Opening News

Seafood restaurant with incredible patio opens at Grand Prairie marina

That is some patio.

Photo courtesy of Blue Sunshine

A location with one of the best patios in Dallas-Fort Worth is now home to a new restaurant: Called Blue Sunshine Patio Bar & Grill, it's a seafood-driven restaurant opening in Grand Prairie at 5700 Lake Ridge Pkwy. off Texas 360, in the space that was previously The Oasis at Joe Pool Lake.

The restaurant was acquired as part of a purchase of Lynn Creek Marina by Dallas-based Suntex, which owns and operates marina properties in California, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Texas, Tennessee, and Virginia.

Blue Sunshine is the name of a marina restaurant in Sarasota, Florida also owned by Suntex.

Joe Pool Lake is 7,500-acre flood control lake built and operated by the Army Corp of Engineers. The lake was filled in 1989 and is always kept 100 percent full. Lynn Creek Marina was built and began operations on July 13, 1990. It has been expanded twice, with 528 wet slips capable of accommodating vessels up to 50 feet, and 116 dry storage stacks for boats up to 28 feet.

The marina also has a rental boat fleet, fishing pier, gasoline dock, boat ramp, and boat service center.

The property was previously owned by Don Walker, who told the Fort Worth Star Telegram that "the Walkers are hanging it up. We’re going to retire. After 75 years doing business in Grand Prairie and 31 at Lynn Creek Marina, it’s been a great ride."

The restaurant, which seats 450, was added in 1992. It's a floating restaurant and bar with one of the greatest views of the lake and the surrounding area.

The new menu leans heavy on seafood with starts that include oysters, fried alligator, seafood-stuffed alligators, nachos, mahi tacos, shrimp cocktail, wings, and fried pickles. It's not exactly cheap - fried pickles are $8 and nachos are $14.

There are salads including a Caesar, wedge, and Cobb; and sandwiches and burgers including a "works" burger with bacon, American cheese, & mushrooms, fish sandwich, Reuben, Louisiana po’boy.

Entrees include catfish, fried shrimp, mahi-mahi crusted in potato, fish & chips with hush puppies and slaw, black Angus ribeye, chicken-fried steak, and chicken-fried chicken with mashed potatoes, green beans, and Texas toast

Other changes the the facility include renaming the Big Kahuna excursion boat, now called The Wave. It can hold 97 passengers and is equipped with slides, coolers, layout chairs, a Bluetooth stereo system, and BBQ grill which the captain and deck hands operate. A golf driving range located adjacent to the marina will be renamed the Lynn Creek Driving Range.

Fun fact: Suntex is owned by Bryan Redmond, husband of Brandi Redmond of Real Housewives of Dallas fame.

"We are excited to take over a staple on Joe Pool Lake in the heart of the southern Dallas suburbs,” says Suntex Marinas VP Michael Warntjes. "We anticipate infusing some immediate capital to improve the amenities and security for guests, while focusing on long-term development of the entire property. We are confident that Lynn Creek will be an excellent reflection of the Suntex experience when completed."

openings

Burger News

Twisted Root Burger Co. closes original Dallas location in Deep Ellum

Twisted Root Burger

Twisted Root Burger Co.

An iconic burger joint in Dallas' Deep Ellum has closed: Twisted Root Burger Co., which helped usher in the "better" burger trend, has closed its original location at 2615 Commerce St. after 20 years.

The restaurant issued a statement, saying that, "After many memorable years, Twisted Root Deep Ellum has permanently closed."

"As our original location, this restaurant will always hold a special place in our story," their statement said. "We're incredibly grateful to every guest, neighbor, and team member who supported us along the way. Thank you for the memories and for being part of where Twisted Root Began."

Twisted Root founding chefs Jason Bôso & Quincy Hart ditched Wall Street to launch Twisted Root Burger Co. in Deep Ellum in 2006, serving up half-pound burgers with over-the-top toppings and a saucy attitude long before gourmet burgers were a thing.

The "better burger" trend began in the early 2000s, taking what was previously a fast-food item and gave it a chef spin, with gourmet ingredients and more upscale surroundings. Twisted Root was one of the pioneers in DFW alongside names such as John Tesar's The Commissary and the Liberty Burger chain.

Boso took an especially cheeky approach, adding ingredients like peanut butter and giving menu items humorous names like the Kevin Bacon burger stacked with three slices of bacon.

Their "Low Rider" features a burger with taco seasoning, avocado, pico de gallo, and tortilla strips, while their "Steak Me Home Tonight" is a beef patty with shaved roast beef, American cheese, provolone, grilled onion, and beer sauce. They have a worthy vegan burger; four robust salads including a Cobb salad and "My Big Fat Greek Salad"; and milkshakes you can customize with ingredients such as Oreos and M&M's. They also serve beer, wine, and cocktails at some locations.

Prices range from $11 to $16.

Things changed forever for Twisted Root in 2009 when the Deep Ellum restaurant was spotlighted by Guy Fieri on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives — securing its continued success indefinitely (since Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives airs frequent repeats which bring another round of customers).

They went on to open many locations of Twisted Root across Texas and neighboring states. However, they struggled during the pandemic, with some locations declaring bankruptcy and some locations closing.

The chain was rescued by Local Favorite Restaurants, who acquired the concept in 2020. Local Favorites maintained Twisted Root's culinary stance as well as their resolve to "not taking ourselves too seriously." There are currently locations in Carrollton, Coppell, East Plano, Arlington, Mansfield, Bedford, Waco, Lubbock, Athens, and Abilene. (Local Favorites also recently acquired the Cotton Patch Cafe chain.)

Twisted Root is not the only restaurant to close in Deep Ellum: Zåtar Lebanese Tapas & Bar, a Mediterranean restaurant which has been open since 2016, just announced that it will close in late August. Like Twisted Root, Zatar is also located on Commerce Street, which is currently the victim of a multi-year conversion from one-way to two-way street, which has dragged on and on through multiple, unexplainable delays, with completion just getting pushed back again to 2027.

burgers deep-ellum closings