Chef News

Sparkly new Champagne bar bubbles up in ideal berth on Dallas' Oak Lawn

Shallow "coupe" glasses have started to become popular again.

Coupes

Champagne bars are not quite yet a trend but they're about to be, and surely by this summer, which is when a new bar is slated to debut on Dallas' Oak Lawn Avenue. Called Coupes Dallas, it's opening in The Shops of Highland Park, where it hopes to be a welcome home for Champagne enthusiasts of all stripes.

The bar is taking over the 4,000-square-foot space at 4234 Oak Lawn Ave., previously occupied by a location of Jos. A. Bank, the men's clothing store, which closed due to COVID-19 in 2020.

According to a spokesperson, Coupes will open hopefully by July.

The team behind this concept is remaining elusive for now — there are day jobs in the academic sector involved — but they possess a passion for all things bubbly and a desire to demystify and share that passion with others.

They describe Coupes as definitely a Champagne-driven bar, but also a full bar with still wine and cocktails, and a few bites on the side.

There'll be a cellar with at least 100 labels of champagne and sparkling wine, plus a selection of 20 by-the-glass options at various price points from $15 to $35, to make it more accessible and provide an educational sense of discovery.

They'll offer labels that are well known, but also hidden finds not as commonly available, such as Egly Ouriet, a "grower Champagne," which refers to a Champagne that's made and bottled by the same person who grew the grapes.

See — already we're learning so many things about Champagne.

By-the-glass options currently under consideration include:

Perrier Jouet Grand Brut
Ruinart Cuvee Rose
Egly Ouriet Grand Cru Brut Tradition
Cote Mas Brut
Donkey & Goat Sparkling Chardonnay

Champagne never goes out of style — who remembers Dee Lincoln's Bubble Bar, with its cool champagne-dispensing machine, so ahead of her time. But it seems poised for trend status in 2022, with restaurants such as Villa Azur which has a portfolio of more than 30 sparklers, as well as new bars dedicated to champagne such as Pinky's Champagne Room & Velvet Lounge opening in Fort Worth. And this doesn't even get into all of the restaurants and wine bars such as Cru with a commitment to sparkling things.

Coupes is named for a glass that has a shallow, almost flat bowl that was designed for Champagne, but was subsequently supplanted by fluted and tulip-shaped glasses. Recently, the tide has turned back again, with the avant-garde wine set returning to the coupe and traditional wine glasses for Champagne. This is all well and good, but tulips are still superior, thank you.

Coupes is already using its Facebook page to share effervescent info such as their pick for a perfect Valentine's Day bubbly:

Since 1838, Champagne Deutz, one of the oldest members of the former and prestigious Association of Grandes Marques, has been making champagnes of a distinctive style characterized by a perfect harmony of finesse, elegant vinosity and complexity. This Deutz variety is a classic champagne with a flirty twist. The first impressions are mellow acacia flowers, confectionery, apples, and brioche. We consider this a must for La Fête de Saint-Valentin.

Their location is currently under construction, with a design that they describe as "sophisticated and rooted in French sensibilities but with a Texas spirit" — a "sparkling place" that indulges all the senses.

The original plan was to open in the Design District, but when the Jos. A. Bank location, right between Oak Lawn and Highland Park, became available, it seemed ideal. The bar will also have a kitchen, though they won't be serving a full menu with entrees — instead, there'll be small plates and snacky things like cheese puffs, salads, and desserts that best enhance the primary experience: sipping Champagne.

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Hummus News

New Mediterranean restaurant in McKinney spotlights Greek and Lebanese

Ilio's

Chicken shawarma plate at Ilio's Greek & Lebanese

A new Mediterranean restaurant starring two cuisines has debuted in McKinney: Called Ilio’s Greek & Lebanese Restaurant, it's now open at 210 N. Custer Rd. #130, with a collection of Middle Eastern favorites like gyros, shawarma, kebabs, hummus, falafel, and pita wraps.

The restaurant, which opened in mid-May in a center on the newer west side of McKinney, is from a pair of restauraunt veterans, Anas Abu-Ziad, nicknamed "Ziad," and Talal Hammad, who owned a similarly-themed and similarly-named concept in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Managing the front of the house is Ziad's affable wife Jessica Gardener, whose doting customer service has quickly made her a diner favorite.

"The idea with combining Greek and Lebanese was to make the restaurant inviting to everyone," Gardener says.

Baton Rouge has a reputation for good Greek and Lebanese food, even boasting a few restaurants that feature "Greek & Lebanese" as part of their name. Those two cuisines are slightly less common in Dallas, where the Middle-Eastern restaurant scene has been dominated mostly by Turkish and Syrian places.

Ilio's, which was the ancient Greek name for the city of Troy and is a popular moniker for Greek restaurants across the U.S., specializes in sizzling grilled kebobs, which are available in chicken, beef, shrimp, and kafta, the Lebanese favorite consisting of ground meat — often a combination of beef and lamb, with spices, onions, and herbs — molded into a long cylinder.

Greek dishes include dolmas (stuffed grape leaves with rice), spinach pie, and lamb shank — all dishes that can appear on many Middle Eastern menus but are most closely allied with Greek cuisine. That includes moussaka, the homey casserole dish made with eggplant, meat sauce, and bechamel — although Ilio's version is deconstructed, which is easier for restaurants to execute than the traditional layered version favored by home cooks.

Hummus comes in three options: traditional, Mediterranean, and Sultan, topped with chunks of meat. Other Mediterranean classic dishes include chicken shawarma, gyro plates, falafel, and fried halloumi cheese.

Most dishes come in under $15 and the restaurant is also BYOB.

There are extra-healthy dishes including salads, lentil soup, and pita wraps, made with pita that's a little softer and less doughy than many pitas in town. And there's also a fusion twist that's very Texas: a "Greek quesadilla" with your choice of grilled meat stacked between pita bread.

greek cuisine lebanese cuisine mckinney mediterranean restaurant middle eastern favorites openings