This Week's Hot Headlines

Texas' largest crystal lagoon makes waves in this week's 5 most-read Dallas stories

Editor's note: A lot happened this week, so here's your chance to get caught up. Read on for the week's most popular headlines.

1. Texas' largest crystal lagoon makes waves as cool new summer vacation spot. Texans looking to make a splash — but with a healthy distance from others — will have a chance to dive into a massive island-style getaway this summer. A 12-acre lagoon has opened to the public during the limited-capacity Summer Lagoonfest at Lago Mar in Texas City (in the Houston area) from July 15 through September 13.

2. 16 best new restaurants in Dallas compete for Tastemaker title — vote now. The 2020 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards, our annual event honoring the best in local food and drink, puts the spotlight on the best bars, best neighborhood restaurants, and rising star chefs. For Best New Restaurant, you get to decide via our Tastemaker tournament, a bracket-style competition where 16 new restaurants go head to head. To vote, click here. (Don't delay: Round 2 voting ends July 18.)

3. Neighborhood Italian restaurant in Dallas' Lakewood closes after 11 years. Dallas' Lakewood neighborhood loses an Italian treasure: Penne Pomodoro restaurant, which has been in the very heart of Lakewood for 11 years, has closed. A spokesperson for Lombardi Family Concepts, the restaurant's owner, confirmed that the restaurant closed on July 15.

4. Fitness center where Shakira got her abs makes Texas debut in Plano. A new fitness concept founded by a celebrity trainer has made its Texas debut. AKT, which stands for Anna Kaiser Technique, is a dance-based cardio fitness brand that has opened a new studio in Plano, at 1900 Preston Rd. at the hot hot intersection of Park Boulevard.

5. Dallas pizza chain expands turf to an Addison address with pizza history. Coronavirus may have Dallas restaurants down and out but openings are still going on, including a new location for local pizza chain Zalat Pizza, which will expand its realm to Addison. The restaurant is going into a space at 4980 Belt Line Rd., #180 that has a history with pizza.

This new crystal lagoon boasts a mile of shoreline.

Photo courtesy of Crystal Lagoons

This new crystal lagoon boasts a mile of shoreline.

In This Week's Top Stories

Global ice cream chain tops this week's most popular stories in Dallas

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Ice cream from Dumont Creamery & Cafe

Editor's note: A global ice cream chain from India that opened two DFW locations was the hottest topic this week in Dallas. Also of note: A buzzy burger restaurant, the death of a beloved Dallas musician-DJ, and an impressive ranking for Flower Mound. Here are the most-read stories of the week. If you're looking for things to do this weekend, we got you: That list is here.

1. Global gourmet ice cream chain debuts in U.S. with 2 Dallas-area shops. An ice cream concept from India has made its U.S. debut, right here in Texas: Dumont Creamery & Cafe was founded in Hyderabad and now has two locations in the Dallas area. Ice cream is the centerpiece with more than two dozen flavors, ranging from Italian-inspired sorbet to a New Zealand-inspired honey ice cream called "hokey pokey."

2. Acclaimed Burger Schmurger pop-up finds permanent space in East Dallas. A buzzy burger pop-up is graduating to brick-and-mortar status: Burger Schmurger, which has earned oodles of acclaim for its smash burger style of burgers, is moving into a permanent home at 718 N Buckner Blvd., the space previously occupied by Bar None which closed in August..

3. Colorful Dallas musician and DJ Mark Ridlen passes away at 65. A bright and colorful light in Dallas' music scene went out: Mark Ridlen, DJ and musician, passed away on November 17, following a bout with cancer; he was 65. As a professional DJ under the moniker "DJ Mr. Rid," Ridlen had been a steady staple on the local creative scene.

4. Fill up on the festive fare in this roundup of Dallas restaurant news. This roundup of restaurant news around Dallas is all about new menus, with lots of festive-themed dishes and menu additions. There's a new brunch at a surprising destination, new cocktails, and lots of hot chocolate, fitting for the season..

5. Well-to-do Dallas suburb lands on top-10 list of holiday big spenders. It looks like Santa Claus is going to be competing with residents in Flower Mound to see who brings the most lavish holiday gifts this year. Festive Flo-Mo ranked No. 7 in WalletHub's annual report on U.S. cities with the biggest holiday budgets in 2024.