French Fries All Day

New restaurant in Deep Ellum Dallas will be french fries all the time

French fries in the morning, french fries in the evening.

Photo courtesy of #getfried

French fries are about to rule Dallas and, eventually, all of Texas with the arrival of a new restaurant concept in Deep Ellum that's dedicated to french fries. Called Get Fried, it'll open at 2656 Main St. in early 2018.

Get Fried was established in 2015 in Buffalo, New York, and has big plans for 2018, with several more openings in the works, including locations in Austin, Houston, and San Antonio — nearly all of the cities where CultureMap has offices. The only CultureMap city without a Get Fried planned is Fort Worth. What, Get Fried, no fries for FW?

The menu has six versions of french fries: hand-cut, seasoned waffle, coated straight cut, curly, sweet potato, and funnel. You choose a fry and then a sauce, from more than a dozen selections that include ketchup, malt vinegar, chipotle mayo, and maple syrup.

You can get "topped" baskets, in which fries are topped with ingredients like bacon, pulled pork, and shredded chicken. A sweet version has sweet potato fries topped with maple syrup, powdered sugar, and cinnamon. Texas cheese fries has cheese, bacon, chive, and chili powder.

There is also poutine, the famed Canada french fry dish topped with cheese curds and gravy; and a few non-FF items such as chicken fingers; Buffalo chicken; and pizza logs, consisting of pepperoni wrapped in dough with a side of marinara.

Get Fried was founded by Chris Covelli, who was inspired by the french fry cafes he saw on a trip to Amsterdam. He'd also heard about Canada's famed poutine shops. He saw an opportunity.

He and his entrepreneurial partner Garrett Green opened their first store in February 2015 in Buffalo, New York. There are now two corporately owned stores in Buffalo, with more franchises teed up for New York City and Texas.

The Dallas branch is going into a spot advantageously positioned across the street from BBQ juggernaut Pecan Lodge. The location has been home to fine restaurants such as ~~Pepe's Ranch~~ Nairobi Grill, but has had no luck keeping a tenant.

Deep Ellum did have a Belgian-style french fry offering when Amsterdam Falafelshop opened on Commerce Street in 2016; sadly, it closed in July. But that was probably partially due to the fact that it opened with a strong profile as a vegan-friendly place. French fries will likely not be as troubling to the carnivores.

Get Fried first hit Texas in 2016 with a San Antonio franchise. Local franchisor Muhammad Abdullah says that Texas is on track for french fries everywhere. "We already have a food truck in San Antonio, and all of the big cities in Texas will have stores open by the end of the first quarter of 2018," he says.

deep-ellum trends

Ice Cream News

Global gourmet ice cream chain debuts in U.S. with 2 Dallas-area shops

Dumont Ice Cream

An ice cream concept from India has made its Texas debut: Called Dumont Creamery & Cafe, it's a ice cream chain founded in Hyderabad that now has two locations in the Dallas area.

Their first location was Frisco, which opened at 1951 FM 423 at the end of 2023; a second location opened in late October in Coppell at 1535 S. Belt Line Rd. #160.

Dumont was founded in 1999 by brothers Vivek and Bhashkaar, and currently has 23 locations in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Vijayawada listed on their website.

Bringing the concept to Texas are local franchisees and friends Sai Sashank and Tarang Tirumala, who moved to the U.S. in 2005 to attend college.

Both have successful consulting careers, but craved a taste of home.

Ice cream is the centerpiece at Dumont with more than two dozen flavors, ranging from gourmet to classics to flavors boasting global influences: from Italian-inspired sorbet to a New Zealand-inspired honey ice cream called "hokey pokey."

There is vanilla, chocolate, and mint chocolate chip — but also unique options such as cake and jam, an ice cream with a vanilla base, bites of cake, and spiced jam; and kheer, a coconut ice cream studded with dried fruits and nuts — a nod to the kheer rice pudding that's one of India's favorite desserts.

A single scoop is $4. They have cups and a cute version of waffle cones: shorter and fatter than usual, to provide a greater ratio of ice cream-to-cone.

In addition to ice cream, they have a beverage program with coffee and espresso drinks such as lattes, plus boba tea. There are also special drinks like falooda — an exotic Indian milkshake with rose syrup and vermicelli — as well as limited-edition drinks like iced kheer, a cool beverage version of that same popular rice pudding dessert.

Both locations are spacious, bright, and clean, with pale green banquettes at Frisco, and pale blue chairs and tables at Coppell. Both feature an astronaut theme with statues and framed photos and cartoons on the wall. The Coppell location also has a mural dedicated to great moments in Coppell history.