HoYa Has a Chef

Little Katana steals Uchi chef to lead Sundance Square sibling restaurant

Uchi chef de cuisine and rising star Jeramie Robison has left the Japanese-inspired restaurant in Austin for a new position as company executive chef with LK Concepts in Dallas. In his role, Robison will be developing new menus for two concepts: HoYa Korean Kitchen, coming soon to Sundance Square in Fort Worth, and Little Katana.

"A really good opportunity [came to] me from a business developer in Dallas," he says. "It's a no-restrictions zone. ... I've got quite a bit of freedom to do my thing."

The new role also allows Robison to realize his goal of becoming a chef-partner in a growing business. In addition, Robison chose Dallas to be closer to his wife Janna's family before the couple's first child is born.

Robison calls HoYa Kitchen a Korean-influenced "beef and broth, rice bowl concept." It will open in the next three months or so. If all goes well, LK plans to open multiple locations throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth area over the next five years.

According to Robison, Little Katana "needs a big overhaul and a revamp" before it moves down the street to a new location next year. The restaurant also plans to open a second location in the Omni Dallas hotel. Robison worked his first dinner service at Little Katana on Wednesday night and will be working alongside sous chef David Beck on the project.

Robison left his role as executive chef at Houston's Restaurant Cinq to become a sous chef at Uchi in 2012. Within a year, he'd been promoted to chef de cuisine at one of the most high-profile restaurants in the state.

He offers praise to Uchi, the restaurant that he credits with contributing to his growth as a chef. "My time at Uchi was phenomenal," Robison says. And he also feels good about what he's leaving behind. "I think I really helped push those guys forward," he adds.

"Jeramie is incredibly talented, and he made many positive contributions to Uchi," says his former employer via a spokesperson. "We are thrilled for his new opportunities in Dallas and wish him all the best for the future."

With a child on the way and lots of work to do, Robison is optimistic. "It's going to keep me locked down and busy for the next five years or so," he says with a laugh.

In his new role, Robison will revamp the menu at Little Katana.

Photo courtesy of Little Katana

In his new role, Robison will revamp the menu at Little Katana.

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Bar News

Dudley's Sports Grill to open on Dallas' hot-hot Henderson Avenue

Dudley's Sports Grill

A new sports bar is joining the mix on Dallas' hot-hot Henderson Avenue: Called Dudley’s Sports Grill, it'll open at 2927 N. Henderson Ave., in the space previously occupied by Smithy, a gastropub that closed in June after seven years.

According to a spokesperson, Dudley's will open at the end of the summer — "we're only making a few cosmetic changes," the spokesperson says.

Dudley’s is the brainchild of three Dallas bar veterans — Gabriel Rhodes and Jordan Carson (Christie’s), and Patrick Gorman (Ill Minster Pub). The trio debuted the concept in 2024, when they opened the first location in Rockwall.

The bar is named after Carson’s grandfather, Floyd Dudley Hitt, who owned land in Rockwall and Royse City. Carson and Rhodes graduated from Rockwall High School in 2006 before coming to Dallas for other restaurant ventures — including working at Christies while it was still in Uptown. (It closed in 2020, then Carson partnered with Ashton Christie to reopen it on Greenville Avenue.)

Their menu — devised by Dallas chef Eric Freidline, winner of CultureMap's 2019 Tastemaker Awards for Rising Star Chef — is elevated with a barbecue twist, with dishes like queso made with aged white cheddar, thick-cut bacon with fig glaze, brisket flatbread, and brisket grilled cheese.

Cocktails include the mule served in a boot-shaped glass, and an old fashioned garnished with cinnamon and cloves. Dudley’s also boasts a variety of beers on tap, as well as an assortment of margaritas, all of which are served in ice-cold schooners.

Dudley’s prides itself in maintaining an unpretentious ambiance, a place where regulars and newcomers alike feel comfortable and welcome — something they thought would work on Henderson Avenue.

Dudley'sAlex Gonzalez

openings