One Two Three

Jeana Johnson and Colleen O'Hare set opening date for new Vietnamese restaurantMot Hai Ba

Mot Hai Ba's chargrilled pork belly and pork meatballs with vermicelli and herbsis perhaps delicious with Vietnamese Tiger beer.
Photo courtesy of Mot Hai Ba
Mot Hai Ba has a community table and exposed brick walls.
Photo courtesy of Mot Hai Ba
Mot Hai Ba's "market crab" with chili, garlic and scallion is quite the looker.
Photo courtesy of Mot Hai Ba
Mot Hai Ba seats 30, with an additional 20 on the patio.
Photo courtesy of Mot Hai Ba

Jeana Johnson and Colleen O’Hare, of Good 2 Go Taco and Goodfriend Beer Garden and Burger House fame, have announced an opening date for Mot Hai Ba. Their new casual, high-energy Vietnamese restaurant will open Tuesday, April 23.

Pronounced mo’oht high bah, Mot Hai Ba (which means "1, 2, 3" in Vietnamese) will serve lunch and dinner Tuesday-Sunday. Menus are centered around traditional northern Vietnamese cuisine, including items typically found as street foods, and a selection of dishes prepared in chef-driven restaurants in and around Hanoi.

Can you say imperial rolls filled with pork and shrimp? Can you say chargrilled pork belly and pork meatballs with vermicelli and herbs? Can you say crab with chili, garlic and scallion?

Actually, can you say Mot Hai Ba? Some wonder if the name is too complicated.

Johnson and O'Hare will pair the menu with an all-French wine list and a beer list comprising French, Belgian and Asian beers.

Seating will be small and intimate: 30, including a small communal table, plus a bar that seats six and a patio that seats 20. Diners can also carry out all menu items, including any beer or wine on the menu.

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Deli News

Gourmet market Ari's Pantry to open in Dallas' Trinity Groves

Ari's Pantry

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A new gourmet grocery is coming to Trinity Groves: Ari's Pantry, the market launched in Oak Cliff by husband-and-wife Ari and Amy Lowenstein, will open a second location in West Dallas’ Trinity Groves, with a grand opening celebration on Saturday, November 30.

Located at 3011 Gulden Ln. #119 in the space that was once home to Potato Flats who remembers them, the Trinity Groves store will offer: pasta, olive oil, vinegars, preserves, candy, bread, crackers, cheese, meats, pizza dough, fresh pasta, housewares, cocktail ingredients, novelty kitchen gadgets, spices, prepared foods, fresh pesto and Ari’s own tomato sauce.

“We are excited to open our newest location at Trinity Groves joining the great businesses already there and the wave of new ventures opening in the development,” Ari Lowenstein says in a release. “With this location we will reach a new audience in West Dallas and be closer to our customers coming from downtown and the north.”

The couple opened their first location in Winnetka Heights at 1307 ½ W. Davis St. in December 2023 to fulfill Ari's passion for all things Italy. The idea was a small Italian food store with recipe-ready staples, with a hyper-local vibe. It has since blossomed into a general-purpose gourmet stop.

In addition to the food staples for sale found at their Bishop Arts location, Ari’s Trinity Groves location will also include a commercial catering kitchen that will enable them to provide full-service catering, prepared meal pick-up, pasta classes, and private dinners.

“Amy and Ari bring something new and special to this development as our first partner to offer consumer packaged goods made by people and companies outside of Trinity Groves,” said Sam Romano, Partner at West Dallas Investments, parent company of Trinity Groves. “They are part of the vision we have for the future of Trinity Groves that will combine innovative, up and coming chefs and restauranteurs with lifestyle and entertainment options like pickleball, bocce ball, popup events, arcade game play and additional retail partners.”

The Ari's empire doesn't stop here: Their goal is to open multiple locations "in all corners of DFW and beyond," and that includes a location in the Cyprus Waters community in Coppell, slated to open in spring 2025.

downtown openings