This roundup of restaurant news around Dallas, featuring hot news bites taken from emails, press releases, and eavesdropping at area restaurants, includes new openings, new transformations, pop-up bars, special cocktails, and lots of specials for summer. It's that time.
Here's what's happening in Dallasa restaurant news:
Lazy Dog Restaurant and Bar has opened its location in Garland at 5180 N. President George Bush Hwy. Yay. It's their sixth location in Dallas-Fort Worth — but their first self-build. The space draws inspiration from Jackson Hole, Wyoming with lodge-inspired furnishings and an outdoor patio with fire pit. The restaurant seats 260 in a 9,000-square-foot space, with 82 seats on the 1,820-square-foot patio. House favorites include BBQ bison meatloaf, pot roast, fried chicken salad, eight bowls, cheese curds, crispy deviled eggs, firecracker shrimp, apple-huckleberry open face pie and a new seasonal Confetti Cake.
La Neta Cocina y Lounge at The Epic at Good Latimer has a new menu, more approachable pricing, and new chef Harold Soto, who brings 14-plus years of experience from Harwood Hospitality, The Ritz-Carlton, and Renaissance Hotel. The menu has flautas, birria beef & cheese, churrasco, lobster tostada, watermelon salad, fajitas, and tacos with filet mignon & corn, duck with broccoli jalapeno slaw, mahi mahi, and birria. New “For the Table” options serving 2-4 people include Big Baja Taco with lobster and shrimp, and Pastor Chimichanga, a twice-wrapped deep fried burrito with pastor beans, rice, and guacamole.
Tipsy Beach is an immersive pop-up bar in Bishop Arts at 200 N. Bishop Ave. running June 7-July 7 with four bar experiences: Ocean Drive, Mojitoville, Casa Versace, and Bishop Arts Beach. Tipsy Beach is the summer version of the holiday-themed Tipsy Elf, which uses the same location during the winter. Throughout the month, guests can enjoy tropical cocktails, mojitos, and rhythms of the Caribbean. There will also be a variety of themed events, like the kick-off toga party and a luau.
Dutch Bros coffee drive-thru has opened its first location in Frisco at 651 University Dr. Drinks include coffee, smoothies, teas, freezes, lemonade, energy drinks, and nitro cold brew. Dutch Bros Coffee has more than 850 locations in 17 states.
Motor City Pizza in Lewisville, has four new breakfast pizzas, weekends only, served on their Detroit-style crust: Florentine Benedict Pizza with bacon, spinach, mushrooms, eggs, and Hollandaise sauce; Benedict Pizza with ham & cheese, eggs, and Hollandaise; Sausage Lovers Breakfast Pizza with brick and cheddar cheese, sausage, and sausage gravy; Western Omelet Breakfast Pizza, with brick and cheddar cheese, scrambled eggs, ham, onions, peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, and Hollandaise.
Hat Creek, the Texas burger chain has a new TRUFF Burger with two patties, fried pickles, cheddar cheese, and TRUFF Original Hot Sauce, a blend of red chili peppers and black truffle, on a soft Martin's bun. Available through August 1 at locations in Allen, Coppell, Keller, Little Elm, Mansfield, McKinney, Rowlett, Richardson, Roanoke, Sachse, and Walnut Hill/Dallas.
Fuzzy’s Taco Shop has new Baja-inspired dishes: Cali-Style Steak Taco with steak, fries seasoned with Fuzzy Dust, and guacamole; Cali-Style Steak Burrito; and Birria Queso Fries. They've also brought back the Bomb-a-'Rita, a frozen margarita with strawberry puree and blue curacao, garnished with a red, white, & blue frozen popsicle. Available through July 7.
Cowboy Chicken rotisserie chicken chain has new dishes with strawberries and other seasonal fruits available through September 1: strawberry pecan chicken salad, watermelon cucumber side salad, strawberry shortcake, and two beverages: sparkling strawberry lemonade or watermelon tea.
Snooze, an A.M. Eatery, is celebrating Pride throughout June with colorful pancakes for $11.25. The buttermilk pancakes are filled with white chocolate chips and rainbow sprinkles, topped with sweet cream drizzle, mascarpone, and sprinkles. Snooze has six locations across Dallas and Fort Worth.
Birdcall has new summer shakes with boozy options in flavors such as cookies & cream, strawberry shortcake, chocolate chip cookie dough, banana cream pie, vanilla, and chocolate. The shakes are $5.50 to $6 for the regular, or $8.50 to $9 with vodka.
Golden Corral has new menu items for summer: Bruschetta Chicken, Carne Asada, and Cheddar Bacon Ranch Chicken as well as the addition of mango to the drink menu in options like Mango Tea, Mango Lemonade, and Mango Citrus Splash. The new items are available through June 30.
Arko Corp. is selling Nathan’s Famous hot dogs at more than 450 of its convenience store locations
including Food Mart and EZ Mart — a continuation of the Company’s enhanced food program rollout, which aims to provide the best quality food at the best prices available.
Pollo Campero the Guatemalan chicken brand has rolled out two new permanent crispy chicken sandwiches: Buffalo Slaw Chicken Sandwich with coleslaw and buffalo sauce, and Queso Bacon Chicken Sandwich with Pollo Campero's new green chile queso and bacon.
Rita's Italian Ice & Frozen Custard has a new Kool-Aid Tropical Punch Italian Ice which can be ordered in a 5-layer gelati combined with layers of vanilla custard, or in an ice blender drink.
Carbone Vino, the Italian restaurant in the Design District has a new Aperitivo Hour with drinks and small plates from 5-7 pm daily, featuring wines and cocktails such as a Rosé Spritz, Spritz Americano, Calabrian Margarita, and Caffe Vino. Dishes include mussels, tuna crudo, mozzarella sticks, chicken parm sliders, and garlic knots.
Midnight Rambler, the subterranean cocktail lounge at the Joule, just launched a new cocktail menu, Drinking Through Texas, featuring the Západ gin berry punch; Low-Hanging Fruit, a cobbler style veggie cordial, which will change based on what's in season; and El Nopal with prickly pear coriander liqueur, nopales cilantro water, and shochu.
Coupes, the champagne bar at the Shops at Highland Park, is offering a very limited-edition pair of cocktails served from June 6-9: the Lady Whistledown with Gratien & Meyer sparkling rosé, Chambord, lemon, and rosé syrup; and The Eloise with William Chris sparkling rosé, vodka, grapefruit, lemon, and rosé syrup; plus a specialty Strawberry Rosé Champagne Cake.
Smoothie King has launched SK Refreshers, a line of fruit beverages caffeinated with green coffee beans and their first drink served over ice, available in Pineapple Mango and Strawberry Guava flavors.
McDonald’s has a new limited-edition Grandma McFlurry, featuring a syrup they call "smooth" and "delicious", with crunchy candy pieces Grandma used to keep in her purse, blended into their vanilla soft serve. The release does not describe the actual flavor other than to say that the Grandma McFlurry "tastes like a trip down memory lane." So it tastes like the bottom of Grandma's purse?
Fairmont Dallas, the Arts District Hotel, has a new executive chef: Adam Reson, who previously served as executive sous chef and was chef de cuisine at FL.2 Modern American at the Fairmont Pittsburgh. A North Texas native, Reson will implement a new dining program at the hotel’s signature Pyramid Restaurant and Bar, and will oversee catering for the hotel’s meeting space including the Venetian Room.