News You Can Eat

True Food Kitchen comes to Dallas and more dining morsels

True Food Kitchen is coming to the Plaza at Preston Center this summer.

Photo by Rachel Nobrega
Sprinkles Ice Cream will open next to Sprinkles Cupcakes at the Plaza at PrestonCenter.

Photo courtesy of Sprinkles Ice Cream
Wicked Po' Boys finally opened its second branch at — wait for it — PrestonCenter.

Photo courtesy of Wicked Po' Boys
Trentino Gelato launched in Dallas with a series of flavors created by notableDallas chefs.

Trentino Gelato/Facebook
True Food Kitchen boasts an uber-healthy menu, a collaboration between AndrewWeil, M.D., and Sam Fox.

True Food Kitchen/Facebook

From salads to doughnuts, this week's dining scene roundup has a bite for everyone. Preston Center keeps looming as the center of the Dallas restaurant universe. And if you're looking for lunch, do we have news for you.

The much-anticipated True Food Kitchen, the restaurant chain whose menu represents a collaboration between health and nutrition author Andrew Weil, M.D., and restaurateur Sam Fox, will open its first branch in Texas this summer in the Plaza at Preston Center at the southeast corner of Preston Road and Northwest Highway. Part of the Arizona-based Fox restaurant group, True Food is not a vegetarian place but they have tons of cool-sounding veggie items such as edamame dumplings, shiitake and tofu "lettuce cups," and a "TLT" with tempeh standing in for bacon. Also grass-fed steak, turkey burgers and craft beers.

Speaking of the Plaza at Preston Center, it'll also get Sprinkles Ice Cream, an ice cream offshoot of the cupcake chain, opening next to Sprinkles Cupcakes in June. This will be first Sprinkles Ice Cream outlet outside of southern California. We are special. Sprinkles Cupcakes will also add its novel "cupcake ATM" concept this summer, a self-serve window that is restocked day and night with freshly baked cupcakes.

Full Circle Tavern is a "modern pub" opened by caterers Jennifer Bonner and Lara Whittington in the South Lamar neighborhood, at 1319 S. Lamar St. According to the release, it has an extensive beer list, including the now-omnipresent local brews, plus sandwiches, comfort sides, veg-friendly items, and house-made chips with rotating flavors like truffle and bloody Mary.

The Wine Poste is a wine retailer in the Design District from James Jordan and Matthew Thompson. Jordan worked for Red Coleman’s, Wine Market and More, and Dallas Wine Company; Thompson is a certified sommelier and wine writer. The Wine Poste does sales onsite and online, and will host in-store tastings and winemaker and celebrity chef dinners. If you buy online, shipping is only $5; and if you buy a case, you get 10 percent off.

Salata Uptown has its grand opening on Thursday, April 18, when it will charge a mere $5 for all salads and wraps. It took over the space that was once Campagna Pizza.

Houston-based Trentino Gelato, started by former software exec Marcello Kreindel, has begun distributing its gelato and sorbet to Dallas. For its launch, it collaborated on flavors with a quartet of "chefs": pop-up specialist David Anthony Temple, Oak pastry chef Sarah Green, FT33 chef-owner Matt McCallister and bartender Eddie "Lucky" Campbell. That is one fascinating lineup, and so are the flavors, including black garlic pistachio and caramel buttered popcorn. Find the gelato at Central Market stores.

A doughnut shop called Glazed Donut Works will open in Deep Ellum in May, in the old Man Bites Dog production studio from former Man Bites Dog owner Darren Cameron. He told Eater he was inspired by the long lines at Voodoo Donuts in Portland, Oregon, because there is nothing more inspiring than a long line. Apparently he has not heard of Glazed Doughnut Cafe in south Arlington; otherwise he surely would not have taken its name? Flavors include the ever-popular bacon, but it will stand out by keeping late-night hours.

Wicked Po' Boys finally opened its second branch in Preston Center, on Luther Lane. Menu is the same as the Richardson original, with charred oysters, beignets, and a slew of po' boys, including one with ham and eggs.

MENU MANIA
Hedary’s Mediterranean Restaurant in Fort Worth changed its lunch to quick-service, with build-your-own wraps ($6.50), plus the signature "Frarej" lemon and garlic chicken with roasted potatoes. For $9.95, get a sampler platter with choice of chicken, kafta, gyro or falafel, plus sides like tabbouleh, hummus, baba ghanoush, grape leaves and rice.

Seems like only yesterday that Seasons 52 was announcing a "spring" menu. Now it's a new lunch menu. Seasons 52 is into menus. For lunch, there are now turkey wraps, tuna burgers, turkey burgers, and buffalo burgers with blue cheese, plus a trio of soft tacos with blackened mahi mahi, chimichurri steak and black bean.

The Palm restaurant has a new lunch menu that gets you in and out in one hour. No more leisurely three-martini lunches. The menu introduces dishes that are easier on the wallet and the waistline, including sandwiches such as chicken and avocado and lobster BLT, filet mignon medallions, steak salad, and soup-salad-sandwich combos.

Blue Mesa continues its special menu series with items created by Bolsa chefs Jeff Harris and Matt Balke. The theme is goat, with goat cheese and ham croquettes; chunky avocado dip with fennel, endive, grapefruit and goat feta cheese; goat ricotta tostada; goat tamale; and goat's milk cheesecake. The Bolsa menu is available at all Dallas-Fort Worth Blue Mesa Grills throughout April.

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East Dock development

'Chopped' champion opens Pan-Latin restaurant at Oak Cliff's East Dock

Photo courtesy of Barro y Fuego

Barro y Fuego specializes in parrilladas, or grilled meats.

A Latin American, chef-driven restaurant is one of the newest additions to Oak Cliff's vibrant dining scene: Barro y Fuego is now open in suite 100 of the refurbished historic East Dock, at 900 E. Clarendon Dr., joining Bite Sushi, Elevate Coffee, Kuluntu Bakery, and other neighbors.

The restaurant comes from longtime friends and business partners Robert Ramirez and Eric Spigner.

Spigner formerly was chef at Nova Oak Cliff, which won Restaurant of the Year in the 2018 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards; he was a Tastemakers Rising Star nominee in 2019. He's best known as champion of the Food Network competition show Chopped in 2021.

Ramirez is a 25-year veteran of the restaurant design business who also envisioned, designed, and developed East Dock, the mixed-use development that houses Barro y Fuego and an assortment of dining, retail, gym, and office spaces. The development is near the new five-acre Halperin Park, a bridge park spanning Interstate 35.

The partners named the restaurant Barro y Fuego — translating to “clay and fire”— to reflect their vision for the restaurant. The grill is always afire for parrilladas, or grilled meats, while decorative clay pots by artists from Peru and Mexico line the interior and are available for purchase.

Beyond a market area, the restaurant incorporates elements of a rustic cantina, with natural wood and earthy tones creating a cozy atmosphere. The indoor dining area accommodates up to 80 guests, with a communal table, booths, traditional tables, and bar seating along the open kitchen. An adjacent outdoor grill and patio overlooking a creek is open year-round and seats another 80.

“The open kitchen was important to us,” Ramirez says. “You can sit at the bar and watch the cooking; it's a natural gathering point. We focused on a design that is raw, minimal, and for everybody: dates, families, friends — come casual or come dressed up.”

The Pan-Latin menu draws on Ramirez’s upbringing and travels throughout the region, along with Spigner’s professional experience with Caribbean, Spanish, and Latin American flavors.

“Latin America is vast; my vision is to take it all in and present a concise statement of a broader culture — where you might not pinpoint a specific country, but rather a fusion of many in a single dish,” Spigner says.

This vision yields a unique menu spanning Latin America with subtle Spanish influences. The menu features shareable plates ranging from $20 to $40 and includes:

Gambas al Ajo Negro: Sautéed shrimp in a black garlic emulsion with charred okra and blistered tomatoes.
Costillas de Res Estofadas: Boneless beef ribs served with chimichurri crème fraîche, plantains, and charred zucchini.
Arroz con Pollo: Chicken confit over red rice, served with coconut milk collard greens and sauce africaine.
Panceta de Cerdo Estofada: Braised pork belly accompanied by chipotle-agave sweet potato puree and collard green chimichurri.

On weekdays, the restaurant offers a menu with items under $20, including sandwiches and smaller portions of main dishes. It’s designed for nearby business tenants, residents, and visitors to the Dallas Zoo and surrounding parks.

Brunch with live Latin jazz music takes places on Saturdays and Sundays from 11 am-3 pm. The brunch menu includes clam, chorizo, and avocado tostadas; ropa vieja; torrijas, which are similar to French toast; and a pork belly and pisto manchego Benedict.

The full bar serves specialty cocktails such as a Negroni verde, caipirinha, and espresso martinis using ingredients from neighbor Elevate Coffee. The beer selection celebrates all of Latin America rather than focusing solely on Mexico, the proprietors say. They feature representative brands from nearly every country for $7. They also pour Mexican Lager from nearby, newly opened Smittox Brewery.

Looking ahead, the team says they plan to host ticketed community events, including paella nights, pig roasts, and live music showcasing local cumbia, rock en español bands, and DJs.

bar openings restaurant opening latin american food robert ramirez eric spigner. east dock oak cliff barro y fuego