News You Can Eat

Smoothies and fast-food fun make this scoop of restaurant news extra summery

Summer's here, which means vacation for some restaurants and smoothies at others. And in the fast-food world, Whataburger is back with more condiments.

More than a year in the making and with a Kickstarter campaign to boot, Bishop Cider Co. is finally open in Oak Cliff. It's a soft opening, which means they're not actually selling any cider they make themselves. That won't happen for another four weeks, as they've only just started brewing their own. They'll have them in time for the grand opening party, scheduled for July 19.

In the meantime, they are selling more than 25 commercially available ciders such as Woodchuck, Angry Orchard, Crispin and Ace. Everyone, including Bishop Cider Co. itself, keeps referring to it as a cidery. Very cutesy, but unlike brewery, cidery is not a real word, just as a bar is not a drinkery and a place that sells cupcakes is not a cupcakery.

Also in Bishop Arts, family-run Italian restaurant Bocce is open on Davis Street with its red-sauce dishes and BYOB policy. With the recent openings of Pier 347, Bishop Cider Co., Stock & Barrel and Cretia's, all lined up along the road to Zoli's NY Pizza Tavern, Davis is becoming the new hot street of Bishop Arts.

Hopdoddy opened its Uptown branch on McKinney Avenue in the old Frankie's space. That's the second Hopdoddy in the DFW area; a third branch opens in Addison this summer.

Austin-based Snap Kitchen will open four stores in Dallas, with the first two at Snider Plaza and at 2222 McKinney Ave. in Uptown this summer, and two in the fall at Preston Royal Village and Fitzhugh and 75. Snap sells juices and calorie-counted meals to-go such as chicken enchiladas and bison quinoa hash. The menu is 99 percent gluten-free with vegetarian, vegan, Paleo and dairy-free items. The concept, which started in 2010, has 12 locations in Austin and Houston. In a twisted bit of double-speak, Snap describes itself as "eco-friendly," which is strange, because all of its products are sold in single-serving throwaway plastic containers.

The owners of Lemongrass in Deep Ellum are opening a new restaurant at NorthPark Center called Pho Kitchen, where they'll serve pho, banh mi sandwiches, spring rolls and other Vietnamese specialties. Tuyet Davis will serve as chef, and Khoa Nguyen will continue to be manager.

One Arts Plaza gem Tei An will take a break for its annual summer vacation. It'll close on June 23 and reopen on Saturday, July 5, at 5:30 pm.

Design District restaurant Oak has a new general manager: Patrick Desotelle, who will oversee service and day-to-day operations. Desotelle comes to Dallas after nine years on the East Coast. He's worked at Ruth's Chris Steak House in Baltimore; Zaytinya in Washington, D.C. (with chef Jose Andres); and Le Diplomate with restaurateur Stephen Starr, also in Washington, D.C. He holds a level one certificate from the Court of Master Sommeliers.

Paciugo has introduced a line of new smoothies in three flavors: mango passion fruit, strawberry banana and wild berries. The smoothies are available for a limited time through Sunday, July 13, in three sizes: 12, 16 and 20 ounces, priced from $3.79 to $5.79. Paciugo's smoothies are unique because they use their own sorbet, made from real fruit, which they then blend with real fruit. They're fruity.

Del Taco is celebrating its 50th anniversary by bringing back three classic menu items for a limited time: a taco salad; an orange milkshake; and a "bun taco" with seasoned beef, cheese, lettuce and tomato in a sesame seed bun. Isn't that a sloppy Joe? The chain is also introducing a new item: the Cali steak and guac burrito, with carne asada, guacamole and crinkle-cut fries.

Whataburger is selling more condiments at H-E-B and Central Market stores. One is honey butter, which appears on its honey butter chicken biscuit; H-E-B will carry it in the same 16-ounce bottles as Whataburger's ketchup and mustard. According to the burger chain, there have been "nearly 20,000 mentions of honey butter on Twitter in 2014 alone." Do you suppose they're getting it confused with Honey Boo Boo? The other product for sale is pork sausage, available in one-pound rolls, made with the same proprietary seasoning blend used in Whataburger restaurants. But is anyone talking about it on Twitter?

Ocean Prime has debuted “Prime Daily,” a new menu of discount specials such as a $39 three-course menu on Sundays, half-priced oysters from 4 to 7 pm in the lounge on Mondays, and half-priced wine on some bottles on Wednesdays.

In Fort Worth, AF+B has launched a happy hour menu Monday through Friday, 4 to 7 pm. Bites include meatballs, cheddar croquettes, pickled vegetables, chorizo Scotch egg and chicken wings with sorghum hot sauce. Bar snacks range from $3 to $6, wines by the glass are $7, draft beers range from $3 to $5, and bar menu cocktails are $5.

Paciugo Gelato does smoothies this summer.

Photo courtesy of Paciugo

Paciugo Gelato does smoothies this summer.

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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.

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