Where's the beef

Shady's Burger Joint brings burgers and beer to the burbs of Richardson

Every neighborhood must have burgers and craft beer, and soon that'll be true for Canyon Creek in Richardson. Opening April 1 is Shady's Burger Joint, a casual restaurant with burgers, craft beer and specialty cocktails.

Shady's is taking an old nail salon spot in the II Creeks center east of Canyon Creek Country Club at 2701 Custer Pkwy. The restaurant will be a "fun family burger joint," says David Swiney, a resident in the area who is opening Shady's with a handful of fellow Richardsonians.

"It's a group of six guys who came together and decided to make it a reality," Swiney says. "Our vision is to be a fun neighborhood burger joint. Almost all of our investment money has come from within a 2-mile radius, from people in our neighborhood."

Swiney and company are professional guys — Realtors, lawyers and the like.

"This group of guys had been talking for a number of years about wanting to have a great burger joint and felt like Richardson was missing that," Swiney says. "The stars aligned when a space opened at II Creeks.

"That center has been there for ages, but it went through a compete renovation in about 2005. It's a great, vibrant center now. Pearl Cup Coffee is coming in, and there are two restaurants in there already: Marcus Cafe, which has been there a long time, and Frankie's Mexican. I eat there often with my wife and family."

They hired a general manager who previously worked at the Salt Lick in Austin, as well as a culinary consultant who helped devise the menu. It has a half dozen burgers, all made with Angus beef but with different toppings such as jalapeños, onions, Buffalo sauce, bacon and cheese. Also on the menu are a chicken sandwich, a BLT, and a portobello mushroom sandwich; four salads, including Cobb and spinach; and a quartet of starters, such as tortilla chips and wings.

Shady's will serve beer, wine and a few cocktails, including margaritas, mojitos and martinis.

Designer Katie Perkins tells Eater that the decor will feature "vintage and industrial nods," plus a patio with oak trees.

"We don't want this to be a bar scene, but we want to make alcohol available if you want a drink with your dinner," Swiney says.

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Smoothie News

Healthy smoothie chain from the Northeast makes Dallas-area debut

Fresh Monkee

Fresh Monkee smoothies

A smoothie chain from the Northeast has landed in Dallas-Fort Worth: Called Fresh Monkee, it's a chain from Connecticut that made its DFW debut in Richardson at 3501 Custer Pkwy. #119, in the Custer Creek shopping center, where it opened July 1.

Fresh Monkee was founded by entrepreneur Judy Flynn in Wethersfield, Connecticut in 2014. It has since expanded to 20 locations across 15 states. Four locations are planned for Texas, including Austin and Houston. The Richardson location is from franchisees Anam and Omer Nawab.

In a release, Flynn notes that many smoothie places rely on sugary fruit blends and "strange" powders.

"Most juice bars strip away the fiber from fruits and veggies, which is essential for a healthy gut and feeling satisfied," Flynn says in a press release. "I was convinced we could do better."

Their menu includes 30 varieties: fruit smoothies, green smoothies, chocolate smoothies, and coffee smoothies, with seasonal flavors such as the summer-ready watermelon strawberry limeade shake.

Notable options include:

Chunkee Monkee — milk, chocolate or vanilla protein powder, banana, and peanut butter
Filthy Monkee — milk, chocolate protein powder, brownie protein bar, and peanut butter
Coffee Buzz — milk, a splash of cream, chocolate protein powder, coffee cubes, vanilla extract, and Stevia
Orange Cream — milk, orange juice, vanilla protein, and a whole orange
Maui Colada — coconut milk, orange juice, vanilla protein, unsweetened coconut shreds, pineapple, and mango

They also carry a protein ball snack with peanut butter, oat flour, chocolate whey protein, and maple syrup, rolled in coconut oil and chocolate chips.

Each location has indoor seating, including couches and tables, but they're mainly a to-go concept.

Another pair of franchisees, Clarence Gadapati and Karuna Annavajjala, are opening a location in Arlington, at 5904 S. Cooper St. #120, in the Sublett Corners center, where it will open in August.

openings