic Champagne French onion soup topped with a bubbling Swiss and Provolone cheese crostini.

There's also a grab-and-go area with most of the menu items ready to roll.

Helfer, who hopes to get the deli open by October, says his sandwiches "are on a different stratosphere."

"Our passion and attention to detail shows in every bite of the sandwich from the high-quality meats and cheeses to the freshest produce available," he says.

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RIP Al

Beloved Dallas restaurateur Al Biernat dies at 69 after ALS battle

Dallas restaurateur Al Biernat, RIP

Beloved Dallas restaurateur Al Biernat, founder of the acclaimed local steakhouse Al Biernat's, passed away on November 13, following a battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also called ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease; he was 69.

Biernat was one of Dallas' all-time great hospitality figures, dating back to his days at The Palm steakhouse, for whom he worked in Los Angeles, Houston, and Dallas.

Biernat founded his namesake restaurant in 1998 on Oak Lawn Avenue, where his standard of excellence and doting charm made it a destination for special occasions, Park Cities swells, and celebrities in town.

His sense of hospitality had little competition in Dallas. He was a charming and personable host who genuinely liked people, and it didn't matter whether you were Conan O'Brien, David Crosby, or one of the other high-profile diners that visited his restaurants — or else just a regular schlub: He had a knack for making everyone feel special and remembered.

Biernat was born on August 20, 1955 and grew up in Michigan, then lived in Colorado, New York, Los Angeles, and Houston, before moving to Dallas to work at The Palm in the West End, where his dynamic presence gave the restaurant an incomparable vitality; it closed in 2017.

He opened Al Biernat's at 4217 Oak Lawn Ave. in 1998, followed by a second location in North Dallas at 5251 Spring Valley Rd. in 2017.

He began to experience ALS symptoms in May 2023, was diagnosed in December, and revealed his condition in February 2024. The revelation was met with an outpouring of sympathy and well wishes from the hospitality industry — a sign of the high regard in which he was held.

The average life expectancy for people with ALS is two to five years after diagnosis. Symptoms can begin in the muscles that control speech and swallowing, or in the hands, arms, legs, or feet. He began to have difficulty communicating in September, and spent his last days in a hospice.

On September 18, he broached the topic of dying, before ending on a note of gratitude to friends and family.

"Having Bulbar ALS I am realistic about my future," he said. "Friends and family have asked me if I’m afraid of dying, and this is what I say to them. Because of the salvation of Jesus, I will be rejoicing in my spirit to see him in all of his glory. Since we are all flesh, soul, and spirit, only my flesh is being left behind. But don’t get me wrong, I have a blessed life in this world, with a loving wife, and a beautiful family and many wonderful and caring friends. I am grateful!"

Both Al Biernat's locations will continue to remain open under the management of Biernat's nephew Brad Fuller, as they have for nearly the past two years.

Biernat is survived by Fuller, as well as his wife Jeannie and three daughters: Angelica Saylor, Kaitlin Biernat Connell, and Jess Biernat, plus five grandsons and two granddaughters. . According to family members, details regarding a celebration of his life will be announced soon.

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