Doing just vine

Get on the Dean's List and restaurant veteran Dean McSherry will stock your cellar

Diners old enough to have eaten at the original Sfuzzi might recognize the name Dean McSherry, the bold charmer who ran the '90s Uptown hot spot, among other places, before turning to consulting. He and his wife, Susan, also run a catering company that provides services for restaurateurs such as Stephan Pyles.

Now he's targeting another facet of the food and beverage industry: the beverage part, by jumping into the wine club arena. The Dean's List is a website from which he'll sell wine and have it delivered to your door.

Wine clubs have become more plentiful as restrictions to buy wine loosen; what you're buying is your faith in someone's taste.

"I did a lot of consulting for friends and family over the years, where people say, 'Here's $1,000. Would you go buy some wine for me?'" McSherry says. "People put a lot of trust in what I can do."

He's also hired Rudy Mikula, one of Dallas' more recognizable sommeliers. Mikula has worked at a number of places, including Max's Wine Dive, Dali Wine Bar and Nana.

"Rudy is our sommelier and head wine dude," McSherry says. "We're making it very approachable for everyday drinking wine — that $10- to $35-dollar range that people can consistently reorder and then we deliver it. We want it to be quirky and fun.

"But if you're a wine geek and want to dive down into how much rainfall this particular vintage received and what's the acidity level and brix, it's there for you. We'll also have some higher end cellar selections."

The website isn't done yet, but he calls it "an iTunes-genius-meets-YouTube-video" mash-up. He also hopes to do "some other fun things" and hints at a winery license.

"Maybe we'll see you out here stomping some grapes," he says. "But my primary focus will be to bring wine to consumers in the most efficient way, which is delivery to their doorstep."

They're building up their email list and doing charity events, such as the Savor Dallas preview of Trinity Groves on Thursday.

"For now, it's Rudy and me in some offices, in a huge warehouse on Midway Road," he says.

If you're interested in winning some free Savor Dallas tickets (and who isn't?), here's how.

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Coffee News

New Dallas coffee shop opens with good coffee — and great hair

Common Good

Common Good coffee and good vibes

A new coffee shop with some serious styling has opened near downtown Dallas: Called Common Good, it's located at 1619 N. Hall St., right off Ross Avenue, in what was previously a retail outlet for Rakkasan Tea Company, who left the space in mid-2024.

Common Good is more than just a coffee shop – it's a coffee shop-hair salon from Christopher Bermudez, a stylist who previously owned Ellum Salon in Deep Ellum which he sold in 2022. Their motto: "Good coffee, good hair, good vibes."

Bermudez was born in Mexico City and moved to Dallas when he was one year old but remained close to his culture and often travels to Mexico City, where he found the inspiration behind this new concept.

"I was inspired by the multiuse spaces in my hometown of Mexico City: coffee shops that turn into a nightclub or tequila tasting rooms in the evening. Great vibe is what we are going for," he says.

The coffee shop is in the front, while the hair salon is in the back, divided by a large glass. The salon has eight stylists, including Bermudez.

The shop also features all-vinyl jam tables where guest DJs play music most weekends, creating a cool atmosphere. The décor resembles listening rooms that are popular in South Korea, with custom-made wooden walls and modern furniture.

Good vibes at Common Good Coffee and hair salonCommon Good

Heading the coffee operation is Jesse Nava, who recently worked at Xaman Coffee in Oak Cliff, and they're partnered with Lemma Coffee for beans and barista training. The shop offers a small but solid menu, with espresso and coffee classics, plus some specialty drinks including pistachio matcha, cardamon rose latte, espresso freddo, and a Mexican mocha.

“We want to stay consistent with a small menu — we want to get it right, then eventually add to it," Bermudez says.

They plan to add food, as well, working with a local bakery still to be decided for muffins, croissants, kolaches, cookies, and bagels.

They're open Tuesday-Saturday from 7 am-7 pm, with shorter hours Sunday and Monday, from 7 am-2 pm, since the salon portion is closed those days.

They've witnessed a big demand for coffee, since the center they're in had coffee history: The storefront on the corner at 1623 Hall St. was once Method Coffee, then Fiction Coffee, which closed at the end of 2023. (It's now home to Black Swan Saloon, the resuscitated bar from acclaimed mixologist Gabe Sanchez.)

They see themselves as a neighborhood coffee shop, where residents of the multiple apartment complexes around can become regulars. They are dog-friendly, serving pup cups.

"I always believed that if you have a good product people will come," Bermudez says.

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