Greenville Avenue Turnaround

The most surprising foodie neighborhood in Dallas

For decades, Lower Greenville was the last neighborhood that came to mind if you were looking for a good meal. The area had its exceptions, and a few old-timers remain: Pietro's, Thai Thai, New Big Wong, Greenville Avenue Pizza and what many consider to be one of Dallas' best sushi places, Teppo.

But what Greenville Avenue was mostly noted for was bars. Bars and late-night partying and callous bar owners and, sadly, crime.

Cut to 2013, and things have changed. Bars must now get a special permit to stay open late, putting them under the scrutiny of the city. The streets have been narrowed, landscaping's been installed, and landlords are renting to restaurants. This once-boozy area stretching from Belmont down to Ross is now one of the most dining-friendly strips in the city.

What makes it unique is the fact that they're restaurants and businesses with specific angles – "foodie" angles.

Name any hot dining trend of the past couple of years, and it's now for sale on the Lower G.

Gluten free. GF is one of the biggest trends in food-eating. Company Cafe came early to Greenville Avenue and was ahead of the curve. This has to be the only place in the city with gluten-free chicken-fried steak. Burgers feature grass-fed beef, and the fries are sweet potato. Definitely save room for a thick slice of gluten-free cake in flavors such as peanut butter.

Ethnic finds. Sophisticated gourmands like to try new cuisines. Nora is the younger sibling to Afghan Grill in North Dallas; signatures include the kadu, sautéed pumpkin with yogurt. Qariah is Lebanese, featuring Middle Eastern classics such as falafel, grape leaves and hummus.

Paleo. This year's version of the Atkins diet has developed a small but fierce following, especially among fans of the macho CrossFit workout program. The "HG" in HG Sply Co. stands for "hunt and gather," the cornerstone of the Paleo diet. The menu is broken into meat and vegetables, with a few sandwiches and bountiful salads in between.

Craft beer. These days, every neighborhood must have its craft beer presence. On Greenville, you can find it two ways: at the growler bar-store called The Bottle Shop, or at Dallas Beer Kitchen, a restaurant with a friendly menu – hummus, burgers – and a well-stocked set of taps.

Gourmet grocery. When a headliner like Trader Joe's moves in, you have a scene with a capital S. This much-anticipated California discount gourmet grocery chain could have chosen any neighborhood in town for its first foray into Dallas proper. It chose Lower Greenville. It's a great place to get nuts, wine, ginger cookies, frozen fish fillets, edamame, mochi ice cream and more.

Food trucks. Greenville Avenue doesn't just have food trucks; it has the big Kahuna: a food truck park called Truck Yard that's straight out of Austin. Finally, a place to sit outside on picnic benches and drink beer and nosh on cheesesteaks and food from trucks served in throwaway containers.

Vegan. While no dedicated vegan restaurant has yet to open on Lower Greenville, it is surely a matter of time. Meanwhile, congenial bar Libertine picks up the slack with vegan beer dinners and vegan dishes on its menu, such as seitan tacos and delectable tempura-fried portobello mushroom fries.

Coffee. With Mudsmith, Barcadia's Brooke Humphries gives Greenville Avenue the "third wave" coffee spot it desperately needs. Mudsmith does great espresso and coffee drinks brewed via a variety of methods, including Chemex, V-60, French press and two gleaming La Marzocco machines, custom-made for Mudsmith. In addition to coffee, Mudsmith serves craft beer and wine on tap.

The Libertine Bar hosts regular beer dinners, sometimes vegan.

Photo courtesy of Armadillo Ale Works

The Libertine Bar hosts regular beer dinners, sometimes vegan.

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Farm News

Dallas farm-to-table champion Profound Farms closes produce operation

Profound

Profound Microfarms

A Dallas farm-to-table champion is pulling the plug: Profound Microfarms, the small farm in Lucas that provided locally-grown produce to chefs and the general public for nearly a decade, is shutting down its growing operation and discontinuing deliveries. Their final delivery and pickup day will be May 23.

According to cofounder Jeff Bednar, they were simply unable to keep the business afloat.

"It's always been tough for small farmers, and it's only getting harder," Bednar says. "I'd hate to count how many farmers and ranchers we've known in the last 10 years that have gone out of business. Honestly, I know very few farmers that could make it with out having off-farm income from a spouse or other sources."

Jeff and Lee Bednar first bought their 2.6-acre plot in Lucas in 2014, then spent three years learning hydroponic methods and building industry relationships. In May 2017, they began selling produce to Dallas-area chefs, helping to support DFW’s burgeoning farm-to-table restaurant scene, delivering to restaurants multiple times per week.

In 2018, Profound Foods received a USDA grant to create a local "food hub" — a business that helps small farmers grow by offering a combination of production, distribution, and marketing services. At their peak, by the end of 2019, they were serving 130 restaurants.

And then the pandemic arrived. They pivoted, expanding into retail sales in March 2020, offering weekly home delivery and pickup outpost options for home consumers.

Profound Microfarms lettuce Beautiful lettuces at Profound MicrofarmsProfound Microfarms

"Unfortunately, running a year-round food hub became tougher than we can sustain right now," he says. "It's disheartening we were not able to make it work after trying for 11 years. But we were able to raise our daughters the way we wanted to and we really had a great run. Profound impacted hundreds of Dallas chefs and thousands of families in our community and we'll continue to do that, just differently."

Over the years, Profound grew from harvesting greens to aggregating and delivering for other producers, then into community gathering spaces, commercial kitchens, and hands-on education.

"Profound has never been just a farm — it’s our commitment to connecting North Texans with local food, and that commitment will keep evolving even as the farm operations wind down," Bednar says.

So while the growing part has gone away, Profound will continue hosting cooking classes and other foodie events. In the interim, they'll also be listing their plants, hydroponic supplies, and greenhouses for sale.

Some of their stats:

Moved more than $4.5 million of truly local food into North Texas kitchens.
Sent 75 cents on every dollar to 185 farmers, ranchers, and producers in North Texas.
Delivered 34,000+ restaurant and home orders.
Donated over 90,000 lbs of fresh food to area charities and food banks.
Hosted dozens of interns and hundreds of volunteers for hands-on learning on our farm.
Helped over 22 companies launch food-based business in our incubator kitchen and hub.
Hosted tours for more than 15,000 people, schoolchildren, and aspiring farmers.

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