Gem in the Works

Juice bar pioneer plants second location at bustling Dallas intersection

Pioneering juice bar and healthy-food favorite The Gem has a new location in the works, at one of Dallas' busiest intersections: Preston Road and Forest Lane. According to owner Leslie Needleman, the second branch will open in mid- to late February, at the northwest corner in what used to be Muzzies Dressy Dresses.

Where other juice bars have come and gone, The Gem has prevailed.

"The month after we opened our first branch at Preston Center, people were already asking, 'Are you going to open another location?'" Needleman says. "We feel like opening a branch in the Preston-Forest area is something we can manage really well. That area was actually on our list before we opened our first location."

"[Preston-Forest] was actually on our list before we opened our first location," says Gem owner Leslie Needleman.

The Gem's real first location was a shop-within-a-shop, inside Duo, the high-end kitchen supply shop from Shinsei owners Tracy Rathbun and Lynae Fearing. When it closed in 2013, the juice bar moved to its own standalone space in Preston Center.

Taking over a former dress shop meant building plumbing facilities, and the space is much bigger than Preston Center. "We'll have more disco balls," Needleman quips.

They'll do the same menu of juices, smoothies, salads, soups, hummus and other healthful snacks. "We are 100 percent organic," Needleman says. "Nothing that we serve is something we don't believe in. Our recipes are not only consistent, but also have some health and therapeutic value."

They're also big on service.

"We have created a community," she says. "We know people's names and know what they order. And we try to make it easy. Preston Center is a challenge, but we've created an app and can run what you order out to you."

They do two kinds of juices. The first is made to order in a blender, where you can specify what you want, to be consumed immediately. The second is a cold-pressed juice, made in a big press, which you can take to go.

"Cold-press juices are more nutrient dense and yield richer enzyme concentration," she says. "The enzymes are good for 72 hours, so you are able to take them with you and they're more easily incorporated into your day.

"I like to say that the juices made to order are an A, and a cold-press juice is an A+."

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Holiday Dining

These Dallas restaurants are open for dining on Christmas Day 2024

STK

STK Steakhouse

Dallas restaurants are almost always ready to serve — with one exception: Christmas Day. Most restaurants close, whether it's because of fewer customers or just to give their employees the day off.

But there are still the brave, the few, who persevere with hospitality and lavish spreads — and those generally get rewarded with mobs of diners grateful for a place to grab a bite.

That is what this list is about: Dallas restaurants that are open on Christmas day. (This list does not include Christmas Eve or Christmas to-go.)

Here's what's open in Dallas on Christmas Day:

Bacchus Kitchen and Bar. Grapevine restaurant is offering a four-course Christmas Day feast featuring frisèe & arugula salad, leek & potato cream soup, Prime rib roast, truffle mash, Brussels sprouts, and chocolate marquis paired with layers of chocolate ganache. $95. 5-9:30 pm. 817-251-3040.

Bar Louie. Four-course dinner for two features one bar bite to share, choice of soup or salad, entrée, and one dessert to share. Options include citrus grilled salmon, parmesan crusted chicken, and cinnamon donut holes. $75-$85 at select locations. 3-10 pm. Park Lane 469-638-8050, Las Colinas 469-472-1050.

The Crescent Club. Hotel Crescent Court restaurant will host Christmas brunch featuring holiday specials and desserts. $150, or $60 for 11 and under. 10:30 am - 3 pm. 214-871-3200.

Cut & Bourbon. Live! by Loews Arlington restaurant is hosting Christmas brunch and dinner with specials like Beef Wellington, and a traditional dinner menu of king crab legs, New York strip, and salmon. Prices are a la carte. Brunch is 9 am-2 pm, dinner 5 pm-10 pm. 682-277-4950.

Del Frisco's Double Eagle. Christmas feast features 38-ounce bone-in New York strip King cut and side of sweet potato casserole for an additional $19. $195. Dinner 2-8 pm. Dallas 972-490-9000, Plano 972-312-9115.

Salmon at Bar LouieCourtesy photo

Del Frisco's Grille. Holiday feature filet mignon and lobster tail, apple cranberry cobbler, and red velvet cheesecake. 12-8 pm. Plano 469-661-8012.

Dolce Riviera. Brunch buffet includes omelet bar, bruschetta bar, carving station, and dessert station. $95, or $35 for 12 and under. All reservations require a $50 deposit. 10 am-4 pm. Harwood District 469-458-6623.

Ebb & Flow. Open with the regular menu featuring toasted ravioli, Cubano egg rolls, salmon piccata, and a brown sugar soy-glazed porterhouse pork chop with mashed potatoes and sautéed spinach. 3 pm-2 am. Available at both Dallas 972-913-2322 and Plano 972-483-2266.

Ellie's Dallas. Three-course prix fixe menu for dinner features winter greens salad, gnocchi, slow-cooked beef picanha, sea bass, and buche de noel sponge cake, plus a la carte selections and festive cocktails. $95. 972-629-0924.

Farena. Loews Arlington Hotel restaurant is offering an Italian Continental breakfast buffet featuring baked pastries, seasonal fruits, and traditional breakfast dishes. The traditional dinner menu includes a classic Margherita pizza, veal milanese, prime 10-ounce filet mignon, and Executive Chef Tony France's Christmas special, herb crusted osso buco. $35 breakfast buffet; a la carte dinner pricing. Breakfast buffet 7 am - 12 pm, dinner 5-10 pm. 682-318-2810.

Fearing's. Christmas brunch features seafood raw bar, kale & spinach sesame salad, fruit & berries, bagels & spreads, smoked salmon, and meat carving stations. $185. 214-922-4848. 11 am-2:30 pm.

Hall Park Hotel. Newly opened Frisco hotel wll offer a grand buffet in the seventh-floor ballroom with a hot cocoa bar, carving station, desserts, juice and coffee, and dedicated kids' buffet station. $99, or $27 for 12 and under. Buy tickets here. 11 am–3 pm. 469-922-2442.

Harwood Arms. Pub will be open on Christmas Day and feature a traditional roast. $30-$50. 11 am-2 pm. Harwood District 214-273-5151.

Knife Italian. Ritz Carlton-Las Colinas restaurant is offering a pre-fixe menu featuring cream of wild mushroom soup, winter salad, Dr Pepper glazed ham, and 60-day dry age 14-ounce ribeye of beef. $159. Lunch 12-10 pm. 972-717-2420.

Kona Grill. Special menu includes roasted turkey, baked glazed ham, prime rib, and pumpkin pie. Holiday cocktails will also be available for $16 each. 11:30 am-11 pm. Dallas 214-369-7600, Plano 214-945-2500.

Monarch. Holiday specials include pork belly porchetta with creamy fennel salad, chestnut agnolotti with parmesan, brandied chestnuts, and Meyer lemon, and The Grinch, a chocolate cake with strawberry filling and chocolate ganache. Plus a custom Monarch crystal ornament as a festive keepsake. Prices are a la carte from $28-$45. 4-9 pm. 214-945-2222.

Montage. JW Marriott Dallas Arts District hotel restaurant is hosting holiday brunch including a seafood tower, charcuterie board, omelet station, chilaquiles station, and carving stations featuring bone-in prime rib and roasted pork loin. $75. 10:30 am-2 pm. 214-736-7760.

NDA Brasserie. Harwood District spot will serve a three-course brunch with a champagne activation and custom mimosa bar. $75, or $40 for 12 and under. All reservations require a $50 deposit. 10 am-3 pm. 945-910-4671.

Pyramid. Fairmont Hotel restaurant is hosting Christmas brunch featuring made-to-order omelets, Viennoiseries, avocado toast, lobster roll, smash burger, braised short rib, and smoked prime rib. Prices a la carte. 10 am-3 pm. 214-720-2020.

Ryder Grille. Frisco restaurant has holiday specials including Prime Rib with rosemary fingerling potatoes, pork belly, creamed spinach served in cast iron, glazed carrots, creamy horseradish and au jus for $48; and lamb chops with polenta, glazed carrots, roasted cippolini, and lamb jus for $44. Texas Pecan Pie with Bourbon whipped cream will be available for dessert. 7 am-9 pm. 469-888-5850.

Sanjh Restaurant & Bar. Elevated Indian restaurant has a Christmas buffet featuring Mulligatawny soup, paneer shashlik tikka, chicken haryali tikka, and ajwaini fish tikka. Plus live stations with made-to-order dosas served with sambar and chutney, omelet station, and a roasted counter with turkey and assorted breads. Desserts include plum cake, stollen, and a chocolate and candy station. $65, or $32.50 for 12 and under. 11 am-3 pm. 972-239-1800.

SER Steak + Spirits. Holiday specials include $18 roasted chestnut mushroom soup, market price Texas Wagyu Chateaubriand, and an "Underneath the Tree" dessert with ginger sable, peppermint mocha gateau, rompope, and praline bonbon. 5-10 pm. 214-761-7479.

Stillwell’s. Hotel Swexan’s steakhouse will offer a Christmas dinner including a la carte dishes and classic Beef Wellington. $95. 469-405-1911.

STK Steakhouse. Uptown steakhouse is open for Christmas Day with Wagyu, prime rib, holiday cocktails and the Holiday Features menu, with premium Wagyu cuts and caviar. Prices are a la carte. 11 am-10 pm. 972-842-9450.

Sushi Marquee. Frisco sushi restaurant will be open Christmas Day serving regular menu, including sushi, rolls, and ramen. 3 pm-2 am. 972-833-1608.

TK's Addison. Comedy club will do a three-course dinner with choics from lobster bisque or Caesar salad, filet mignon with crusted potato croquet and bernaise sauce, butternut squash ravioli with brown butter sage sauce, or Bay of Funday salmon with garlic whipped mashed potatoes & roasted red-pepper sauce. Third course features creme brulee or bananas Foster bread pudding with boozy caramel sauce. $75. 5-9 pm. 945-800-7668.

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