Noodle News

Dallas F&B vet David Romano debuts Chinese eatery with hand-pulled noodles

Use your noodle.

Amazon

There's a new Chinese restaurant coming from a familiar name in Dallas' restaurant scene. Called Wok Star Chinese, it's a modern-but-authentic take on Chinese food from David Romano, opening at The Hill, the center at the northeast corner of US-75 and Walnut Hill Lane.

Wok Star is taking over the space that was previously occupied by Nazca Kitchen, a beloved Latin-American restaurant that closed in August 2020 due to COVID-19.

Romano is founder of Eat Up Concepts and a former developer for Romano Group, the restaurant company owned by his uncle Phil Romano. A graduate of Cornell University, David has worked for many years in the hospitality industry, doing training, recruiting, and consulting.

The Hill has had its ups and downs, even before the damaging blow dealt by COVID-19, including the closure of Treehouse, its anchor store, in 2018. But there are survivors: Wok Star will join a slate of eateries such as the coffeehouse-bar Civil Pour, healthy restaurant Bellagreen, and breakfast spot Snooze an AM Eatery.

Romano was excited about the idea of adding something new to the neighborhood.

"I don't live far from The Hill, and the only good Chinese in the area is Royal China," he says. "They're fantastic. George (Kai-Chi) and April (B-Lan) [the husband-and-wife team who own Royal China] are friends of mine. But I felt like there was room to bring a modern take on Chinese food in a fun American-style atmosphere to this area — and that's what we've done."

He promises that the food will be handled in a careful, honorable manner.

"We're very sensitive to the fact that Chinese food is serious," he says. "In America we've practically killed it with chains that are serving food that's not even Chinese anymore. But Wok Chinese will have chefs that are from China who are in charge. I didn't come up with a menu or recipe, they did. I said, 'OK, you guys focus on the food and I'll creat an atmosphere that people aren't going to forget."

That includes fun music, and eye-catching art on the walls, incorporating images from China mixed in with familar motifs like fortune cookies.

"The goal is to create a place that's fun, where you can come and eat serious Chinese food," he says.

That said, there will be some "Chinese" dishes that Americans have grown up with, such as General Tso's chicken, kung pao chicken, and beef & broccoli.

"Those are dishes people are used to — but we'll also have xio long bao, aka soup dumplings, and hand-pulled noodles," he says.

Wok Star will open in phases, with their completion dependent on the city of Dallas.

"We'd like to build a full-service bar, Nazca didn't have one, but we're still waiting on a permit from the city," he says. "But we'll start doing take-out and delivery, I hope on April 24."

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Hot Dog News

Shorty's Coneys & Cocktails to dish sophisticated hot dogs in McKinney

thembites.com

Coney-style hot dogs will be on the menu at Shorty's Coneys & Cocktails.

A fun casual restaurant concept from a savvy player is coming to McKinney. Called Shorty's, it'll open in McKinney's charming Historic Downtown Square at 109 N. Kentucky St., where it will channel a quintessential Northeast-style hot dog shop.

According to owner Bryan McVay, it'll open in mid-March.

McVay is a food & beverage veteran who's worked in management and corporate finance for hospitality groups such as FB Society. He's also a native of Pittsburgh who worked at such a shop in his teens.

"In that part of the country, every town has a hot dog shop, and I worked at one through my high school days," McVay says.

But Shorty's is more than a hot dog shop. The full name is Shorty's Coneys & Cocktails, and it will surely serve hot dogs — but also burgers, sandwiches, and bar-style appetizers like fried pickles, not to mention a full bar.

McVay's approach is informed by the street-style food culture of big cities like New York. "I'm keeping in mind portability, where you grab a bite, and that's how we'll package everything," he says.

Mostly everything on the menu will be priced at $10 or less.

"Downtown McKinney has plenty of nice sit-down restaurants but we wanted to provide something not already offered, with good-quality food," he says.

During the day, Shorty's focus will be primarily on food: a place for McKinney visitors, couples, and families with kids to grab a bite. Later in the day, the emphasis will shift to a pre-date-night destination, a place to get a cocktail before or after dinner.

"We've kept the menu narrow, but with a goal to do everything at the highest level," McVay says. To that end, he recruited chef John Franke to consult. The centerpiece of the menu will be a Coney-style hot dog.

"Our Coney dog comes topped with chili, chopped white onions, and mustard," McVay says. "Although it's associated with Coney Island in New York, we're doing a style often found in Detroit. Our goal is to offer a fantastic Coney-style dog, but a cheffed-up version."

Other menu items include:

Smashburgers including one with hot pepper, bacon, BBQ sauce, and chili cheese
Chicken ranch sandwich
Filet O'Whitefish
Philly cheesesteak
Classic BLT
Haley's Killer Chili — "In Texas, they'll kill you if you put beans in your chili — well this chili has beans in it," McVay says.

Plus sides and snacks such as fried pickle chips, mozzarella bites, poutine, chili cheese fries, and "fancy fries" — cooked in trendy beef tallow.

This circa-1920 photo shows the facade of 109 N. Kentucky St. in McKinney Historic Square with the original "Drinks Lunches" sign.Shorty's/City of McKinney

The vision
McVay began his hospitality career with Hard Rock Cafe, and has worked for concepts such as House of Blues, Fox Sports Grill, and FB Society, where he lent a hand in the creation of Legacy Food Hall in Plano.

"Along the way, I always had this itch to do my own thing — connecting to my early days, and what made me fall in love with the restaurant industry, which was the idea of creating your own brand," he says.

The idea of Shorty's is rooted in nostalgia.

"My idea was to do a Northeast shotgun-style bar that has evolved over time so you feel the nostalgia around you," he says.

The right location was important. It took him four years to find the McKinney storefront, most recently a coffeehouse called Snug on the Square which closed during the pandemic, and previously home to an antique store, a rug store, and a bakery & coffee shop.

"Many of the buildings in downtown McKinney are 150 years old," he says. "Retrofitting a building that old and figuring out how to add modern necessities like ventilation and grease traps can be a challenge."

But it also means that the building comes with vintage treasures — from pressed tin panels on the walls to an original wood floor. McVay worked with the Texas Historical Society to preserve elements of the facade and retain some of the building's original character.

Over the entry, he's installed a cool retro "Coneys & Cocktails" sign that looks like it was made in the 1930s.

"I worked with two longtime sign makers who crafted the sign in the old-school style with blown glass," McVay says. "It took a few tries to get a sign that met the approval of the city of McKinney. We found a photo of the downtown square from decades ago which showed an original neon sign on the building. It said 'drinks & lunches.' So we recreated that sign — the exact same look, shape, and feel — but it says 'Coneys & Cocktails' instead."

"I'm trying to recreate what it might have looked like if it was a bar, 150 years ago," he says.

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