Sweet Things

New gelato and candy shops sweeten the lineup at Dallas' Victory Park

Sweet things are headed for Victory Park.

Photo courtesy of It'sugar

If you're a sweets fiend, Victory Park has two new concepts that'll be right up your alley. One does ice cream, the other does candy.

Popbar is known for gelato-on-a-stick and other frozen treats. It'sugar is a candy emporium specializing in sweets, novelty gifts, and giant candy.

Popbar will open a 690-square-foot location in June at 2420 Victory Park Ln. They serve gelato, sorbetto, and yogurt in a new way: on a stick. Because nobody has ever heard of this "stick" thing before. The menu includes 40+ rotating flavors, along with dippings and toppings, which allow for customizable flavor combinations.

The pops are made on-site daily in small batches of 26 popbars at a time. They also make unique treats such as frozen hot chocolate on a stick.

It'sugar will open a 2,644-square-foot location in late April at 2401 Victory Park Ln. It'sugar was founded by candy veteran Jeff Rubin in 2006, and claims to have become the largest specialty candy retailer in the world, with more than 100 locations in New York, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, and Chicago.

They're known for their absurd sugar innovations. They're also known for having what has to be the most punctuationally-challenged name in the world. That apostrophe masking as a space is an eyesore, nothing less. What is wrong with just calling yourself "It's Sugar"? Nope. Gotta have the special apostrophe.

Making matters worse, they also like to put their name in all caps, a la "IT'SUGAR". Sorry, we are not having that here on CultureMap, no all caps for you.

The two new sweets purveyors are part of a Victory Park redevelopment led by retail partner Trademark Property Co. and owner Estein USA.

Trademark CEO Terry Montesi says in a release that they're thrilled at the momentum.

"It's gratifying to see our intense redevelopment efforts continue to pay off with commitments from best-in-class local F&B and retail operators, which will help transform Victory into one of the most vibrant, walkable retail and entertainment districts in the city," he says.

The property will welcome 10 new concepts including a flagship Mesero; Imoto, an Asian kitchen and bar from Tracy Rathbun; wine bar Burgundy Swine; a restaurant by This & That (High Fives, The Standard Pour); and a bar by Brooke Humphries (Barcadia, Beauty Bar, Pints & Quarts).

There will also be a 24,000-square-foot restaurant and entertainment concept in Victory Plaza by Humphries and Elias Pope’s 8020 Hospitality (the team behind HG Sply Co.); and two unique concepts by Rebees, led by Dallas entrepreneur Tristan Simon that include a modern Texas saloon and a workspace with a café.

New retail tenants include Yoga Pod and Sweet Tooth Hotel, an experiential art and retail pop-up that will be open from May-June.

Other openings in the coming months include Luxe Dental, Orangetheory Fitness, Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas-Victory Park, and The 23, a new 285-unit mixed-use apartment community by LMC. Additional parking and a state-of-the-art valet program, as well as lighting and technology upgrades, will also roll out in early 2018.

A public art program that recently debuted includes a musically-inspired sculpture by Las Vegas-based artist Tim Bavington near the W Dallas – Victory Hotel, five vibrant garage murals by local artist Lesli Marshall, an eight-foot steel sculpture in the "Victory-sign" hand gesture by California-based artist Nathan Mabry, with additional pieces rolling out in the coming months.

desserts downtown

Matcha News

Calif bakery-cafe with creative drinks and snacks makes Dallas debut

Smoking Tiger

Garlic cheese bread and matcha latte from Smoking Tiger

A buzzy coffee shop and cafe from Southern California has made its Texas debut: Called Smoking Tiger, it opened in June in Carrollton, at The Great Oasis plaza at 2225 Old Denton Rd. #100, where it's serving Korean pastries, breads, coffee, and beverages.

Adored by Korean-Americans and possibly everyone on Instagram, the cafe is part of a chain founded in 2020 in Buena Vista, California, that encompasses both coffee shops as well as bakeries. The Carrollton location — full name "The Smoking Tiger Bread Factory" — is one of their most expansive, offering coffee, pastries, breads, and sandwiches.

Carrollton will be the first in the DFW area, but a spokesperson says it won't be the only, although they do not have specifics on other locations or timetable for opening.

Drinks
Their beverage menu is notably rich and creative, leading with the Tiger Latte, their signature brown sugar latte with caramel and frothed oat milk. The Smokin Spaniard is a twist on latte combining espresso, condensed milk, hazelnut, and cinnamon.

Other options summon favorite Korean flavors such as

banana milk latte
honey bori latte with barley milk and salted honey cold foam
sweet corn latte, with sweet corn milk and corn cold foam
chai latte
misugaru — a roasted rice latte served slightly sweetened over choice of milk

… plus matcha lattes including strawberry matcha latte; jeju matcha latte sweetened with maple syrup; hojicha latte, featuring jeju green tea — a green tea grown in South Korea — sweetened with vanilla.

Latte prices average about $6.50.

Other irresistible-sounding drinks include the Pineapple Express, featuring jasmine tea and pineapple concentrate, shaken with ice for a smooth texture; and "YSL" — Yuzu Sparkling Lemonade, featuring yuzu syrup, sparkling water, and lemon.

Garlic cheese bread at Smoking TigerSmoking Tiger

Food
Food options are equally as creative, led by three signature goodies:

Cream Cheese Garlic Bread — a large round roll with a heavy dose of garlic and cream cheese baked inside
Original Salt Bread — sort of like a cross between a roll and an everything bagel
Kimchi Musubi Croissant, featuring a croissant filled with a slice of Spam and kim chi, with a sheet of seaweed baked onto the top of the croissant

Plus "sconkies" — a cross between a scone and a cookie — in flavors such as Oreo or lemon earl grey. For Texas only, they also introduced a special menu of breakfast sandwiches such as a slider with scrambled egg, cheese, and habanero aioli on grilled King's Hawaiian rolls.

According to marketing director Andy Lee, part of its appeal is the way it channels similar cafes in South Korea offering both bread and coffee.

"We wanted to essentially create a space where people could experience modern Korean culture in a very authentic and approachable way," Lee told The Dallas Morning News.

That extends to the decor: They've outfitted the Carrollton location with vertical mahogany wood panels, often seen in cafes in South Korea and traditional Korean houses called hanoks.

coffee openings