Everything in this roundup of Dallas restaurant news feels fresh. There are spring menus, new brunches, and loads of refreshing new beverages on the market.
Here's what's happening in Dallas restaurant news:
Salad and Go, a chain that does drive-thru salads, opened its first Texas location in Plano on May 5, with plans for four more DFW locations in 2021. The menu includes salads, wraps, breakfast burritos, soup, lemonades, organic tea, and cold brew. Salads and wraps are $5.74 and include chicken or tofu; steak or shrimp cost extra. Core items include Cobb, Caesar, and BBQ Ranch.
Olivella's Pizza and Wine Shop is the new name for Olivella's, the Neapolitan-style pizza chain, to reflect its expanded wine list, new retail Wine Shop, and wine club. The dine-in wine list now includes 50 wines from around the globe including Italy, France, California, Oregon, South America, and Washington State. The Wine Club gives members three wines each month, featuring a theme such as female vintners. The new development to launch a wine shop and wine club was led by Olivella’s level-two sommelier Simon Holguin.
Mendocino Farms has two new spring / summer menu items available through September 14: Watermelon Poke' Salad, a cool vegan version of poke made with watermelon, cucumbers, edamame, pickled daikon & carrots, avocado, scallions, and cilantro, over napa cabbage & kale slaw, carrots, bean sprouts, baby spinach, togarashi rice, black sesame seeds, and vegan sriracha mayo in a honey ginger ponzu dressing; and Summer Street Corn Sandwich with al pastor chicken, street corn, poblano & onion rajas, pickled red onions, tomatoes, romaine, cilantro, and jalapeno salsa verde on a toasted sesame roll. They're available at the downtown Dallas location at 2000 Ross Ave., and the Addison location at 5294 Belt Line Rd. in Dallas.
Asador, the restaurant at the Renaissance Hotel, is bringing back weekend brunch, with a menu from new executive chef Joe Graffeo that includes Crab Cake Sliders on Hawaiian buns, Tahitian Vanilla French Toast with lemon curd and blueberry syrup, Fried Chicken & Buttermilk Cheddar Biscuits with sausage gravy, and breakfast sandwich with egg, bacon, tomato, cheddar cheese, honey mustard aioli, and avocado on Texas toast. Mimosas are $3 and Bloody Marys are $4. Served Saturday-Sunday 9 am-2 pm.
Brio Italian Grille is debuting Sunday brunch for dine-in service at its Allen and Southlake locations. The menu features entrees, sides, and featured cocktails with an Italian twist including scrambled eggs & bacon with potatoes and brioche toast; cream cheese-stuffed berries & cream French toast with bacon; and beef tenderloin, poached eggs, Romano-crusted tomatoes, and Hollandaise. Cocktails include spicy Bloody Mary, frozen peach bellini, and a mimosa with Prosecco and OJ. It's served until 3 pm on Sundays.
Ellie's Restaurant & Lounge, the eatery at Hall Arts Hotel, has new spring menus from execu-chef Dan Landsberg. There's scallops with carrot risotto, spring peas, and carrot top chimichurri; and harissa marinated lamb with sweet potato puree, hearts of palm, red pearl onions, heirloom tomato sumac, and Kalamata olive crumble. Lunch is also back with almond chicken salad with an arugula nest and house-baked Gruyere cheese crackers; and B.L.A.T with smoked bacon, golden tomato jam, avocado, onion, pea shoots, and sourdough. They're open for breakfast during the week serving migas with black bean refrito and crab eggs benedict; and brunch, featuring items such as vanilla crepes with yogurt, banana, berries, an pistachio.
Cicis Pizza has added a giant pizza to its menu that they say is big enough to feed the whole family. Prices start at $11 for a Giant Pizza with one topping, more for specialty recipes like mac & cheese, spinach alfredo, or Buffalo chicken.
Cowboy Chicken has introduced a new Trail Boss sandwich featuring a breaded chicken breast, rotisserie-cooked, then fried, with lettuce, mayo, pickles, and ranch dressing. There's also a Buffalo Chicken version, tossed in tangy Buffalo sauce, with lettuce, tomato, and choice of ranch or blue cheese. It's a limited-time offering available through July 4.
Pollo Campero has launched chicken nuggets, which they oddly call Camperitos, available in a six- or nine-count meal, sauced or with a dipping sauce, plus choice of side and tortilla or dinner roll. To celebrate the launch, they're also introducing two sauces – Avocado Ranch and Frank’s RedHot Sweet Chili – available through May 26.
SkinnyFats in the West Village has two new burgers: The Cherry Popper is a half-pound beef patty with fried egg, pepper jack, spicy slaw, and pepper marmalade on a Hawaiian roll. The Cranburkey is a turkey patty with arugula, tomato, onion, and cranberry yogurt on a wheat bun.
Cotton Patch Cafe has brought back its "2 for $18" meal deal featuring two Chicken Fried Steak entrées, each with two sides. It's available through June.
Maple Leaf Diner in North Dallas has a Poutine of the Month for May: The Buffalo Chicken Ranch with buffalo chicken, smothered in ranch, for $11.
Sprinkles Chocolate is a foray by Sprinkles Cupcakes into the world of boxed chocolates. Four flavors mimic their top-selling cupcakes: Sprinkle is Belgian white chocolate with colored non pareil sprinkles. Red Velvet is milk and white chocolate. Black & White is dark chocolate covered with white chocolate and topped with chocolate sprinkles. They're real cute because they're round like a cupcake. They're 3 ounces and cost $7 each and are available at their Preston Center and Plano locations.
Truluck's is offering a colorful limited-edition dessert called the Fruity Pebble Cheesecake, a New York-style cheesecake made with a vanilla wafer crust, filled with Fruity Pebbles, and topped with a melted ice cream sauce. Available through May 31.
I Love Juice Bar has launched three eye-catching limited-edition smoothie flavors which are a half-and-half blend of two smoothies made with I Love Juice Bar's signature fresh fruits and veggies and superfoods like blue majik spirulina and pitaya. Coconut Pitaya has apple juice, lemon, coconut cream, and pineapple, topped with pitaya powder and beet juice. Tropical Blue gets its name and hue from blue majik and blueberries atop a base of apple juice, lemon, mint, and pineapple. Citrus Sunshine is reminiscent of Juice Bar’s Orange You Smooth and Mint to Be smoothies that were retired earlier this year; they have ginger, mango, and carrot. They're available through August 8 at all locations: Allen, Dallas, Hillcrest Village, Flower Mound, Lakewood, and McKinney.
Lone River Ranch Water has a new flavor: Prickly Pear. They've also introduced a new 19.2-ounce and a new Variety 12-Pack.
Starbucks has a new Frappuccino flavor: Strawberry Funnel Cake, with funnel-cake pieces and strawberry puree. They've also brought back the Unicorn Cake Pop. We must be getting back to normal if we can embrace unicorns again. Customers can continue to enjoy the Caramel Ribbon Crunch and Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccinos, plus colorful Starbucks Refreshers beverages, including the Dragon Drink, Pink Drink, Mango Dragonfruit Starbuck Refreshers, and Strawberry Açaí Lemonade Starbucks Refreshers. So refreshing.
DQ has two new blizzards for the summer: Brownie Batter Blizzard featuring vanilla soft serve, brownie batter, and chewy brownie dough pieces; and The Drumstick with Peanuts Blizzard, with Drumstick chocolatey-coated waffle pieces and chopped peanuts blended with soft serve.
Smoothie King, the Dallas-based smoothie company, has partnered with the Dallas Cowboys as the official smoothie of the NFL franchise. Smoothie King will work with Dallas Cowboys' nutritionists to create a custom smoothie specially for Cowboys fans.
Beyond Meat is giving Walmart shoppers a chance to sample the newest iteration of the Beyond Burger and the Beyond Sausage. Only Walmart shoppers in Southern California and Dallas will be visited by the Beyond Meat food truck, popping up in the parking lot of these neighborhood stores
- 5/14: 2-6 pm 2750 W. University Dr., Denton
- 5/15: 11 am-2 pm 8555 Preston Rd., Frisco
- 5/15: 3-6 pm Prosper: 500 Richland Blvd., Prosper
- 5/16: 11 am - 3 pm 8801 Ohio Dr., Plano
- 5/21: 2 pm - 6 pm 4100 W Airport Fwy., Irving
- 5/22: 11 am-2 pm 15220 Montfort Rd., Dallas
- 5/22: 3-6 pm 425 Coit Rd., Plano
- 5/23: 2-6 pm 2305 N. Central Expy., Dallas
- 6/4: 2-6 pm Dallas: 7075 W. Wheatland Rd., Dallas
Freebirds World Burrito has unveiled an interior and exterior design refresh rolling out at all 55 locations across Texas. The new interior elements include murals and colors inspired by Freebirds' Texas heritage. Guests are greeted by a large "It’s Your World" sign against a blue sky with fluffy white clouds.
Luck Springs, an Austin brewer, is launching its sparkling hard lemonade and hard tea on May 20 from 6-9 pm at Toller Patio. The line comes in four flavors: Peach, Raspberry, Lemonade, and Half & Half. It's for sale in six- and 12-packs.
Natural Light has a new Sour Seltzer Variety Pack in four flavors: Watermelon, Green Apple, Blue Raspberry, and Lemon. Their existing flavors including Mango Peach, Black Cherry Lime, Strawberry Kiwi, and Strawberry Lemonade.
Chick-fil-A restaurants in the DFW area are offering a free trial of their new Sunjoy beverage, which combines sweetened iced tea with lemonade. Guests must access the offer via the Chick-fil-A App and redeem their free Sunjoy during restaurant hours. The freebie extends from May 17-29.
