Farewell Wayward Sons

Hip Dallas restaurant on Greenville Avenue lays weary head to rest

Wayward Sons, grits and Brussels sprouts

Brussels sprouts were one of the many cool items on the menu.

Photo courtesy of Wayward Sons

Greenville Avenue restaurant Wayward Sons has closed, via a release from owners Brandon Hays, Phil Schanbaum, and chef Graham Dodds. The restaurant closed on Valentine's Day, which Hays says was serendipitous.

"It's fitting that we closed Wayward Sons on a day that revolves around love," he says. "The amount of love that went into this project is unparalleled to anything I have ever done before, and I know my partners Phil and Graham feel the same way."

The restaurant opened in late 2015 with a fair bit of buzz, thanks to the hip credits of its owners and the following of chef Dodds, formerly of Bolsa, Central 214, and Hibiscus, and one of the city's most acclaimed chefs.

Hays and Phillip Schanbaum built a reputation for a growing portfolio of bars, some with food, including So & So’s on McKinney Avenue, and Whippersnapper on Henderson Avenue.

Dodds continued his mission of championing seasonality and local ingredients with signature dishes such as Windy Meadows chicken and dumplings and a burger made of beef from Texas-based 44 Farms.

The restaurant also cultivated a vegetarian following, with menu items such as grits with Brussels sprouts, mushroom tamales, and a vegetarian "charcuterie," with house-made lentil sausage.

"I had hoped we would be a neighborhood staple for the long-term," Dodds says. "I will miss my staff, a very dedicated and diverse group of passionate and hardworking folks, the most."

Hays says it was a dream come true to open Wayward Sons, and thanks their partners and landlords, who "did everything they could to work with us," he says.

He also thanked the staff for working "tirelessly and eloquently," and "finally, to our guests who supported us, thank you."

closings

Deli News

Gourmet market Ari's Pantry to open in Dallas' Trinity Groves

Ari's Pantry

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A new gourmet grocery is coming to Trinity Groves: Ari's Pantry, the market launched in Oak Cliff by husband-and-wife Ari and Amy Lowenstein, will open a second location in West Dallas’ Trinity Groves, with a grand opening celebration on Saturday, November 30.

Located at 3011 Gulden Ln. #119 in the space that was once home to Potato Flats who remembers them, the Trinity Groves store will offer: pasta, olive oil, vinegars, preserves, candy, bread, crackers, cheese, meats, pizza dough, fresh pasta, housewares, cocktail ingredients, novelty kitchen gadgets, spices, prepared foods, fresh pesto and Ari’s own tomato sauce.

“We are excited to open our newest location at Trinity Groves joining the great businesses already there and the wave of new ventures opening in the development,” Ari Lowenstein says in a release. “With this location we will reach a new audience in West Dallas and be closer to our customers coming from downtown and the north.”

The couple opened their first location in Winnetka Heights at 1307 ½ W. Davis St. in December 2023 to fulfill Ari's passion for all things Italy. The idea was a small Italian food store with recipe-ready staples, with a hyper-local vibe. It has since blossomed into a general-purpose gourmet stop.

In addition to the food staples for sale found at their Bishop Arts location, Ari’s Trinity Groves location will also include a commercial catering kitchen that will enable them to provide full-service catering, prepared meal pick-up, pasta classes, and private dinners.

“Amy and Ari bring something new and special to this development as our first partner to offer consumer packaged goods made by people and companies outside of Trinity Groves,” said Sam Romano, Partner at West Dallas Investments, parent company of Trinity Groves. “They are part of the vision we have for the future of Trinity Groves that will combine innovative, up and coming chefs and restauranteurs with lifestyle and entertainment options like pickleball, bocce ball, popup events, arcade game play and additional retail partners.”

The Ari's empire doesn't stop here: Their goal is to open multiple locations "in all corners of DFW and beyond," and that includes a location in the Cyprus Waters community in Coppell, slated to open in spring 2025.

downtown openings