News You Can Eat

New restaurants and lunchtime options fill this plate of Dallas food news

CrushCraft Thai will have chef-driven daily specials.
Photo courtesy of CrushCraft
CrushCraft is located in the Quadrangle.
Photo courtesy of CrushCraft
Blind Butcher's menu includes the Canadian delicacy known as poutine.
Photo courtesy of Blind Butcher
Tanoshii's new lineup of lunchtime burgers includes a veggie burger with miso.
Photo courtesy of Tanoshii
Glazed Donut Works has added Thursday to its nighttime schedule.
Photo courtesy of Glazed Donut Works

As 2014 kicks in, we're seeing lots of restaurant action, with openings, Fort Worth rumblings, loads of lunches and a quiet closure at the Crescent.

Carnivorous Blind Butcher opens on Greenville Avenue on February 6. Matt Tobin and Josh Yingling of Goodfriend have partnered with Ryan Chaney, Tony Bricker and chef Oliver Sitrin in this bar-restaurant featuring sausage, charcuterie, bangers and mash, and bacon bratwurst with sauerkraut. There's a vegan item too: a tofu bacon hot dog with pickled mustard seeds. Also, three kinds of poutine, a Canadian snack with French fries, brown gravy and cheese curds: mushroom, pork belly and duck. Blind Butcher will be open for dinner every day from 4 pm to 2 am.

Cool though oddly named CrushCraft Thai will open in the Quadrangle in February. This fast-casual Thai concept from chef Paul Singhapong and Jack Nuchkasem will feature traditional Thai dishes made from scratch. Menu categories include Thai street food; Thai favorites; and chef-driven dishes that push the envelope, such as sweet pork belly curry and braised short ribs.

The Cane Rosso in Fort Worth is now open on hipster Magnolia Avenue in the old Ryan's Fine Grocer space. Pizzaiolo Shon Ben-Kely moved here from Las Vegas after having worked with pizza guru Carmine D’ Amato, Michele D'Amelio (pizzaiolo at Pizzeria Testa in Frisco) and Roberto Caporuscio. This is the third branch, following the original in Deep Ellum and the spin-off near White Rock Lake.

Tim Love-related restaurant Barter is now open for lunch, Monday-Saturday, from 11 am to 2 pm. There is red chili with cornbread and an intriguing salad with escarole, arugula, black kale, Parmesan, cornbread croutons, Gaunciale and avocado. Sandwiches include tenderloin with caramelized onions and horseradish, as well as a burger with Redneck cheddar and bacon served on an English muffin. Entrees include fish and chips and, just as at Love's Denton steakhouse Queenie's, steak sold by the ounce.

Deep Ellum ramen spot Tanoshii Ramen + Bar is now serving "Japanese burgers" at lunch. Is that really a thing? The "hambāgā" is topped with miso chili, lettuce, tomato and onion. Teriyaki chicken burger is a chicken thigh cutlet. A vegetarian korokke burger is a mixed vegetable croquette coated with panko, fried, and topped with slaw and tonkatsu sauce. All burgers, served on a brioche bun, are $8.50; sweet potato fries with wasabi cucumber ranch dip are $4.50 extra.

Trinity Groves restaurant Chino Chinatown will launch a dim sum Sunday brunch on February 9, with steamed buns, chorizo egg rolls and dumplings. The restaurant will also begin serving lunch Mondays through Saturday on February 3.

Deep Ellum doughnut shop Glazed Donut Works is expanding its weekend late-night hours to include Thursdays from 8 pm to midnight. The nighttime menu includes the signature doughnut grilled cheese and maple-bacon long johns. Thursday nights replace Tuesday morning hours, which Glazed has curtailed for now, until the road construction on Elm Street is finished.

The name is out on the Fort Worth restaurant from former Pakpao chef Eddy Thretipthuangsin: Bite. The menu will include lamb meatballs, duck breast, scallop and grits, short ribs, lobster ravioli, flatbreads, sandwiches, and salads. There'll be a daily seafood entrée and "cut of the day." Entrees range from $16-$30. The restaurant opens in Montgomery Plaza on West 7th Street in the spring.

Fort Worth will get a gourmet ice cream shop called Melt Ice Creams, opening this spring in the southside district at 954 W. Rosedale St. Owner Kari Crowe Seher will make the ice cream in flavors such as brown sugar coffee, lavender honey and lemon basil sorbet. She told Eater that she'll keep her menu small, maybe six flavors.

Oak Cliff has a new Cajun seafood restaurant called Pier 247, from the owners of nearby Bar 303. It takes up residence in an old gas station at 247 W. Davis St. The menu includes fried oyster and crawfish nachos, po'boys, catfish Sloppy Joes and fried seafood baskets.

Top Chef is casting for season 12. Producers will be in Dallas on February 18 from 10 am-1 pm at the Hotel Palomar. To download an application, visit TopChefCasting.com.

In closing, Arcodoro y Pomodoro at Crescent Court is no more.

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Omakase News

Downtown Dallas restaurant Sauvage expands with new dining twist

Sauvage

A downtown Dallas restaurant famous for its multi-course tasting experience is letting its hair down: Sauvage, the high-end mom-and-pop restaurant near the Statler Dallas hotel, has a new dining option that gives a smaller, more casual taste.

The restaurant opened in September with a set menu featuring 16 to 18 courses — wild game, seafood, vegetables, and dessert — all cooked via grill and smoker.

While 16 courses might sound like a lot, the courses are mostly small bites. However, owners Casey and Amy LaRue received feedback from diners wanting a smaller option.

"We were getting a ton of messages from guests who want to stop by just to try one dish, a bite, or a specific pairing without committing to the full tasting — so we built something for exactly that," Casey says.

They've introduced a new three-course "Cocktails & Bites hour" featuring three dishes, each paired with its own cocktail, served from 5–6 pm on weekdays.

Last week’s menu consisted of:

dry-aged red snapper crudo with La Chinola Way, a cocktail featuring passionfruit, mezcal, lime, and ginger
foie gras & truffle on house-baked croissant with Pendennis Club, a gin sour with apricot liqueur bitters
jerk-spiced shrimp with Clarified Paper Plane, a bourbon cocktail with Aperol, Amaro Nonino, and lemon juice

The new offering continues their pattern of pairing courses with cocktails rather than wine — an approach they've embraced since opening. "Limiting pairings to wine can get boring — it so often ends up being one expensive red after another," Casey says.

You can make a reservation on Tock, or just walk in and grab a seat.

Caviar
They've also added a new version of their classic menu: no caviar.

"Some love having caviar integrated into the menu, but others prefer to skip it, whether for taste or dietary reasons, but still want the full value of the experience," Casey says. "With such a small counter, this put us in a strange position: do we give everyone caviar whether they want it or not, or do we remove it entirely and lose a core part of our menu?"

Thus, a new menu without caviar, priced at $195, with an optional caviar course available for those who want it for $245.

downtown