Food Hall News

New food hall at Grapevine hotel signs up 4 top DFW restaurants

The lineup includes Arepa TX, which specializes in delicious filled corn cakes.

Photo courtesy of Arepa TX

There's a new food hall coming to Grapevine, and it now has four restaurants signed up. Called Harvest Hall, it's a European-style food hall connected to Hotel Vin, a 120-room six-story boutique hotel opening in historic Grapevine.

Hotel Vin is part of Marriott's Autograph Collection, which specializes in one-of-a-kind properties. Located at 215 E. Dallas Rd., it's part of Grapevine Main, a $114 million mixed-use development set to debut in mid-2020.

The food hall and hotel will be operated by Coury Hospitality, which currently has seven boutique hotels. The restaurants they've selected for the food hall are family-owned and -operated, and who do food made from scratch.

Arepa TX is the Latin concept specializing in Latin cuisine and artisanal pops. Their signature dish is arepas, stuffed corn pockets; they also have tacos, empanadas, and rice bowls. Arepa TX debuted in 2017 and currently has a location on Royal Lane in Dallas.

Chick & Biscuit – Comfort Cuisine is a spin-off of Grapevine restaurant Mason & Dixie, a Southern-style eatery from chef Beth Newman. It'll specialize in biscuits paired with favorites such as fried chicken, Nashville Hot Chicken, pulled pork, and brisket.

Four Sisters – A Taste of Vietnam is the acclaimed Fort Worth restaurant from founder Tuan Pham, which features Vietnamese homestyle dishes. Signature dishes include pho made with a broth that steeps for 18 hours, served over house-made noodles. Pham is a rising star who was nominated for a Tastemakers Award for Best Chef in 2019, and Four Sisters won the Tastemakers Award for Best New Restaurant.

Spuntino – Bites of Italy is a new concept from Stefania and Andrea Matteucci, former architects who opened their flagship restaurant, Loveria Caffe – Taste of Italy, in Colleyville in 2017. The restaurant earned a Tastemaker Awards nomination for Best New Restaurant. Spuntino is an Italian word meaning "a bite to eat." Dishes will include lasagna, pastas, and regional dishes from Ravenna, Italy.

Harvest Hall will feature seven kitchens, two bars, a live entertainment venue, an entrance to the Observation Tower (150 feet high), and the city of Grapevine’s Visitor’s Information Center.

The hotel is estimated to open the first week of June; Harvest Hall is expected to open one month later.

"Finding the right mix of cuisines and the right partners has been inspiring," says Tom Santora, Chief Commercial Officer at Coury Hospitality and Managing Director of both Hotel Vin and Harvest Hall, in a statement.

"With this group of talented chefs, we have the opportunity to develop a fun and creative culinary community," Santora says. "Harvest Hall will provide guests savory food, spectacular service, and some of the best entertainment in North Texas."

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Ice Cream News

Global gourmet ice cream chain debuts in U.S. with 2 Dallas-area shops

Dumont Ice Cream

An ice cream concept from India has made its U.S. debut, right here in Texas: Called Dumont Creamery & Cafe, it's a ice cream chain founded in Hyderabad that now has two locations in the Dallas area.

Their first location was Frisco, which opened at 1951 FM 423 at the end of 2023; a second location opened in late October in Coppell at 1535 S. Belt Line Rd. #160.

Dumont was founded in 1999 by brothers Vivek and Bhashkaar, and currently has 23 locations in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Vijayawada listed on their website.

Bringing the concept to Texas are local franchisees and friends Sai Sashank and Tarang Tirumala, who moved to the U.S. in 2005 to attend college.

Both have successful consulting careers, but craved a taste of home.

Ice cream is the centerpiece at Dumont with more than two dozen flavors, ranging from gourmet to classics to flavors boasting global influences: from Italian-inspired sorbet to a New Zealand-inspired honey ice cream called "hokey pokey."

There is vanilla, chocolate, and mint chocolate chip — but also unique options such as cake and jam, an ice cream with a vanilla base, bites of cake, and spiced jam; and kheer, a coconut ice cream studded with dried fruits and nuts — a nod to the kheer rice pudding that's one of India's favorite desserts.

A single scoop is $4. They have cups and a cute version of waffle cones: shorter and fatter than usual, to provide a greater ratio of ice cream-to-cone.

In addition to ice cream, they have a beverage program with coffee and espresso drinks such as lattes, plus boba tea. There are also special drinks like falooda — an exotic Indian milkshake with rose syrup and vermicelli — as well as limited-edition drinks like iced kheer, a cool beverage version of that same popular rice pudding dessert.

Both locations are spacious, bright, and clean, with pale green banquettes at Frisco, and pale blue chairs and tables at Coppell. Both feature an astronaut theme with statues and framed photos and cartoons on the wall. The Coppell location also has a mural dedicated to great moments in Coppell history.