Harwood News

Patio pioneer St. Ann Restaurant in Dallas' Harwood District makes comeback

It's almost like a new restaurant.

Photo by Kathy Tran

A restaurant in the Harwood District near downtown Dallas that helped pave the patio revolution is making a comeback: Saint Ann Restaurant & Bar, which originally opened in 2010, will return with a new menu, new space, new everything.

According to a release, the restaurant will reopen on Wednesday, March 10.

The new menu is influenced by the Pacific Northwest and seasonal Texas ingredients, under the direction of chef Taylor Kearney, who was inspired by the Pacific Northwest philosophy of cuisine that focuses on seasonal and local ingredients, as well as mostly zero-waste.

"We are partnering with local purveyors growing ingredients on soil located within a 50-mile radius of the restaurant as well as farmers in the Northwest raising celebrated ingredients the region is known for, such as Pacific Ocean salmon," Kearney says. "Cities like Portland and Seattle, for example, have a lively dining scene influenced by Asian and Native American traditions and culinary practices. We're excited to be one of the first in Dallas to pioneer this type of cuisine with a Texas influence."

The dinner menu includes:

TX Wagyu Tartare
Mushroom Toast with mushrooms, caviar, egg, asparagus, hollandaise
Seared Duck with carrot, sweet onion, spaetzle, fava, and turnip
Smoked Beef Rib with Ann's BBQ sauce and potato salad
Hoisin Chicken with cabbage, sesame, carrot, wonton, and cashew

There's also a decadent burger called The Saint made with Prime short rib brisket blend, Texas cheddar, onion, iceberg and samurai sauce.

The brunch menu sounds even better:

Spring Pea Hummus with seed brittle, lavash, and feta
Chicken Biscuit with honey butter and fried egg
French Toast Sundae with TX toast, pecan gelato, strawberry, and caramel
Lobster & Waffles

Pre-Prohibition-inspired cocktails include the Jack Rose with Jim Beam Apple, lemon, and grenadine; blooming rose hips; and Samurai Soda with Roku Gin, yuzu juice, yellow chartreuse, and Fever Tree yuzu soda. There's wine by the glass and bottle featuring a wide variety of regions including Texas.

Hours will be Wednesday-Sunday evenings, with brunch on weekends.

The renovations combine the restaurant's history with a wine country country/casual chic/garden-inspired vibe.

The Harwood District's nine restaurants are returning in a phased reopening approach. Currently open: Magnolias: Sous Le Pont, Happiest Hour, Te Deseo, Harwood Arms, and Mercat Bistro. Marie Gabrielle Restaurant and Gardens is open for weddings and private social events only.

uptown openings

Ice Cream News

Global gourmet ice cream chain debuts in U.S. with 2 Dallas-area shops

Dumont Ice Cream

An ice cream concept from India has made its U.S. debut, right here in Texas: Called Dumont Creamery & Cafe, it's a ice cream chain founded in Hyderabad that now has two locations in the Dallas area.

Their first location was Frisco, which opened at 1951 FM 423 at the end of 2023; a second location opened in late October in Coppell at 1535 S. Belt Line Rd. #160.

Dumont was founded in 1999 by brothers Vivek and Bhashkaar, and currently has 23 locations in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Vijayawada listed on their website.

Bringing the concept to Texas are local franchisees and friends Sai Sashank and Tarang Tirumala, who moved to the U.S. in 2005 to attend college.

Both have successful consulting careers, but craved a taste of home.

Ice cream is the centerpiece at Dumont with more than two dozen flavors, ranging from gourmet to classics to flavors boasting global influences: from Italian-inspired sorbet to a New Zealand-inspired honey ice cream called "hokey pokey."

There is vanilla, chocolate, and mint chocolate chip — but also unique options such as cake and jam, an ice cream with a vanilla base, bites of cake, and spiced jam; and kheer, a coconut ice cream studded with dried fruits and nuts — a nod to the kheer rice pudding that's one of India's favorite desserts.

A single scoop is $4. They have cups and a cute version of waffle cones: shorter and fatter than usual, to provide a greater ratio of ice cream-to-cone.

In addition to ice cream, they have a beverage program with coffee and espresso drinks such as lattes, plus boba tea. There are also special drinks like falooda — an exotic Indian milkshake with rose syrup and vermicelli — as well as limited-edition drinks like iced kheer, a cool beverage version of that same popular rice pudding dessert.

Both locations are spacious, bright, and clean, with pale green banquettes at Frisco, and pale blue chairs and tables at Coppell. Both feature an astronaut theme with statues and framed photos and cartoons on the wall. The Coppell location also has a mural dedicated to great moments in Coppell history.