Black Ice Cream

Deep Ellum dessert shop rolls out trendy black ice cream

Chill out with a cup of black ice cream.

Chills 360

Dallas is on its way to a black ice cream summer, and it starts with Chills 360, the rolled ice cream shop in Deep Ellum, which will offer the edgy dessert treat beginning in May.

First introduced by Morgenstern's Finest Ice Cream in New York, black ice cream was the summer 2016 rage in the Big Apple. The flavor is coconut, although truthfully, black ice cream is less about flavor than it is the shock appeal of having something really black.

Different vendors use different coloring agents, from a gallery that could include charcoal, squid ink, or charred coconut shell.

Sweet Daze, the dessert shop in Richardson, intends to offer it once it opens, which looks to be sometime in May. Chills 360 will do its rolled version, with an introductory party happening on May 6.

Chills owners Mohammad and Javeria Babar first spotted the concept in New York and were enchanted by its appearance. While they appreciate the novelty, it will also fill what was looming as a customer request.

"People were asking for the coconut flavor," Mohammad says. "Some of our customers are Indian, and they love that flavor. We did have coconut flakes as toppings, but we did not have a coconut-flavored ice cream. Black ice cream is usually coconut, so it seemed like a fun way to add the flavor to our menu."

They spent a few months working on a recipe until they refined one they liked.

"It's a dairy ice cream, and it has some coconut shreds, so you really get the coconut flavor," Mohammad says. "Ours is pretty black, although it's tough to get it totally black when you use milk and heavy cream. We tried it with almond milk, but that didn't achieve quite the creaminess. It's about a coconut flavor and creaminess."

They'll do it on a limited-edition basis for a month. "We'll make about 100 cups a day to see if the demand is there," he says.

desserts ice-cream

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Popular Houston crawfish restaurant readies for DFW debut in Richardson

Plates of garlic butter seafood at Ocean Crawfish

Courtesy Ocean Crawfish

Garlicky, buttery seafood awaits at Ocean Crawfish

A popular Houston seafood destination called Ocean Crawfish & Grill will bring its buttery Vietnamese seafood boils to Richardson later this year.

The restaurant is set to make its debut in the coming months at 1610 E. Belt Line Rd., taking over a former Applebee’s. It’s part of a major revamp for the shopping center being redeveloped by Victory Group. Broker Cameron Mai, who represented both tenant and landlord in the deal, says the group is set to invest “millions of dollars” into the development, turning it into an “international dining and entertainment destination.”

Ocean Crawfish & Grill brings its signature Vietnamese-style seafood boils to the location, serving crustaceans like lobster, Dungeness crab, and, of course, crawfish. Fried shrimp, raw oysters, and other seafood staples are also on the menu, along with a selection of Vietnamese seafood dishes that are less common across Dallas-Fort Worth. Those include finger snails stir-fried with basil, garlicky grilled blood cockles, grilled oysters topped with scallion oil, and sweet snails in tamarind sauce.

It’s the first Dallas-Fort Worth location for Ocean Crawfish, which currently operates two outposts in the Houston area — the original in Houston’s Alief neighborhood, and a suburban outpost in Katy.

Mai notes that the Houston-based restaurant is a favorite of star jeweler Johnny Dang, the self-described “King of Jewelry,” who’s known for making blinged-out “grills” and other diamond-encrusted jewelry pieces for stars like rapper Paul Wall, Beyonce, and Dallas’ own Post Malone. In a photo posted to the restaurant’s Facebook page, Dang can be seen standing in the restaurant’s kitchen, holding a plate of massive king crab legs.

Johnny Dang is a fan of the restaurant.Photo via Facebook

In addition to the arrival of Ocean Crawfish, Hui Lau Shan, a popular Hong Kong dessert chain, will also open at the Richardson East development. The chain first made its DFW debut in Carrollton in 2024 and is known for its extensive menu of mango-centric desserts and drinks, ranging from boba tea to Hong Kong-style egg waffles stuffed with the tropical fruit. A third location is set to open near Fort Worth, in Haltom City, in February.

Ocean Crawfish & Grill hopes to open its doors in Richardson by May 2026, though that timeline is “still subject to construction and permitting schedule,” Mai says. Hui Lau Shan is targeting late spring or early summer for its Richardson debut.