News You Can Eat

Gelato and coffee hit downtown in this scoop of Dallas restaurant news

From downtown to Uptown, from Dallas to Plano, March brings a bounty of restaurant news, and nearly all of it is good. That means many openings and only one or two unfortunate closures. Good news first:

Downtown Dallas has more coffee at Cafe Strada, which opened March 1 in the old Stone Street newsstand space. The cafe is modeled after Italian street cafes that sell coffee and gelato. Owners are Naples native Gianpiero Lorenzo and David Pedack, whose prior ventures include Urbino Pizza e Pasta.

Sisu Restaurant and Bar in Uptown Dallas will make the most of its parking lot with a food truck. Sisu co-owner Wade Randolph Hampton and Ruthie's Rolling Cafe owner Ashlee Kleinert will open Uptown Truck Stop on March 19.

Adding to his Mesero-themed empire that includes the original Mr. Mesero on McKinney Avenue and Mesero Miguel on Henderson, Mico Rodriguez is opening the more simplified Mesero at Inwood Village in May.

Lakewood Growler on Mockingbird Lane near Abrams Road is open, with 36 Texas taps from Lakewood Brewing, Franconia, Peticolas and more. The bar also has root beer, cider, kombucha tea and cold-brewed coffee on tap.

At long last, Snuffer’s Restaurant & Bar has reopened its location on Greenville Avenue, with cheddar fries and burgers, plus sweet potato fries, Buffalo chicken sandwich, chips and guacamole, and a sweet potato sundae.

Caribbean-themed Pollo Tropical finally opens its branch in Addison, featuring tostones, fried yucca, sweet plantains, and black beans and rice. Along with Addison, Pollo Tropical will open locations in Houston and San Antonio. The restaurant already has branches in Florida, Georgia and Tennessee, as well as Panama, Costa Rica, India, the Dominican Republic and Trinidad.

Mixologist Sean Conner, formerly of Whiskey Cake, will open a pizzeria called Pie 314 — well, actually "P1.E 3.14," but we're calling it Pie 314, because unconventional typography is goofy — in Lewisville in early May.

Chef-restaurateur Nick Badovinus will open Total Hearth in the Design District at 1617 Irving Blvd. in March 2015. That's a long way off. The restaurant will house two wood-burning grills; one will be dedicated to seafood. Badovinus' portfolio includes two locations of Neighborhood Services, with a third set to open in Addison in mid-2014, and his burger joint Off Site Kitchen.

Former Nosh (and Neighborhood Services) chef Jon Stevens will open Stock & Barrel in April in the old Safety Glass building on West Davis Street, down the street from Zoli's NY Pizza Tavern.

A second branch of Smoke will open in Plano, in a space that was previously Snuffer's (and before that Tony Roma's and Sfuzzi) at Preston Road and Park Boulevard in Plano. Chef Tim Byres will overhaul his menu and debut a new one at both branches.

Also coming to Plano, a second branch of Dee Lincoln Steak & Burger Bar will open there in April, in the old Nosh space. According to a press release, the Plano menu will offer more burger options plus adult milkshakes.

On the topic of Plano, a handful of restaurants have signed on to open branches at a new complex at Dallas North Tollway and Parker Road. According to a release, the new "West Plano Village" will open in January 2015 with branches of Eatzi's, Pakpao Thai, Princi Italia, Kona Grill and Mi Dia from Scratch.

Abraham Salum appointed a new executive chef overseeing his two restaurants Salum and Komali: Julio Peraza. Peraza graduated from the California Culinary Academy and worked for famous chefs including Kerry Simon. Peraza will put his stamp on new menus coming out in the next few weeks. He replaces short-timer Ian Tate, who will become chef at So & So's.

Following its suburban closures and ending its purple reign forever, the Purple Cow at Preston Royal Village is now closed. So is The Greek in One Arts Plaza, which closed abruptly on March 14.

Cantina Laredo in Lewisville reopened after sustaining water damage in September 2013. Remodeling included improved private dining rooms and an expanded patio.

The upstairs Lounge 31 over Bistro 31 is launching Sunday brunch beginning April 6, from noon to 4 pm. Features include a DIY Bloody Mary bar, Bloody Mary cart service and half-price Champagne. New brunch dishes include duck hash and eggs.

Texas Monthly BBQ editor Daniel Vaughn talked to Joe Riscky, owner of Riscky's BBQ in Fort Worth, in this month's "Pitmaster Interview" column.

Cafe Strada serves coffee and gelato.

Photo courtesy of Cafe Strada

Cafe Strada serves coffee and gelato.

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Sushi News

Frisco sushi restaurant Hinoki does a slimmed-down twist on omakase

Thanin Viriyaki

Hinoki

A new sushi restaurant has debuted in Frisco with a mini version of omakase: Called Hinoki, it's open for lunch and dinner at 8050 Preston Rd. #106, in a space previously occupied by another short-lived Asian restaurant called Imura, and is serving seafood both raw and cooked.

Hinoki is from chef Leo Kekoa, who previously worked for the acclaimed Nobu chain and who also owns the popular Kinzo Sushi in north Frisco, which he opened in 2022 to bring omakase to Frisco.

Omakase is the dining experience in which the chef prepares a multi-course tasting menu of small bites made to order, often at a premium price. While omakase has no set number of dishes, it usually ranges from 10 to 20 courses depending on how excessive the chef/restaurant is.

Hinoki offers a six-course menu they describe as omakase for $75. It's a starter version that rotates but usually includes a sushi course, oyster topped with caviar, soup, galbi, and mochi dessert. The restaurant also has a regular a la carte menu featuring sushi, hot items, and composed bentos boxes for lunch.

Hinoki sushi HinokiThanin Viriyaki

"Kinzo is my fine-dining omakase restaurant," Kekoa says. "Hinoki is designed as its more casual counterpart — still rooted in discipline and detail, but more accessible."

Kekoa created the menu but he says it’s a team effort, with two veteran chefs: Chikau "Harry" Kikuchi, who brings 25-plus years of experience to the sushi counter (he and Kekoa worked together at Nobu); and chef Sachiko Hashimoto presiding over the hot line and overseeing the preparation of Hinoki's home-style and regional Japanese dishes.

No sushi restaurant can ignore basics like the spicy tuna roll, California roll, dragon roll, and shrimp tempura roll, but Hinoki also has a few of distinctive rolls such as the Kumo roll with crab, avocado, and chipotle aioli, wrapped in soy paper, which has a pleasing texture that's a little more toothsome than the standard crisp seaweed wrapper.

There are creative bowls as the Sake Dashi, featuring sushi-grade raw salmon, Asian pear, crushed marcona almonds, yuzu shirodashi, and truffle oil; and hot dishes such as miso black cod, teriyaki salmon, and Kushiyaki skewers with chicken thigh, kurobuta sausage, and shishito pepper. Most items average about $20.

Kekoa calls his lunch offering "honest and efficient."

"We’re bringing back the Japanese bento [referring to the cute boxed lunch with compartments for courses], such as our chirashi bento with fish, sushi rolls, and seaweed salad," he says.

Hinoki also has a full bar with sake, wine, beer, and cocktails.

Kekoa lives in Frisco and is bullish on his hometown.

"With Universal Studios on the way and PGA nearby, I believe this city deserves a neighborhood sushi spot done right," he says. "I want Hinoki to bring fine-dining service at a price more people can enjoy."

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