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.

openings chefs

School Cafeteria News

Unusual new restaurant in Lewisville summons Korean school cafeteria

Andrea Young/AsianGrub in DFDUB

F&F on the Go

An adorable restaurant that serves up a Korean school lunch has opened in Lewisville: Called F&F On The Go, it's at 2405 S. Stemmons Fwy. #201, on the second floor of Korean specialty Zion Market, where it specializes in Geupshik — a Korean custom that refers to the homestyle lunch meals provided by schools or companies.

At F&F, you get a pre-set meal, served in a stainless steel tray with compartments for the different courses. You make two choices: black or white rice and your protein, from choices such as Beef Bulgogi, Spicy Pork, Teriyaki Chicken, Spicy Squid, and Salmon Steak.

Everey meal comes with the banchan, or Korean side dishes, which the restaurant rotates daily — there's usually a salad and kim chi — plus a classic Japanese yogurt drink called “Yakult."

For $14.99, you get an authentic, yet approachable taste of Korean comfort food, says co-founder Eric Song.

“It’s a unique concept in DFW that blends Korean and Japanese flavors with a nostalgic touch,” Song says.

F&F On The Go is part of the growing Fast and Furious brand, which launched in Irving in 2013, where Song is head of operations and brand development. Their first concept was F&F Japanese Grill, a fast-casual hibachi restaurant featuring Korean and Japanese fusion cuisine which now has locations in Addison, Plano, Frisco, and Greenville Avenue.

In 2016, they expanded with a food truck, F&F Express, which makes K-style bowls.

With F&F On The Go, Song wanted to create a casual, but high-quality dining experience inspired by the nostalgic Korean school lunch style.

The presentation was designed to bring a touch of nostalgia, yet be appealing to diners unfamiliar with the style or dishes. The counter and seating area have a clean finish while capturing the essence of a Korean school cafeteria. The word “Geupshik” (급식) in Korean literally means "school meal" or "lunch service."

The restaurant is in a multicultural area north of the Sam Rayburn Tollway in Lewisville — surrounded by sushi restaurants and Korean street food stores.

“We chose the location based on strong community presence and growing demand for Asian comfort food in the area,” Song says.

openings