Go Euless, Go

Portland gastropub orders a second round for Dallas-Fort Worth

A salad good enough to make you roar. Like a lion.

Photo courtesy of Thirsty Lion Gastropub & Grill

Plans are brewing for the second DFW location of Thirsty Lion Gastropub & Grill, the Portland, Oregon-based chain noted for its gastropub fare with globe-trotting influences, scratch preparation, and beers on tap.

Having made its mark in Irving as a neighborhood favorite and drop-in at the Toyota Music Factory for meals before and after performances, Thirsty Lion is expanding further into the mid-cities with a location coming to Euless in November.

According to a release, the Euless Thirsty Lion will open at Glade Parks, the mixed-use entertainment epicenter in the making.

The pub will be about 7,500 square feet, with a 32-seat bar and an 1,800-square-foot patio with fire pits, group seating, and flat-screens.

The location will also showcase an open-air kitchen, craft beer selection, and hearth-baked pizza oven, all trademarks of the Thirsty Lion brand.

A seasonal fresh sheet will focus on seasonal offerings, with seafood, meat, vegetables, and fruit. Seasonal items currently featured include pork belly bao buns, grilled artichoke, steak salad, Korean fried chicken, carnitas tacos, pad Thai, the Impossible veggie burger, and a killer dessert, strawberry rhubarb and white-chocolate cheesecake.

Many of the beers on tap are local to the city. The craft cocktail selection utilizes fresh fruit purees, juices, and premium liquors. There are also 25 wines by the glass.

Glade Parks is doing a lot to put Euless on the map, with a long list of retail and entertainment options including Total Wine & More, Dave & Buster's, Cinépolis, Starbucks, Five Guys Burgers, Panera Bread, Pie Five, Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar, Outback Steakhouse, Sleep Experts, Raising Cane's, Rosa's Café & Tortilla Factory, and Potbelly Sandwich Shop.

A Hopdoddy Burger Bar just opened its fifth DFW location in the center on May 7.

openings

Cheesecake News

Dallas dessert shop Val's Cheesecakes calls it quits on Greenville Ave

Photo courtesy of Val's

undefined

A Dallas dessert shop has closed its doors: Val's Cheesecakes, located at 2820 Greenville Ave., closed for good on December 17 after 12 years.

Owner Valery Jean-Bart issued a statement saying that he was ready to move on to new things.

"The time has come to officially close the doors at our Greenville location," he said. "This is not just the end of a chapter; it is the end of a place that has been a huge part of my life and journey. Over the years, we have built something special here, but the time has come to let this space go so we can move forward with clarity and purpose."

Jean-Bart started selling his cheesecakes in 2012 after a career in civil engineering. He took the inspiration from his mother's love of cheesecakes before she passed from breast cancer.

Over the past decade, he had many ups and downs, with other locations that he opened and closed, often abruptly, and more than one closure followed by a reopening.

But he said this time he was closing permanently, calling the past few months "a challenge" but also a reminder of what matters.

"Focusing on friends, family, and my personal life is more important now than ever," he said. "I am leaving this location on my own terms, proud of what we have accomplished and ready for what is next."

What is next is Val's Blue Label, his other shop in the Cedars District at 1112 S. Akard St. which he opened in March 2023 and which is described as an elevated cheesecake experience that also holds classes and workshops.