Arlington gets a new fried chicken concept, Frisco gets another steakhouse and everyone's introducing new menus for the spring. There's more than enough restaurant news to go around, so please dig right in.
KFC has opened a new concept called Super Chix in Arlington, with chicken sandwiches, chicken tenders, fries and frozen custard. There's a big emphasis on pickle toppings with three varieties: kosher, hot and sweet. Eater dubbed it "a fancier version of a Chick-Fil-A sandwich."
"It's a one-off new concept store developed by our New Concept team out of Dallas," says Virginia Ferguson, spokeswoman for KFC parent company Yum Brands.
Perry's Steakhouse is opening a branch in Frisco, at Stonebriar Centre, in November. That makes 12 steakhouses for Perry's, which also has outlets in Texas, Chicago and Denver.
Bocce is an Italian restaurant opening on West Davis Street in the old Inforzato's space. Chef-owner David Rice's menu will include pasta, New York-style and Chicago-style pizza, salads, and sandwiches — including meatball subs. Bocce will be open for lunch and dinner and BYOB.
Ready to graduate into the world of real restaurants, pizza food truck BellaTrino will open a location off McKinney Avenue, with two more locations in the works, although they will not divulge where. Oh oh where could it be? BellaTrino makes Neapolitan-style pizza à la Cane Rosso.
Restaurateur Jonn Baudoin has left Driftwood along with Omar Flores and will open Sugar Skull Cafe at Trinity Groves. He tells SideDish that it'll serve "authentic-style Mexican city tacos" and will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with a chef yet to be named
A popsicle maker from Alabama called Steel City Pops is coming to Texas. A store will open in Dallas at 2012 Greenville Ave., across from Trader Joe’s, and in Fort Worth at 908 Currie St. Flavors include pomegranate, orange-mint-green-tea, avocado, buttermilk, caramel and peanut butter.
Fare in the Square, the food truck event at Thanks-Giving Square in downtown Dallas, is back in time for the spring. An assortment of food trucks will be at the Square for lunch every Wednesday and Friday, from 11 am to 2 pm.
Jasper's in Plano has a "dramatically" new menu with calamari; blistered shishito peppers; ricotta flatbread with arugula; Thai green curry mussels; spinach-kale salad; rotisserie chicken with vegetable couscous; pork brisket with Chinese vegetables; flatiron steak; cedar-smoked salmon with horseradish mash; and a surf-and-turf dish with tenderloin filet and yellowfin tuna, fried rice and charred bok choy.
Bread Winners Cafe added new summer salad entrees to its lunch and dinner menus. They'll appear as daily specials; prices are $10.99 at lunch and $12.99 at dinner. Wednesday's sounds good: Thai chicken chop with jalapeno, pineapple, bell pepper and peanuts tossed in Thai coconut dressing topped with chicken and rice noodles. Thursday it's an "Italian wedge," with salami, chicken, peppadew peppers, kalamata olives, mozzarella and tomato. Other options include a Southwest turkey chop salad; Buffalo chicken salad in a blue cheese dressing; and berry salad with spinach and salad greens, grilled chicken, red onion and feta.
Ringo's Pub has a new menu, with heartier and more interesting appetizers such as house-made potato chips with caramelized onion dip, mac and cheese bites with marinara, chicken-fried bacon with cream gravy, cheddar tots with ranch dressing, and Monte Cristo Bites (turkey, ham, Swiss and American cheese) with powdered sugar and raspberry coulis. With patio season back, the restaurant is opening at 11 am on weekends again.
Brio Tuscan Grille has a new brunch menu for spring with berries and cream French toast, ham and biscuit Benedict, and a trio of omelets including one with all veggies and another made with egg whites. Brio's brunch runs on Saturdays and Sundays from 11:30 am to 3 pm.
Victor Tangos updated its beer list. New additions include Community Public ESB, Duvel Tripel Hop Blonde, Duchesse De Bourgogne Flanders Red, Lindeman’s Faro Lambic and farmhouse-style St. Sylvestre Gavorche Biere de Garde. New drinks include the Tahitian Moon with tequila, aperol, port, lime, vanilla, egg white and orange flower water.
Twin Peaks has launched the Twin Peaks Brewing Company, which will manufacture four draft beers: The Dirty Blonde, Knotty Brunette, Ginger's Ale and Gold Miner's Daughter. The Dirty Blonde and the Knotty Brunette are already available at all DFW locations; Ginger's Ale and Gold Miner's Daughter are coming soon.The beers were previously made for Twin Peaks by another brewer. But the company hired brewmaster Tom Janik and built a brewery at the Twin Peaks in Irving, which opened in 2013 in a former Luby's.
Twisted Root has a new shake called the Elvis Presley made with vanilla custard; Dude, Sweet Chocolate's Tub of Love; peanut butter; and banana. It's topped with banana slices, roasted peanuts and crumbled bacon. It's $6.99 and big enough for two to share.
BellaTrino food truck is opening a real restaurant.
Assembly Park in Plano. Rendering courtesy of Assembly Park