This roundup of Dallas restaurant news has a whole bunch of new stuff to check out: restaurants newly opened, new menus newly debuted, new ice cream flavors, new margaritas, new milkshakes, new chefs, and new robots.
Here's what's happening in Dallas restaurant news:
Le Rêve Gelato & Pâtisserie, a French-style patisserie with macarons and gelato, has opened in North Dallas. Le Rêve is from Andy Pham, a baker and entrepreneur who took the macarons business he started in high school and expanded it into this sweet and elegant shop at 12817 Preston Road #133. His selection includes French-style pastries, macarons, cakes, and gelato with a dual focus on both flavor and presentation. He's also doing espresso drinks and affogato, in which espresso is poured over ice cream. The shop is in the Preston Valley Shopping Center at Preston Road and 635, the same center as India Palace, Maple Leaf Diner, and the Penzey's spice store.
Enoteca has opened at the Centrum Building, at 3102 Oak Lawn Avenue, #116, in the location previously occupied by Mille Lire. Chef-owner Alban Besiri is serving pastas and pizza like seafood linguini and Napoleon pizza. It's a family-friendly place that's open at 4 pm for dinner every day but Monday.
Hot Chicks Nashville Hot Chicken has opened its location at 5609 SMU Blvd, in the bottom of the Shelby Building, serving not only fried hot chicken, but also grilled hot chicken. On Sunday, February 6, customers get a complimentary glass of champagne.
PJ's Coffee opened a store in Grand Prairie, at 614 N. Belt Line Rd. — the fifth PJ's Coffee to open in the last 12 months. Grand Prairie opens in time to enjoy three limited-edition King Cake menu items, running through March 1: King Cake Latte, King Cake Protein Velvet Ice, and Zulu Coconut Iced Mocha, a Viennese cold brew with milk, Hershey's syrup, and coconut concentrate over ice.
P.F. Chang’s To Go has opened in Flower Mound. at 3750 Long Prairie Rd. Launched in 2020, P.F. Chang’s To Go is a smaller footprint for high-density metropolitan communities, and convenient for online, takeout, and delivery. P.F. Chang’s To Go has locations in Las Colinas, McKinney, five in New York, three in Chicago, and one in Florida.
Howard Wang's is opening a restaurant at Hillcrest Village in Far North Dallas, in the former Lada space at 6859 Arapaho Rd., which closed in October, where they'll serve Chinese-American basics like General Tsao's chicken and fried rice. David Sacher, a representative from Shop Companies which manages the center, told the DMN in a pay-walled story unfortunately that customers requested an Asian restaurant. It'll be Howard Wang's fourth location, following Preston Hollow, Uptown, and Frisco.
Villa Azur has now begun breakfast, lunch, and happy hour. Breakfast will be from 7-11 am every day, with Texas frittata, smoked salmon platter, croque Madame, and acai bowl. Lunch will be from 11:30 am-4 pm, with a Power Lunch prefix menu priced at $32. A la carte lunch menu items include tuna tartare, steak frites, and Villa Azur burger. Social hour will be 4-6 pm daily, with cocktails and bites including Short Rib Empanadas, Truffle Flatbread, Lobster Risotto, and Arancini.
Joe the Baker, the Coppell-based cottage bakery, has closed, after almost eight years. An email to customers blamed the rising costs of ingredients, labor, and packaging coupled with increasing demands on public vendors, all taking a toll. "It is time for us to move on," said chef-founder Joe Baker.
Mendocino Farms has dropped "Sandwich Market" from its name to spotlight its broader menu of salads, bowls, and other items that go beyond sandwiches. They're also looking to add up to 15 new locations in 2022, including Plano and West Village, both in summer 2022. They have three new limited-time items on their menu: Sweet Heat Crispy Thai Chicken with air-fried chicken tenders, Thai Mango Salad with chicken, ramen noodles, mango, and Thai almond dressing, and Smoked Brisket Sandwich with brisket on a toasted sesame brioche bun.
Suburban Yacht Club has launched a new menu that includes a Caesar, a burrito with carne asada, fries, cheddar-jack, guacamole, salsa, and sour cream in a flour tortilla, a Crispy Chicken Sandwich on a toasted kaiser, fish tacos, bean & cheese tacos, and a Cinnamon Spice Rum Cake with fruit, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and whipped cream.
Freebirds World Burrito, has added grain-free tortillas by Siete Family Foods, made with cassava flour and coconut flour; and plant-based chorizo from Abbots Butcher, made with pea protein and Spanish smoked paprika.
Torchy's Tacos has four new menu items available February 9: a taco with chicken, spinach, corn, cheddar cheese, and bacon bourbon marmalade; The MoFaux, made with Beyond beef; Churros; and a Burrito Bowl which is a Torchy's Grande Burrito, but minus a tortilla.
The Original Pancake House DFW (OPH-DFW) has partnered with the Cloud Bakery Company on a new limited-edition item called Cloudies, a gluten-free "bread alternative" made from eggs, cream cheese, baking powder, and baking soda. Can you really call that "bread"? Cloud Bakery Company recently moved their headquarters to Dallas, opening a 4,000-square-foot facility; and OPH-DFW is the official pilot program for their breakfast items.
Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream has a new flavor, Maple Soaked Pancakes, available at both shops in Deep Ellum and Prestonwood Place. They're opening early on Saturday February 5 at 9 am and are encouraging people to take a pic or video of yourself eating ice cream and share it for a promotion they're doing, with the hashtag #IceCreamIsBreakfast between 9 am and 12 noon.
Sugar Factory American Brasserie has a special Crazy for You Insane Milkshake for February, made with strawberry ice cream and cheesecake, topped with whipped cream, cherry gummy hearts, M&M’s, chocolate hearts, and gumdrops, served in a red chocolate dipped mug.
Bar Louie has a new item: "That's My Jam Burger" has a burger patty, bacon, arugula, herb cheese, garlic aioli, and bourbon old-fashioned jam on a toasted brioche bun. It's $15 with a choice of side, and is available through April 5.
Smokey John's Bar-B-Que & Home Cooking has a new series of Shoebox Lunches that highlight four Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs): Cheyney University - the first HBCU, Paul Quinn - the first HBCU in Texas, and Grambling State University and Prairie View A&M University. The outside of each shoebox features a history of the importance of HBCUs. Inside, customers get a sandwich, chips, cookie, pickles, BBQ sauce, and an HBCU information card. Options include Turkey, Ham, Chicken, Hot Link, or Sausage. A basic box is $14.
McDonald's is spotlighting its fans' creativity by featuring four of their favorite "hacks" on menus, for a limited time: Hash Brown McMuffin adds hash browns to a Sausage McMuffin with egg. Crunchy Double takes Chicken McNuggets and tops them with a Double Cheeseburger and BBQ sauce. Land, Air & Sea is a combination of a McChicken, Big Mac, and Filet-o-Fish, which I'm sorry, that's gross. Surf +Turf combines a Double Cheeseburger and Filet-o-Fish.
7-Eleven has a new Spicy Garlic Chicken Roller, a tube of chicken and Swiss cheese blend breaded in a coating packed with bold flavors like fiery chilies and savory garlic.
Salty Donut in Bishop Arts has collaborated with Terry Blacks BBQ on a new Brisket + Cheddar Kolache, featuring a 24-hour brioche stuffed with Terry Black’s BBQ Brisket + Cheddar Cheese. It'll be available Saturday-Sunday only.
Mi Dia From Scratch has a margarita special for February: The 'Itza y Popo' contains Patron silver tequila, La Pinta Pomegranate liquor, ginger and pomegranate agave, lemon juice, and a black lava salt rim. Served at Plano, Grapevine, and Flower Mound.
Taco Cabana has a new Cabana salad with Romaine, black beans, Monterey jack, cheddar, pico de gallo, and tortilla strips for $3.79. Cabana Bowls start at $5.59, and feature crispy tortilla shell bowls filled with protein, rice, refried beans, lettuce, cheese, sour cream, and pico de gallo. Options include Chicken Fajita, Steak Fajita, Shredded Chicken, Ground Beef, and Beyond Meat.
Pie Five Pizza has a new "Mike's Sticky Fingers" personal-size pepperoni pizza, on artisan thin or traditional Italian crust, drizzled with Mike’s Hot Honey, with curl and crisp pepperoni, traditional pepperoni, spicy marinara, mozzarella, and basil. They're $5 through February 13 with promo code BEEHOT.
Zubi's plant-based Latin food company has launched the new Zubi's Snacks line, featuring plant-based Latin treats, including jalapeño candied pecans, available online. Zubi Farms is a zero-waste facility based in Athens, Texas, whose products are available at Whole Foods, Central Market and Costco.
SMU students have robots. SMU Hospitality Group has partnered with Starship Technologies robots which deliver meals, drinks, and snacks from Panera, Einstein Bros. Bagels, Starbucks, Lawyer’s Inn, The Market, Cinco Taco, Sushic, Rollin' N Bowlin' Acai Bowls, and Mac’s Place to SMU students. The robots provide a safe, fast, affordable ($1.99 delivery fee), and environmentally friendly delivery option. They are sanitized before each delivery by Starship staff wearing protective equipment.
Hotel Crescent Court has appointed Michael Gallagher as Director of Food & Beverage. He was previously at the Marriott Renaissance Worthington Hotel in Fort Worth and has worked at Hyatt, Hilton, Omni and more. Mike Luong has been promoted to Executive Chef. he joined Hotel Crescent Court in 2018 and will oversee the culinary team for Beau Nash, The Conservatory, Starbucks at The Crescent, and Hotel Crescent Court's private dining club, The Crescent Club.
Hall Arts Hotel has appointed Ilana Kadoche as Director of Food and Beverage. In her role, Ilana will also serve as Ellie’s General Manager.
