News You Can Eat

A bounty of brunches leads this edition of Dallas restaurant news

After a lull in early February, the world of restaurants has rebounded, becoming exciting, eventful and energetic once again. Restaurants are opening. Chefs are on the move. Most excellent of all, there is a new tiki-themed brunch.

Plano is hot-hot-hot. The second branch of Lockhart Smokehouse is now open in old downtown Plano, soon to be joined by a second branch of Dalat. In West Plano, a second branch of Smokewill open in Plano in late 2014, in the old Snuffer's spot at Preston and Park. Chef Tim Byres will overhaul his original menu in time to debut it at both Plano and the original at the Belmont Hotel. Design is by Coeval Studio, led by John Paul Valverde and Miguel Vicens, who did Belly & Trumpet.

Snuffer's on Greenville Avenue will open March 10.

Moe’s Southwest Grill announced its plans to grow big in Texas, with 17 locations eyed for Dallas and Fort Worth, including one in Dallas opening on March 6. Moe’s first two locations are at Love Field Airport and Baylor University.

Stephan Pyles' Samar restaurant is going away, to be replaced by a modern Latin concept called San Salvaje. According to a release, it will incorporate Latin American, Caribbean and Cuban cuisine and will open in late April. Menu items will include tacos, empanadas and ceviches, inspired by his travels to South America.

Cupcake chain Smallcakes will open a branch in Mockingbird Station on March 3, its third in the area following Frisco and Southlake with plans for more shops in other suburbs. Theyll have 12 varieties every day from a selection that includes hot fudge sundae, peanut butter and jelly, and strawberry and crème.

The Establishment let it be known via a Craigslist help-wanted ad that it will open in early March. Part of the Cedars Social Group, The Establishment describes itself as an oyster bar with dried, cured and aged meats and craft cocktails.

NYLO Dallas South Side Hotel is enjoying new menu activity at its Terrace Bistro and rooftop Soda Bar. Additions include a grilled portabella sandwich on sourdough with red bell pepper, onion, spinach, buffalo mozzarella, and basil pesto; fried devil eggs with bacon, truffle oil and chives; shrimp nachos with queso al fresca, black beans, and guacamole; thin-crust pizza topped with sausage, sweet peppers, arugula, and goat cheese; pork chop with pomegranate glaze, mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables; sea bass with Swiss chard; tahini salad wiath butter lettuce, sprouts, sunflower seeds, and tahini dressing; and molten chocolate cake.

Brunch
Queenie's Steakhouse in Denton has launched Sunday brunch for a flat $19.50. You get choice of options such as chicken-fried quail and waffles, pheasant confit hash with sunny-side eggs, and eggs Benedict with jamón ibérico and red pepper hollandaise atop a Thomas' English muffin. It's cool they call out Thomas' -- it is the best English muffin, right? Brunch includes complimentary mimosas, breakfast breads and pastries, and salmon with caviar.

Kitchen LTO, the restaurant pop-up in Trinity Groves, is now serving weekend brunch, on Saturdays and Sundays. Chef Eric Shelton's menu includes bacon and eggs, Belgian waffles, breakfast casserole with eggs, chorizo, peppers, onion and hash browns, and carbonara orzo with bacon, smoked gouda and an over easy egg.

But on the brunch front, Barter wins with its Tiki-inspired Sunday brunch featuring a playful menu devised by chef Andrew Dilda. Options include soy ginger wings with pancakes, a riff on chicken & waffles topped with rum-maple syrup; Hawaiian hash, combining corn beef and ham with barbecue sauce and fried eggs; and flaming shrimp in a spicy coconut sauce atop sticky rice and finished with rum, flambéed tableside. Rocco Milano's offers Tiki cocktails loaded iwth rum, heavy cream, pineapple and crème de Cacao.

Chef action

Joel Harloff has left Battuto Italian Kitchen in North Dallas.
Vijay Sadhu left Pepper Smash, the upscale Indian restaurant at the Shops at Legacy.
Kelly Hightower left Wild Salsa.

Brunch at Queenie's Steakhouse has a spin on chicken and waffles with quail.

Photo courtesy of Queenie's

Brunch at Queenie's Steakhouse has a spin on chicken and waffles with quail.

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Farm News

Dallas farm-to-table champion Profound Farms closes produce operation

Profound

Profound Microfarms

A Dallas farm-to-table champion is pulling the plug: Profound Microfarms, the small farm in Lucas that provided locally-grown produce to chefs and the general public for nearly a decade, is shutting down its growing operation and discontinuing deliveries. Their final delivery and pickup day will be May 23.

According to cofounder Jeff Bednar, they were simply unable to keep the business afloat.

"It's always been tough for small farmers, and it's only getting harder," Bednar says. "I'd hate to count how many farmers and ranchers we've known in the last 10 years that have gone out of business. Honestly, I know very few farmers that could make it with out having off-farm income from a spouse or other sources."

Jeff and Lee Bednar first bought their 2.6-acre plot in Lucas in 2014, then spent three years learning hydroponic methods and building industry relationships. In May 2017, they began selling produce to Dallas-area chefs, helping to support DFW’s burgeoning farm-to-table restaurant scene, delivering to restaurants multiple times per week.

In 2018, Profound Foods received a USDA grant to create a local "food hub" — a business that helps small farmers grow by offering a combination of production, distribution, and marketing services. At their peak, by the end of 2019, they were serving 130 restaurants.

And then the pandemic arrived. They pivoted, expanding into retail sales in March 2020, offering weekly home delivery and pickup outpost options for home consumers.

Profound Microfarms lettuce Beautiful lettuces at Profound MicrofarmsProfound Microfarms

"Unfortunately, running a year-round food hub became tougher than we can sustain right now," he says. "It's disheartening we were not able to make it work after trying for 11 years. But we were able to raise our daughters the way we wanted to and we really had a great run. Profound impacted hundreds of Dallas chefs and thousands of families in our community and we'll continue to do that, just differently."

Over the years, Profound grew from harvesting greens to aggregating and delivering for other producers, then into community gathering spaces, commercial kitchens, and hands-on education.

"Profound has never been just a farm — it’s our commitment to connecting North Texans with local food, and that commitment will keep evolving even as the farm operations wind down," Bednar says.

So while the growing part has gone away, Profound will continue hosting cooking classes and other foodie events. In the interim, they'll also be listing their plants, hydroponic supplies, and greenhouses for sale.

Some of their stats:

Moved more than $4.5 million of truly local food into North Texas kitchens.
Sent 75 cents on every dollar to 185 farmers, ranchers, and producers in North Texas.
Delivered 34,000+ restaurant and home orders.
Donated over 90,000 lbs of fresh food to area charities and food banks.
Hosted dozens of interns and hundreds of volunteers for hands-on learning on our farm.
Helped over 22 companies launch food-based business in our incubator kitchen and hub.
Hosted tours for more than 15,000 people, schoolchildren, and aspiring farmers.

closings sustainability farmer-diaries