RIP Restaurant News

Dallas fried chicken scene gets hit by Trinity Groves restaurant closure

One less fried chicken in the world.

Photo courtesy of Fat Chicken

Tough news for Dallas' fried chicken trend: Fat Chicken, one of the restaurants at West Dallas incubator Trinity Groves, served its last meal on New Year's Eve.

Fat Chicken was the restaurant from chef DJ Quintanilla and partner Linda Mazzei, with a menu of Southern fried chicken with biscuits, plus roasted chicken, grilled chicken, pot pies, and "chickarrones. As part of its Southern heritage, it also had a pie cart with a daily selection of scratch-made pies.

Quintanilla and Mazzei were among the first restaurateurs to launch at Trinity Groves when they opened Resto Gastro Bistro in 2013, a French- and Asian-influenced spin on American dishes such as crab cakes and a corn dog made with lobster.

But after three years, Trinity Groves founder Phil Romano decreed that Resto had run its course and that fried chicken was what customers wanted instead. Fat Chicken debuted in February 2017.

Fried chicken was definitely a thing in 2017. CultureMap included it in its top 10 dining trends for 2017 story, and did a list of the 10 best places to find it for our 2017 Tastemaker awards.

But in recent months, the fried chicken world has endured some key closures, including Sissy's Southern Kitchen in September and the August closure of Max's Wine Dive in the West Village. Fried chicken is so 2017.

Mazzei says that she and Quintanilla are grateful for the support and mentoring they received. "We put our heart and soul into taking care of customers and creating delicious food," she says.

A replacement concept has not been named, but Romano says that, as an incubator, Trinity Groves is "constantly evolving and gaining valuable insight" from customers.

"As Trinity Groves expands to include new residential, commercial and retail development, we are more excited than ever to welcome new concepts from aspiring restaurateurs," he says.

closings

Not Pizza News

Dallas pizza purveyor Cane Rosso to open cocktail lounge in Frisco

Imperial Room

Food at Imperial Room, coming soon to Frisco

An ice cream shop in Frisco is closing, to be replaced by a new bar: Cow Tipping Creamery, a soft-serve shop located at 3685 The Star Blvd. at The Star in Frisco, has closed after a decade. Its final day was July 14.

In its place will be a cocktail lounge called The Imperial Room, which will open in early September, according to a release.

The new bar will open next door to the Frisco location of Cane Rosso, and is from PILF Restaurant Group (Cane Rosso, Zoli's Pizza, and Thunderbird Pies), which also owned Cow Tipping Creamery.

The transformation comes as PILF renewed its lease at The Star, at which time they proposed converting the ice cream shop into a bar — a concept that PILF owner Jay Jerrier envisioned for years, the release says.

"We've loved being part of The Star for the last ten years, and Cow Tipping Creamery created a lot of great memories for our guests," Jerrier says. "But ice cream is an incredibly seasonal business, and we've wanted to create a cocktail lounge for a long time. The Imperial Room gives us the opportunity to build something completely different — something that complements Cane Rosso, while also allowing our team to stretch creatively beyond pizza."

According to the release, Jerrier drew his inspiration from New York cocktail bars such as Juniper Bar in Manhattan, a multi-level restaurant and sports bar located near Penn Station and Madison Square Garden.

Decor
The bar will comprise an intimate 600-square-foot space seating 25 to 30 people, and will be available for private parties and special events. Decor will consist of olive and navy tones, cozy booths, warm lighting, with a "classic cocktail lounge atmosphere."

Beverage
PILF Restaurant Group has drafted acclaimed Dallas bartender Gabe Sanchez, whose work has helped shape cocktail programs at some of the city's most respected bars, including Black Swan Saloon and Midnight Rambler, to create an original menu.

Food
The menu by PILF executive chef Mat Urban will feature shareable plates such as focaccia, Caesar salad, and n’duja toast; larger entrées such as cacio e pepe, vodka agnolotti, and a roast beef sandwich; and lemon olive oil cake for dessert.

Construction is currently underway, with an anticipated opening in September 2026.

pizza cocktails openings