Bacon News

Upscale Southern restaurant in McKinney gets a second lease on life

Hail the new, more affordable return of Sugarbacon.

Photo courtesy of Sugarbacon

A McKinney restaurant is being brought back to life. Sugarbacon Proper Kitchen, which first opened in 2016, has been given a makeover by new owners, and is now serving elevated Southern comfort food in a stylish, contemporary atmosphere.

Located at 216 W. Virginia St., Ste. #100 in Historic Downtown McKinney, Sugarbacon was originally a venture from steakhouse vet Johnny Carros (Chamberlain's, Sullivan's, and Del Frisco’s) and chef Jon Thompson, named for the evocative properties of sugar and bacon as well as a dish on the menu featuring pork belly with a barbecue sauce glaze.

They rather-ambitiously opened a second location in Lakewood, in the former Dixie House space, but that location didn't last a year. The original in McKinney closed in 2019.

In early 2020, restaurant group One Esca — who are quite busy these days with the opening of Anju in Uptown Dallas as well as the introduction of New York-based Mad For Chicken Korean chicken chain to DFW — acquired the popular modern American restaurant and set out on a mission to bring an enhanced, one-of-a-kind experience to guests.

One Esca's renovation upgraded the restaurant with a modernized, industrial interior design showcasing neon signage and exclusive artwork. The bar hosts several chic mirror TVs and an updated music playlist.

In addition to a remodeled interior, there's a new enhanced American menu with a Southern twist by One Esca chef Don Flores, who revamped it with items using premium ingredients, such as Wagyu beef and Gulf shrimp, plus expansive flavor profiles, all at an approachable price point.

The menu includes:

Crawfish Pot Pie
Short Rib
Filet mignon
NY Strip
Ribeye

Flores also updated the signature sugarbacon dish by drawing inspiration from a backyard barbecue, with house-smoked pork belly, ancho BBQ, grilled watermelon, and B&B pickles.

The bar has a focus on dark liquors and specialty cocktails, wth 30 bourbons and local beers on tap, plus a Happy Hour Monday-Thursday from 4-7 pm. The restaurant will be open weeknights for dinner, and lunch/brunch and dinner on Friday through Sunday.

One Esca owner Michael Kim has big plans including opening another location in Allen.

"Throughout this process, we really reimagined what Sugarbacon had the potential to be," Kim says in a statement. "Now, it’s an all-around more energetic atmosphere with contemporary décor and music, making Sugarbacon the go-to spot for dinner and enjoying delicious cocktails late into the night."

Kim knows what it's really about: the price.

"Our enhanced menu features really great cuts of meat and several unique spins on Southern foods, but the real differentiator is these dishes are affordable," he says. "With our modern interior and elevated menu all at a great price, we’re giving locals a place to come regularly, as opposed to being a special occasion spot."

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RIP Murph

Dallas restaurateur Ed Murph, owner of Norma's Cafe, dies at 78

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Edward "Ed" Murph III, RIP

Dallas restaurateur Edward "Ed" L. Murph III, owner of Dallas' treasured home-cooking chain Norma's Cafe, passed away on Monday, February 23; he was 78.

A statement from the Dallas chapter of the Texas Restaurant Association called him "a respected leader and cherished member of our restaurant community" who'd served as a former GDTRA President, Texas Restaurant Association State Board Member, and was a Hall of Honor Inductee.

Murph was also the first-ever Texas recipient of the National Restaurant Association Restaurant Neighbor Award, reflecting his unwavering commitment to community service and leadership through Norma's Cafe.

"His impact on our industry and the countless lives he touched will not be forgotten," the association said. "He was truly a great man who will be greatly missed."

One of Dallas' oldest restaurants, Norma’s Cafe was originally opened in Oak Cliff in 1956 by namesake Norma Manis. Murph was a Dallas native who grew up in Oak Cliff and ate at the original location even into his days as a student at Adamson High School.

He'd been in the hospitality industry since 1970, owning a series of clubs, bars, and restaurants, including Café Cancun in the early 1980s.

When he learned Norma's was up for sale, he acquired it in 1986, seeing an opportunity to buy a restaurant that was not only a Dallas icon, but a place he enjoyed as a child. It became his legacy.

"As a kid, my parents took me [to Norma’s Cafe] to eat, and in high school it was the place to go to have French fries and a Coke, because that’s all the money you had,” Murph recalls on the restaurant's website. “It’s been around for so long that [it seems like] everybody in the world has eaten there."

Norma's is the ultimate everyman restaurant, open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with signature dishes such as the “eNORMAus” chicken fried steak, fried chicken, fluffy biscuits & gravy, cornbread, and housemade "Mile-High Pies."

Murph went on to open four more locations — in Plano, Frisco, North Dallas, and Park Lane — as well as takeout operations in Garland and Fairview. Each location became a destination for its neighborhood.

He also exhibited an uncommon sense of philanthropy, stepping up with many charitable overtures during the pandemic, and continuing its epic annual tradition of serving a free turkey dinner on Thanksgiving Day to those in need.

“Working people like to have breakfast and lunch,” Murph told D Magazine in a 2017 story about his passion for outfitting each location with period-era antiques that would match the profile of the food: lowkey, homestyle, and friendly.

"It gives a feeling of comfort," he said.

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