Arts District Eats

Chef team for new Dallas Arts District restaurant comes fully loaded with cred

Flora Street Cafe team includes (from left) Peter Barlow, Stephan Pyles, and Ricardo Sanchez.

Photo courtesy of Stephan Pyles

Chef Stephan Pyles has named two new chefs for his latest concept, Flora Street Cafe, which will open in the Dallas Arts District in late May.

Peter Barlow is the new chef de cuisine, and Ricardo "Ricchi" Sanchez is pastry chef. Barlow will join chef J Chastain in opening the restaurant, and then Chastain will depart to focus on upcoming personal and business projects.

Pyles closed his long-standing eponymous restaurant at the end of April. Flora Street Cafe, an homage to his '80s restaurant Routh Street Cafe, will be a more formal venue offering a very personal experience and what Chef Pyles describes as "elevated Texas cuisine."

Barlow comes from Chattanooga, Tennessee, where he worked most recently at Easy Bistro and Bar for Erik Niel, a semifinalist for a James Beard award this year. While at Easy Bistro, Barlow took a year off to stage across the country with top chefs and restaurants, including Douglas Keene at Cyrus Restaurant, Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo of Animal, and Ludo Lefebvre at Trois Mec. He worked for nine months as a line cook for Curtis Duffy at Grace in Chicago and spent time with John Shields at Riverstead Inn in Virginia. Barlow was raised in Sewanee, Tennessee, where he worked his parents' farm.

Pyles flew to Chattanooga to see Barlow in action. "He prepared a brilliant 17-course tasting menu for me, and I offered him the job the next day," Pyles says in a release.

Sanchez is a native of Beaumont and a former pastry chef at Nobu Las Vegas and at Twist by Pierre Gagnaire, also in Las Vegas; he trained in Paris.

Pyles became acquainted with him when he was pastry chef at Nobu Dallas when it first opened. "Then I had his desserts at Twist in Las Vegas some years later and was blown away," Pyles says. "Sanchez is someone who is not only creative but highly technical in both classic and modern techniques."

Chastain wanted to be able to remain at least two years after the opening of Stephan Pyles Flora Street Cafe, but his growing family and projects related to the next phase of his career were coming more quickly than anticipated.

Flora Street Cafe will open in Hall Arts, a 5-acre, mixed-use, three-phase development on two full city blocks in the Dallas Arts District developed by Hall Group. The first phase of the development includes KPMG Plaza, an 18-story office building with 20,000 square feet of restaurant space; an adjacent public Texas Sculpture Walk featuring Texas artists; the Hall Collection of commissions and installations of international works of art; and a seven-level underground parking facility.

The second phase of the development will include an exclusive luxury condo high-rise with 44 residences and an adjacent boutique hotel.

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Brunch News

Dallas' venerable Dream Cafe to bring epic brunch to Richardson

Photo by Natalie Wolfe

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A Dallas favorite for breakfast and brunch is expanding to Richardson: Dream Café, celebrated for its healthy comfort food in a relaxed, family-friendly atmosphere, will open a location in Richardson's Core District at 520 Lockwood Dr., in the former Monkey King Noodle Co. space.

According to a release, it'll be open by "holiday season" for breakfast and lunch only; dinner service and a patio will follow in 2025.

Dream Café was founded in Dallas in 1985 on Knox Street by siblings Mary and Grady O’Brien, and moved to Dallas’ Uptown district at the Quadrangle in 1988, where it is currently located on McKinney Ave.

A second location opened at 6465 E. Mockingbird Ln. in 2015 by franchisee Christine Lott, who is also opening the location in Richardson.

Dream Café has grown to become a favorite brunch and lunch destination that emphasizes fresh, locally-sourced ingredients, offering a mix of American and international-inspired dishes that cater to various dietary preferences, including vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options.

The new Dream Café in Lockwood will feature an expansive dog-friendly outdoor patio and additional parking next to the Richardson water tower.

"The addition of Dream Café is a perfect fit for The Core District and the welcoming ambiance we aim to cultivate across the District," says Richardson City Manager Don Magner. "This new addition will fill a unique niche in the Lockwood Neighborhood, complementing our signature mix of lunch and evening destinations that draw people seeking fresh, memorable experiences."

Dream Café will join other restaurants in the Core District that include Kirin Court, Partenope Ristorante, and Lockwood Distilling Co.

"We are excited about opening a new location in The CORE District and look forward to getting to know our new neighbors there," said Dream Café co-owner Christine Lott. "The City of Richardson and Durkin Properties have been especially helpful in meeting our goals, and we look forward to opening day and becoming part of The Core District community."

"We continue to see interest in The Core District and particularly from locally successful small business operators looking for unique environments to open new locations," says Manasseh Durkin, president of Durkin Properties. "The mix of restaurants and retailers available there provides a draw for people across the region, especially for those looking to experience authentic cuisines and surroundings."

While the Dream Café and Durkin Properties have not requested economic development incentives for the project, the restaurant will be taking over the lease from the previous occupant which did receive incentives for renovation.

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