Keto News

Quirky limited-edition items give this Dallas restaurant news some flavor

Cream of asparagus, now served at Bulla Gastrobar.

Photo courtesy of Bulla

Spring's a good time for new things, and this roundup of Dallas restaurant news has plenty. There are new restaurants, new dishes, and new drinks. Some are here for a limited time, some are here for spring.

Here's what's happening in dining news:

Kessaku is a new sushi and sake lounge located above Monarch, on the 50th floor of The National in downtown Dallas. It's a creation of chef Danny Grant and chef Hari Chan that serves nigiri, sashimi, and rolls.

Fairgrounds Craft Coffee & Tea has opened its first Dallas location at 4514 Cole Ave., with coffee from a dozen roasters including Ascension, Greater Goods, Colectivo, Verve, and Counter Culture, plus tea, cold brew, kombucha, sparkling tea, and matcha whipped to order. Food includes breakfast, lunch, and grab-and-go such as Breakfast Sammies, Breakfast Tacos, salads, and sandwiches.

Keto Kitchen Creations, an independently owned concept offering grab-and-go meals that are compatible with low-carbohydrate, ketogenic, or gluten-free lifestyles, has opened at 9500 Ray White Rd. in Fort Worth.

Hatchways Café has reopened in Victory Park following a hibernation since November. They have a new menu with bowls, salads, sandwiches, flatbreads, daily specials, and favorites from the original menu. Highlights include Crispy Potato & Kale Burrito, Harvest Veggie Bowl, Lean Green Smoothie, Market Greens Mezze Salad with falafel, Roasted Chicken Club, and Tomato, Pesto, & Burrata Flatbread with arugula. The coffee program featuring a custom locally roasted blend from Full City Roasters has also been reinstated.

Cafe 43 at the Bush Center is reopening April 20, coinciding with the public debut of President Bush's new exhibit Out of Many, One, his portraits of immigrants.

Bulla Gastrobar, the upscale Spanish restaurant at Legacy West in Plano, has a new spring menu faeturing cream of asparagus, fried eggplant, Basque fish stew (with shrimp, fish, clams, steamed rice, and green peas), Iberian ham arepas, and caramel apple mousse. Plus two cocktails: Blueberry Breeze Cocktail with Tito’s vodka, blueberry syrup, and lemon juice; and a lavender margarita cocktail with Luna Azul Tequila.

BarNone Bar & Restaurant has opened a space for outdoor dining, and inroduced new menu items such as empanadas with choice of chicken tinga, short rib, shredded pork, meat combo, or potato & cheese; hummus with pita chips; and avocado toast on hippie grain bread. Plus beef stew, Oaxacan-style chicken soup, Cobb salad, cheesy grits, sautéed spinach & mushrooms, and a loaded baked potato.

Toasted Coffee + Kitchen has expanded its cocktail and bar menus at both locations on Lower Greenville in Dallas and Crockett Row in Fort Worth adding coffee-infused drinks, pizza-themed toasts, and a veggie board, to appeal to an evening crowd. New toasts include sausage & shallot, cheesy tomato, artichoke & arugula, and Balsamic peach. New coffee cocktails include an espresso martini and a cold-brew coffee drink with, gin, honey, and tonic.

Commons Club at the Virgin Dallas hotel has a new menu with locally-sourced spring ingredients, shareable plates, and botanical cocktails. Highlights include garden crudites, croquettes, ricotta gnudi, spring rack of lamb, beef tartare, and a fried chicken sandwich.

Dragonfly at Hotel ZaZa has a new menu that includes a Mediterranean flatbread, a hydro Bibb BLT with green goddess dressing and blue cheese crumbles, and the Superfoods Bowl with tri-color quinoa, sliced avocado, roasted sweet potato, sliced jalapeño, radish sprouts, and lemon-tahini sauce. They've also brought back their epic weekend brunch.

Whataburger has brought back Buffalo ranch chicken for a limited time, available as a sandwich or a salad with Red Roma lettuce blend, carrots, bacon, tomato, Buffalo Sauce drizzle, and blue cheese crumbles. There's also a new Cobb salad that's a regular menu item, with Red Roma lettuce, carrots, cheddar, bacon, tomato, and hard-boiled egg. Both salads can also be ordered with choice of grilled chicken, Whatachick’n, or spicy chicken filet.

Dog Haus the hot dog chain has partnered with TV personality Chris Oh on the Buldogi, a limited-run all-beef dog with Korean barbecue beef, kimchi mayo, pickled vegetables, egg, scallions, and furikake on Hawaiian rolls, available April 1–May 16. It's part of their series to team up with chefs to craft limited-time items.

Owl's Brew, a boozy tea, will be available for the first time in Texas starting April, sold in a 6-pack for $11 in flavors such as Matcha, White Tea, Raspberry, & Watermelon flavors at Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, and Sprouts.

7-Eleven has a wacky new latte flavor: Peeps Marshmallow, a rich, sweet marshmallow-flavored coffee treat. Customers also can find limited-time flavors of 7-Eleven private label cookies, snacks, and candies including giant frosted shortbread cookies, multi-flavored mini-gummi candies, pretzels in strawberry coating, and sandwich crème cookies with new flavors like Carrot Cake, Pineapple Upside Down Cake and Banana Cream Pie.

openings

Downtown Dining

Indian restaurant Gymkhana adds an urban touch to downtown Dallas

Gymkhana

A plush new Indian restaurant is now open in the heart of downtown Dallas: Called Gymkhana, it's located at 1408-1410 Main St., in the former Which Wich Sandwich/Birdguesa space, where it's serving a wide range of Indian dishes in an elegant, upscale setting.

Gymkhana is from prolific restaurateur Praveen Prasannan, an industry veteran with international experience working at hotels and on cruise ships. Prasannan is also the owner of Shivas Bar and Grill, an elevated Indian concept he owns with his brother Prinu, with outlets in downtown Dallas and in Allen; and Elephant Bar & Grill, another upscale Indian brand with locations in East Dallas and Bishop Arts.

Gymkhana — which is no relation to a London-based concept with the same name — is Prasannan's latest creation, and furthers his mission to champion authentic Indian food — from all parts of India, including Mumbai, where he's from — in a nicer environment than other Indian restaurants in the area.

The menu features traditional Indian dishes but with an occasional contemporary flair. Soups, for example, include a traditional madras tomato soup next to a lobster bisque. There are classics like samosas but also adventurous fusion items like hummus with garlic naan, or mussels "Indian style" with velvet tikka sauce.

They offer a number of dishes baked tandoori-style in a clay oven that imparts an irresistible smokiness, in dishes such as lamb and chicken kebabs.

Like most Indian restaurants, Gymkhana is vegetarian-friendly, even offering vegan dishes such as chana masala — chickpeas in a spicy tomato-onion sauce. Prices are relatively low, with entrees averaging about $21.

"I wanted to make sure it was affordable — that was important," Prasannan says.

GymkhanaGymkhana

Decor
The restaurant is inspired by the traditional social clubs of India, celebrating the spirit of togetherness and conversation, designed with intricate detail, Prasannan says.

"I brought in antiques from India to create a distinctive atmosphere, to give the restaurant a strong identity," he says.

The facade features centuries-old hand-carved wooden doors, with a row of lights across the top that reflect down on the sidewalk and give the entry a sophisticated, big-city feel.

The interior boasts royal blue jewel-toned banquettes, sparkling chandeliers, and hand-painted murals depicting regal figures, elephants, and intricate patterns — a combination of modern and traditional.

The space combines what was previously two storefronts with seating for up to 150, and that was intentional, Prasannan says.

"One of my priorities was to be able to offer a place for private parties and events — we receive so many requests," he says.

He's also a big believer in bringing Indian food to the center of Dallas. The majority of Indian restaurants are in suburbs like Irving, Plano, Richardson, Frisco — but Prasannan's restaurants are all in inner city areas like East Dallas, Bishop Arts, and downtown Dallas.

Their presence lends a cosmopolitan urban touch to their neighborhoods — and Gymkhana does it one better with late-night hours, staying open until 11 pm on weeknights and 1 am on weekends.

downtown openings