Chef News

Texas restaurant chain Perry's Steakhouse hires celebrity chef from Vegas

Chef Rick Moonen.

Courtesy photo

A Houston steakhouse mini-chain has hired a nationally-known chef previously based in Las Vegas to oversee and develop its culinary program. Perry's Restaurants has named chef Rick Moonen as Master Development Chef to oversee menu development, innovation, and quality control for all concepts.

According to a release, Moonen has consulted with Perry's for over a year and will continue to work with Grant Hunter, Perry's corporate chef.

Perry's Steakhouse & Grille began in 1979 as a small butcher shop, and has grown into a chain with 14 locations in Chicago, Denver, and across Texas. They feature Prime beef, tableside carvings, and flaming desserts, along with a bar concept called Bar 79.

Moonen has won a James Beard award for "Best Chef: West" and is an authority on seafood, as well as an author who has appeared in magazines such as Food & Wine, Bon Appetit, and USA Today.

He's also a TV regular on The Food Network, Top Chef Masters, Good Morning America, and more.

Perry's founder and owner Chris Perry applauds Moonen's creativity, passion, and talent. "We look forward to collaborating with him and having our culinary program benefit from his insight," he says.

“It is an honor to align myself, at this great stage of my career, with Perry’s Restaurants,” Moonen said. “Culture, tradition and innovation is what drives us as we grow in the hospitality industry.”

Moonen's output for Perry's includes new off-the-menu seafood items available for a limited time including red snapper crudo and European sea bass encased and roasted inside a salt dome.

Perry's has three locations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, in Uptown, Frisco, and Grapevine.

chefs

Quonset Hut News

Familiar names take over Quonset hut for new Far-Out Dallas bar

Yelp

Wriggly Tin is now Far-Out Dallas

There's a new Dallas restaurant and bar coming to everyone's favorite Quonset hut: Called Far-Out, it'll take over the space at 1906 E. Haskell Ave. in East Dallas that was previously home to Wriggly Tin, with a grand opening slated for 2025.

Founders Caroline and James Lee are calling it Far-Out & La Hermana Cerveceria and promise that a culinary adventure awaits.

"After months of creative brainstorming and a bit of furniture rearranging, we are thrilled to announce an exciting new pioneering concept that will open its doors in 2025," the duo says. "Introducing Far-Out & La Hermana Cerveceria, a dynamic new restaurant and brewery born from the collaboration of industry veterans."

The team includes some beloved East Dallas names:

Marc Cassel of The Green Room and 20 Feet Seafood Joint
Christopher Jeffers of Bolsa and Smoke
Stephanie Houston, the trailblazing first Latina Production distillery owner in America

Also joining the team is Bar Director Adam Mercado, whose resume includes stints at Billy Can Can and Brass Ram.

Marcado will crafting a unique beverage program, with support from mixologist Brian McCullough. Together, they will create what the founders call "unforgettable drink experiences to complement our delicious culinary offerings."

Wriggly Tin opened in November 2023 as an ultra-hip pizza and craft beer spot inside a renovated Quonset hut near Dallas' Fair Park — a former Cajun fried turkey place which they gave doting makeover with custom plaster walls and art objects from around the world. They replaced one whole side of the hut with glass for sunsets and created a spacious outdoor patio in front.

They earned two nomination in CultureMap's 2024 Tastemaker Awards, one for Best Bar and another for Best Patio.

Alas, the original founders, who'd previously owned Small Brewpub in Oak Cliff, parted ways shortly after it opened. And the bar closed down in September 2024, for what they called "internal changes."

Now the hut is back: The new Far-Out bar is already up and running a few days a week. In the coming days, they will offer updates and sneak peeks as they gear up for the opening of their kitchen.

openings