Deep Ellum Dining

Deep Ellum restaurant incubator decides to make it a permanent thing

Korean duck leg is on the menu at Junction Craft Kitchen in Deep Ellum.

Photo by Kevin Marple

Dallas can say goodbye to the idea of the rotating restaurant. Kitchen LTO will now become Junction Craft Kitchen and will open on May 4 in the old Kitchen LTO space in Deep Ellum, at 2901 Elm St.

Casie Caldwell and chef Josh Harmon have partnered to open the new restaurant serving dinner and weekend brunch.

Kitchen LTO was in its seventh iteration with Caldwell's seasoned front-of-house team supporting chef Harmon. The collaboration worked so well that they decided to make it a permanent thing, Caldwell says.

"I knew in the first week of opening Deep Ellum that I wanted to find a way to help Josh have a permanent restaurant space when he left LTO," she says in a release. "We decided to keep this great location and bid farewell to LTO. Junction Craft Kitchen was then born."

Capturing Harmon's love of Southern and Asian cooking, Junction Craft Kitchen will serve many of the dishes that were served at Kitchen LTO. We are talking Brussels sprouts with fish sauce caramel, hot fried chicken, and Korean sticky duck leg.

New dishes include Korean braised beef, boudin po bao, and family-style miso pork belly with steamed buns. An arugula salad sounds good with radish, peanut butter Ritz, peas, and peri peri. There's a poached carrot dish with an elaborate retinue that includes whey and koji, carrot top kosho, and dehydrated okra.

Brunch features playful dishes such as Captain Crunch parfait, kimchi frittata, and fried green tomato Benedict. Desserts will come from Harmon's mother and sisters and includes five-flavor crumble cake, Texas sheet cake, and daily pies.

Former Komali bartender Leann Berry will lead the bar program.

Harmon was born in Tennessee, raised in Texas, and graduated high school in Los Angeles. When he returned to Texas in 2012, he worked at the Milk & Honey Co. and Grace in Fort Worth, Savor in Dallas, and Main Street Bistro & Bakery in Grapevine. Most importantly (to us), he was a finalist in the 2017 Tastemaker Awards for Rising Star Chef. It doesn't get any better than that.

deep-ellum openings

This week in gluttony

DFW Restaurant Week leads 6 best food events in Dallas this week

Delilah Dallas/Facebook

Delilah is one of more than 150 restaurants participating in DFW Restaurant Week.

The 30th annual dine-out fundraiser, DFW Restaurant Week, kicks off its preview weekend this Thursday before its official start on Monday. More than 150 restaurants are participating this year, and many well beyond the "week" straight through Labor Day weekend. Other opportunities to dine well on the list include a Michelin-starred chef dinner, an after-hours tasting party, and an excuse to enjoy boozy root beer floats for charity.

Wednesday, August 5

The Art of a Michelin-Starred Chef at The Mexican
The Mexican will welcome acclaimed chef Esteban Lluis, executive chef of Mexico’s Michelin-starred Damiana, for an exclusive four-course tasting menu featuring elegant dishes like smoked fish pate with mussels escabeche, bluefin tuna tiradito, and braised prime short rib with coloradito mole. Tickets are $225, plus $75 for either wine or tequila pairings, and seating times are 4 pm and 7 pm.

Thursday, August 6

DFW Restaurant Week Preview Weekend
Get a head start on the 30th annual DFW Restaurant Week, August 6-9, at participating restaurants who’ll start their specials early. Patrons can choose three-course dinners for $49 or $59 and $29 two-course lunches at high-end spots like Al Biernat’s and Fearing’s while supporting the North Texas Food Bank. The official DFW Restaurant Week start day is August 10, when dozens of Dallas-area restaurants will donate approximately 20 percent of sales to the charity. Many will run their specials much longer than a "week" - some all the way through September 7.

Root Beer Floats for a cause at JW Marriott Dallas Arts District
A high-end hotel is inviting the public to drink something creamy and sweet for a sweet cause. Coinciding with National Root Beer Float Day, the JW Marriott Dallas Arts District will offer two takes on the classic root beer float, with proceeds benefiting Children’s Miracle Network. Try the classic version with vanilla bean ice cream, or a spiked float strictly for grown-ups. The floats will be available at Vincent’s Sky Bar and JW Steakhouse. Fun fact: J. Willard Marriott’s first business venture was an A&W Root Beer stand in Washington, D.C. in 1927.

Eataly After Hours
Party at a gourmet grocer during this popular nighttime affair at Eataly in North Park Center. Shimmy through multiple live DJ sets, a game lounge, and live karaoke while enjoying endless wine, Italian beer, summer-centric cocktails, and late-night chef-crated bites. Tickets are $95 and the party runs from 8 pm-midnight.

Saturday, August 8

Orangetheory on the Lawn at Leela's
The Uptown wine bar and restaurant invites guests to sweat and then sip during this outdoor Orangetheory class followed by a refreshing spritz cocktail and brunch. Tickets are $25 and include the 45-minute class and cocktail. Class begins at 10:15 am and brunch begins at 11 am for those who wish to stay. Bring your own mat.

The Hop Rodeo: TUPPS 5th Annual IPA Fest
The McKinney brewery is getting hoppy for its annual celebration of IPAs. The $35 ticket includes a tasting card good for a festival logo class and eight 6-ounce pours. Choose from more than a dozen festival brews, including special limited-edition varieties. Sip and stroll while listening to The Party Crowd nostalgic country cover band and grab food from The Grain Room Kitchen. The event will run from 6-10:30 pm, with DJ music to follow in the Beer Hall until midnight.

dfw restaurant week food events