Beefed Up in Frisco

Arizona steakhouse dares to tackle Texas with outlet at booming Frisco center

Steak 48 is Arizona's version of a steakhouse.

Courtesy photo

An Arizona steakhouse is attempting entree into Texas. Steak 48, a restaurant concept from brothers Michael and Jeffrey Mastro, is headed for Wade Park, the massive development under construction in Frisco.

Steak 48 — so named because Arizona was the 48th state admitted to the Union — represents a next step for the chain, which debuted as Steak 44 in Phoenix in 2014. Frisco will be the second Texas branch; the first opens in Houston in the spring.

The menu features steaks, a raw bar, and fresh seafood. Unique appetizers include ahi poke and burrata with grilled stone fruit. Peaches? They must mean peaches. Or maybe apricots? Can't be cherries. Too small to grill.

Sides include a double baked truffle potato, asparagus fries, and corn crème brûlée. From the bar will come classic cocktails and an extensive wine list.

Jeffrey and Michael, along with their father, Dennis Mastro, and partner Scott Troilo, have created several steaky concepts, including Mastro's Steakhouse and Mastro's Ocean Club (which they sold in 2007), and Dominick's Steakhouse, which opened in Scottsdale in 2011.

Steak 48 will open in 2017 as part of phase one of Wade Park, the 175-acre, $1.6 billion upscale mixed-use development at Dallas North Tollway and Lebanon Road. Also in that phase is Hotel ZaZa, plus a vast selection of retail, restaurants, entertainment venues, and office space.

Phase II, slated to open in 2018, will feature a luxury Langham Hotels & Resorts hotel, residential, and additional office space.

Stan Thomas, president and CEO of developer Thomas Land & Development, calls the complex DFW's next great shopping destination. "We're particularly proud of the extraordinary lineup of tenants," he says.

That also includes Tyler's, an athletic apparel store founded in Tyler in 1978, which will open its fourth Dallas-Fort Worth branch in Frisco. The store will feature nearly 17,000 square feet of athletic and lifestyle apparel, footwear, eyewear, and accessories.

Previously announced tenants at Wade Park include Whole Foods Market, iPic Theaters, Pinstripes Bowling, Bocce Bistro, The Rustic, Yard House, Thirteen Pies, Steel City Pops, Torchy's Tacos, Bread Zeppelin, Arhaus, Sur La Table, Paper Source, MiniLuxe, Blo Blow Dry Bar, and Lash Lounge.

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Vegan News

Trendy vegan Mexican food truck debuts in Dallas' Bishop Arts

La Combi-gotes

La Combi-gotes vegan ceviche

A food trailer specializing in vegan-Mexican food is open in Dallas' Bishop Arts: Called La Combi-gotes, it's open at 111 N. Bishop Ave., near the Camp Bishop complex at the corner of West 10th Street.

This is a second life for La Combi-gotes, which was originally founded in Keene, Texas during the pandemic by owners Carlos Linares and Victor Prieto, who wanted to do a veggie version of their native cuisine. They closed the location in Keene in 2022, and relocated to Dallas. On August 10, they celebrated their grand opening in a co-op park, set back from Bishop Avenue, that's home to food trailers such as Lovie’s Kitchen, a soul food concept, and Me Enloteces, an elote shop.

The name La Combi-gotes is playful mix of words, combining their love for the Volkswagen Kombi, the vintage VW bus built in Mexico; with "bigotes," the Mexican word for whiskers or mustaches. (Their logo features a cute drawing of an aqua VW bus with a mustache in front.)

Their menu has Mexican plates with rice and beans featuring vegan beef and chicken fajitas, flautas, and nachos. There are five tacos with vegan beef, chicken, fish, and portabella mushrooms; plus burritos, bowls, and quesadillas.

There are also burgers, and appetizers like cauliflower wings. Prices range from $10 to $18.

They make their own sauces, patties, aguas frescas, and flour tortillas, so there is a homemade taste in the food they serve.

The duo did not have previous restaurant experience; Linares is a truck driver, and Prieto is a T-shirt printer. They met at church, where they were greeted with a wellspring of support, both on the business side and the food side, as well.

"People from our church shared recipes and helped us with the menu," Linares says.

They join one of the biggest vegan trends to emerge in recent years — vegan Mexican — a trend not only in Dallas but in other cities like Los Angeles. Dallas was on the forefront, with pioneers such as El Palote Panaderia, a nationally recognized vegan Mexican restaurant that opened in 2016.

La Combi-gotes is open Sunday-Thursday and Friday, but they close on Saturday. They have a few tables outside, and also do lots of orders to go. Customers can call beforehand to place their order or else order online.

La Combi-gotes La Combi-gotes

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