Where to Eat Now

Where to eat in Dallas right now: 10 shiny and new restaurants to try

We have good news for May if you like the idea of hitting restaurants that are new. All of the places on our list have something new about them: They're either brand-new or have moved to a new location. New is the theme for May.

Asian Mint
The original branch of Asian Mint, which opened in 2005 on Forest Lane and US-75, has just re-opened after a big redo that more than doubled its bar and dining space. There's also a private dining room and meeting space with A/V capabilities. Known for its Asian fusion menu with New Bangkok-style cuisine, Asian Mint's menu features pad Thai and signature dishes, such as the spicy tuna crisps, but also new item,s including Asian noodle salad, red snapper, and peanut basil chicken. (Its sibling, The Mint, is still open at The Shops at Highland Park.)

Blatt Beer & Table
Beery bar-food restaurant is open at Preston Hollow Village, the same complex as its sibling concept Blue Sushi Sake Grill, also owned by the Omaha-based Flagship Restaurant Group. Menu includes Bavarian pretzels, burgers, and chicken and waffles, plus 32 beers on draft and wine from a keg. The name is a nod to Omaha’s Rosenblatt Stadium (now TD Ameritrade Park), original home of the College World Series.

Cultivar Coffee Oak Cliff
What began as a coffee roaster in 2009 continues its ever-expanding journey. This new location in Oak Cliff is Cultivar's third, following its partnering outposts at Goodfriend Package Store and Hypnotic Donuts in Denton. But this is the first stand-alone, and it has an accompanying bigger menu with oh-so-trendy toasts and lunch items including sandwiches on croissants provided by neighboring Rush Patisserie. Coffee, too, of course.

Ellen's Southern Kitchen
Ellen's was cutting-edge when it opened in the former Johnny Rocket's space in 2012, just as a downtown residential scene began to coalesce. A stellar menu by chef Russell Mertz (one of our Tastemaker finalists for Chef of the Year) with dishes such as shrimp and grits and meatloaf, combined with customer-friendly long hours and sharp service by founder Joe Groves, had customers lining up. On May 5, they move to fabulous new digs in a historic building at 1701 N. Market St.

Fat Shack
Denton is home to the first Texas branch of Fat Shack, a Colorado-based concept that brags about how fat and fried and awful its food is. The menu includes burgers, wings, and "fat" sandwiches that pile ingredients such as chicken fingers and french fries or cheesesteak and mozzarella sticks together in one. They must be so proud. The last similar concept that came through was the short-lived Heart Attack Grill, whose founder eventually died of a heart attack.

Independent Bar & Kitchen
Chef Andrew Dilda (Barter, Reata) is doing old-school European pub food at this Deep Ellum restaurant-bar from the team behind Club Dada, City Tavern, and Off the Record. Dishes include shepherd's pie, fish and chips, mussels with frites, and desserts such as sticky pudding and cookies with milk. Eatery takes up former Pepe's Ranch space, and makes good use of its killer street-side patio, which they've strung with festive lights.

Jasper's Richardson
Richardson gets a taste of Kent Rathbun with the opening of his "gourmet backyard" restaurant at the CityLine development (following the original in Plano). Design by Jones Baker incorporates limestone, cold-rolled steel, walnut, two fireplaces, a window wall that opens onto a circular patio, and a wine room. Menu includes chopped wedge, baby back ribs, Maytag blue cheese potato chips, and Gouda mac and cheese. It'll be just lunch until May 16, when it opens for dinner, too.

Knuckle Sandwich Co.
This hybrid deli concept combines a sophisticated bar with great sandwiches in the former Vagabond space on Greenville Avenue. It comes from the team behind the successful Parliament bar in Uptown Dallas: Andrew Brimecome and legendary cocktail king Eddie "Lucky" Campbell, whose inspiration comes from a beloved sandwich shop, Lost Dog Cafe, where he grew up in Virginia. Those in the neighborhood are lucky, since there'll be delivery to those who live nearby.

Pho Bowl
Deep Ellum gets more noodles with this pho spot which is fast and cheap. Menu centers on make-your-own bowls with rice or noodles, to which you add vegetables, meats if you want, sauces, and herbs. There are also spring rolls, banh mi sandwiches, kimchi, shaken beef, Korean barbecue, and tacos. You order at a counter and then hit the bright and cheerful dining room, with highly lacquered community tables and lime green chairs.

Sprezza
Restaurant in the newly christened Maple Avenue Dining District from chef Julian Barsotti (Nonna, Carbone's) has pizza by the slice done al taglio style — baked in large rectangular trays with a thick, bready crust and topped. There are also house-made pastas and an Italian-centric beverage program, with an all-Italian wine list, Italian beers, and Italian-style cocktails.

Cultivar Coffee, open in Oak Cliff

Photo courtesy of Cultivar

Cultivar Coffee, open in Oak Cliff

where-to-eat openings

Hot Dog News

Shorty's Coneys & Cocktails to dish sophisticated hot dogs in McKinney

thembites.com

Coney-style hot dogs will be on the menu at Shorty's Coneys & Cocktails.

A fun casual restaurant concept from a savvy player is coming to McKinney. Called Shorty's, it'll open in McKinney's charming Historic Downtown Square at 109 N. Kentucky St., where it will channel a quintessential Northeast-style hot dog shop.

According to owner Bryan McVay, it'll open in mid-March.

McVay is a food & beverage veteran who's worked in management and corporate finance for hospitality groups such as FB Society. He's also a native of Pittsburgh who worked at such a shop in his teens.

"In that part of the country, every town has a hot dog shop, and I worked at one through my high school days," McVay says.

But Shorty's is more than a hot dog shop. The full name is Shorty's Coneys & Cocktails, and it will surely serve hot dogs — but also burgers, sandwiches, and bar-style appetizers like fried pickles, not to mention a full bar.

McVay's approach is informed by the street-style food culture of big cities like New York. "I'm keeping in mind portability, where you grab a bite, and that's how we'll package everything," he says.

Mostly everything on the menu will be priced at $10 or less.

"Downtown McKinney has plenty of nice sit-down restaurants but we wanted to provide something not already offered, with good-quality food," he says.

During the day, Shorty's focus will be primarily on food: a place for McKinney visitors, couples, and families with kids to grab a bite. Later in the day, the emphasis will shift to a pre-date-night destination, a place to get a cocktail before or after dinner.

"We've kept the menu narrow, but with a goal to do everything at the highest level," McVay says. To that end, he recruited chef John Franke to consult. The centerpiece of the menu will be a Coney-style hot dog.

"Our Coney dog comes topped with chili, chopped white onions, and mustard," McVay says. "Although it's associated with Coney Island in New York, we're doing a style often found in Detroit. Our goal is to offer a fantastic Coney-style dog, but a cheffed-up version."

Other menu items include:

Smashburgers including one with hot pepper, bacon, BBQ sauce, and chili cheese
Chicken ranch sandwich
Filet O'Whitefish
Philly cheesesteak
Classic BLT
Haley's Killer Chili — "In Texas, they'll kill you if you put beans in your chili — well this chili has beans in it," McVay says.

Plus sides and snacks such as fried pickle chips, mozzarella bites, poutine, chili cheese fries, and "fancy fries" — cooked in trendy beef tallow.

This circa-1920 photo shows the facade of 109 N. Kentucky St. in McKinney Historic Square with the original "Drinks Lunches" sign.Shorty's/City of McKinney

The vision
McVay began his hospitality career with Hard Rock Cafe, and has worked for concepts such as House of Blues, Fox Sports Grill, and FB Society, where he lent a hand in the creation of Legacy Food Hall in Plano.

"Along the way, I always had this itch to do my own thing — connecting to my early days, and what made me fall in love with the restaurant industry, which was the idea of creating your own brand," he says.

The idea of Shorty's is rooted in nostalgia.

"My idea was to do a Northeast shotgun-style bar that has evolved over time so you feel the nostalgia around you," he says.

The right location was important. It took him four years to find the McKinney storefront, most recently a coffeehouse called Snug on the Square which closed during the pandemic, and previously home to an antique store, a rug store, and a bakery & coffee shop.

"Many of the buildings in downtown McKinney are 150 years old," he says. "Retrofitting a building that old and figuring out how to add modern necessities like ventilation and grease traps can be a challenge."

But it also means that the building comes with vintage treasures — from pressed tin panels on the walls to an original wood floor. McVay worked with the Texas Historical Society to preserve elements of the facade and retain some of the building's original character.

Over the entry, he's installed a cool retro "Coneys & Cocktails" sign that looks like it was made in the 1930s.

"I worked with two longtime sign makers who crafted the sign in the old-school style with blown glass," McVay says. "It took a few tries to get a sign that met the approval of the city of McKinney. We found a photo of the downtown square from decades ago which showed an original neon sign on the building. It said 'drinks & lunches.' So we recreated that sign — the exact same look, shape, and feel — but it says 'Coneys & Cocktails' instead."

"I'm trying to recreate what it might have looked like if it was a bar, 150 years ago," he says.

openings cocktails