Thai Domination

Dallas chef's burgeoning Thai empire heads to Richardson's CityLine

Chef Eddy Thretipthuangsin continues his path toward Dallas-Fort Worth restaurant world domination, with plans to open two more restaurants, this time at CityLine, the new mixed-use project in Richardson.

Thretipthuangsin will open branches of Kin Kin Urban Thai and Bite City Grill at the new mixed-use project, according to a release from KDC, the project's developer.

"One of the goals for CityLine is to bring in a variety of dining options to meet the needs of a large and diverse workforce and hundreds of residents," says KDC VP Colin Fitzgibbons. "Under the creative leadership of Chef Eddy, both Kin Kin and Bite City Grill will provide great food with a bit of global flair."

This will be the fourth location for Kin Kin and the second location for Bite City Grill, which offers New American cuisine with a global influence. The first Bite City opened at Montgomery Plaza in Fort Worth in 2014. Its menu fuses some of Thretipthuangsin's Asian sensibility with steakhouse-style favorites such as filet and strip steak, alongside seafood and sides.

"Our guests at both Kin Kin and Bite are well-traveled, and they enjoy dining experiences," says Thretipthuangsin. "We feel that the corporate and residential opportunities at CityLine are a perfect match for our growth strategies."

Kin Kin is scheduled to open in the summer of 2015. It will be located in the base of Three CityLine at 1201 State St.

Bite City Grill will open in January 2016. It will be located in the ground floor of "Lot A," a 532-unit apartment building developed by JLB, across the street from Jaspers, on the southwest corner of State Street and Plano Road.

Marrying traditional family recipes from Chef Eddy's homeland of Thailand to his formal culinary skills, Kin Kin offers Thai dishes with an innovative twist. That means favorites such as pad Thai or tom kha soup alongside unique items such as a Thai burger or Thai Scotch egg. The menu is paired with Asian-inspired cocktails.

The first Kin Kin, serving authentic Thai food, recently opened in Fort Worth; Thretipthuangsin subsequently announced plans to open two more branches, one on Oak Lawn and another at Preston Forest in summer 2015.

CityLine is the 186-acre development featuring a dense mix of office buildings, apartments, restaurants, entertainment options and open space. The project will be home to State Farm and Raytheon, with Whole Foods as the retail anchor and Look Cinemas as the entertainment anchor. Previously announced tenants have included Kent Rathbun's Jasper's, Taco Diner, Modmarket, Luna Grill, Top Pot Doughnuts, Tom+Chee, Coal Vines, Fish City Grill, Hollywood Feed and a new yoga studio called Reef Point.

Chef Eddy: Coming to Richardson soon.

Photo courtesy of Kin Kin

Chef Eddy: Coming to Richardson soon.

unspecified

Where to Drink

Where to drink in Dallas right now: 5 new happy hours for February

Even Coast

The Frozen John D at Even Coast.

The February edition of Where to Drink, CultureMap's monthly column on restaurants and bars you can get a drink at, travels far and wide to find the best and most exotic happy hours around: From sushi deals in downtown Dallas to $5 margaritas in Collin County to Indian bar bites in Irving.

(If you're in a more date-night frame of mind, be sure to consult our list of places where you can share a sweet Valentine's Day meal.)

Here are five happy hours to try in February:

Cafe Gecko
Laid-back perennial favorite in Richardson has just unveiled a brand new happy hour menu featuring their delectable versions of classic bar food treats including pizza fries, pretzel bites, chicharrones, onion rings, and fried pickles, priced from $5-$7, plus $1 off everything in the bar. It's served Monday all day, and Tuesday-Friday from 3-7 pm.

Dozo Omakase
Omakase sushi restaurant which opened a year ago at Trinity Groves with a compact menu that includes the trendy multi-course omakase style of dining, available in small or large versions. They do a cool approach to happy hour by introducing a new menu nearly every month. For February, it includes items from the sushi bar and the kitchen including half-price nigiri, sushi hand rolls for $8, gyoza for $6, crispy rice tuna for $10, and miso soup for a bargain $2.50. Cocktails include sake for $9 and a Kyoto highball cocktail for $11.

Even Coast
Neighborhood restaurant from chef Omar Flores opened on the Addison-Dallas line in 2024 with seafood, pastas, and steaks — and now happy hour. It's a good one, served from 2-6 pm every day with its own menu of $3 oysters, $10 cheeseburgers, and salmon dip. House cocktails are $9, including a rotating flavor frozen drink; a pint of beer is $6, and wine by the glass is $9. The only restriction is where: On Friday-Saturday, it's available only at the bar; Sunday-Thursday, it's also available in the dining room and on the patio.

Neon Cactus
Congenial Mexican restaurant in Fairview has a happy hour with deals that surely seem worth driving for: They run Monday-Friday from 3-6 pm and include margaritas for $5, domestic beers for $4, wine by the glass for $5, and well drinks for $4. They also have daily food specials that run all day, such as queso blanco and chicken tinga flautas, $10 each on Thursdays, and taco plates with rice and beans, $10 to $12 on Tuesdays.

Nirvana
Sultry Indian lounge at Toyota Music Factory with DJ, dance floor, and rooftop patio has what may be the worst website in the world — but buried beneath the PTSD flash graphics and music is a worthy happy hour, served from 4-7 pm featuring $2 off all cocktails, including the Hunan Heatwave with tequila and tandoori pineapple, and the Beijing Berry mocktail with mixed berries and ginger ale. Plus Indian-themed bar snacks such as "drums of heaven" AKA chicken lollipops; street-style chow mein, and crispy chili corn.

cocktails where to drink