GP News

4 new restaurants including brunch coming to sprawling Epic in Grand Prairie

There's a big infusion of eateries coming to Grand Prairie.

Photo courtesy of Vidorra

Four new restaurants including a fancy American concept and a breakfast-and-brunch spot are coming to Grand Prairie this fall, from veteran Dallas hospitality group Milkshake Concepts.

They'll open at EpicCentral, the sprawling 172-acre park off Highway 161 that's already home to five lakes and the famed Epic Waters Indoor Waterpark, as well as a location of Chicken N Pickle, the unique, indoor/outdoor entertainment venue with pickleball courts and restaurant-sports bar.

The newbies include:

The Finch, a chic restaurant serving American fare
Vidorra, a Mexican restaurant that has locations in Deep Ellum and Addison
Serious Eats, a newly created casual conglomeration serving pizza and sliders
Poach'd, a brand-new breakfast-themed restaurant

Milkshake Concepts is the Dallas-based hospitality group founded in 2015 by partners Imran Sheikh, James Faller, and Asim Sheikh. Their roster includes Harper's at the Epic in Deep Ellum; Stirr, a neighborhood restaurant and bar in Dallas and Addison; Vidorra, their Mexican restaurant with locations in Dallas and Addison; nightlife concept Citizen, Serious Pizza, SkyRocket Burger; and Dirty Bones, a wing joint coming to Victory Park.

They introduced The Finch in fall 2021 as a new concept set to debut in the former Cafe Express at Mockingbird Station. The Finch Grand Prairie represents Location No. 2 and will open at 2955 S. Hwy. 161 in the fall, according to Imran Sheikh, with construction slated to begin in June.

"Our culinary expertise has grown and evolved over the last five years, and we want to showcase this at The Finch," Sheikh says. "Whilst it is labeled a 'modern American restaurant and bar,' our definition of what that encapsulates is wide-ranging. We won't hesitate to push boundaries while staying approachable, so that The Finch becomes a staple dining destination that people feel comfortable visiting on a regular basis."

The menu at The Finch will feature:

a raw bar with seafood favorites like oysters, snow crab, and yellowfin crudo
soups and salads
pastas and pizzas
fish and meats off the grill
elevated starters and mains such as Dry Aged Beef Sliders, Tuna Tataki, Cioppino Style Seabass, and Fungi Risotto

The Milkshake beverage team will create fun cocktails and a wine program they call one-of-a-kind.

They'd anticipated having the Mockingbird Station location closer to opening right now but the post-pandemic stupor got in the way. But praise the Lord, progress is being made.

"The Finch Mockingbird will finally start construction next week after a painfully long permit application process," Sheikh says. "We anticipate it opening in four to five months."

Serious Eats is a fusion of sorts of their Serious Pizza brand with SkyRocket Burger, featuring Serious Pizza, Serious Sliders, Serious Shakes and a full bar.

And Poach'd will be a new breakfast/brunch/all day dining concept, with a menu still in the works, although the company is already well established as a brunch expert, with brisk brunch action at both their Vidorra and Stirr concepts.

In any case, expanding to The Epic seemed like a no-brainer.

"The thought, passion, and investment going into the Epic development and city as a whole is something we were extremely attracted to, and are excited to contribute to its overall success," Sheikh says.

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Omakase News

Downtown Dallas restaurant Sauvage expands with new dining twist

Sauvage

A downtown Dallas restaurant famous for its multi-course tasting experience is letting its hair down: Sauvage, the high-end mom-and-pop restaurant near the Statler Dallas hotel, has a new dining option that gives a smaller, more casual taste.

The restaurant opened in September with a set menu featuring 16 to 18 courses — wild game, seafood, vegetables, and dessert — all cooked via grill and smoker.

While 16 courses might sound like a lot, the courses are mostly small bites. However, owners Casey and Amy LaRue received feedback from diners wanting a smaller option.

"We were getting a ton of messages from guests who want to stop by just to try one dish, a bite, or a specific pairing without committing to the full tasting — so we built something for exactly that," Casey says.

They've introduced a new three-course "Cocktails & Bites hour" featuring three dishes, each paired with its own cocktail, served from 5–6 pm on weekdays.

Last week’s menu consisted of:

dry-aged red snapper crudo with La Chinola Way, a cocktail featuring passionfruit, mezcal, lime, and ginger
foie gras & truffle on house-baked croissant with Pendennis Club, a gin sour with apricot liqueur bitters
jerk-spiced shrimp with Clarified Paper Plane, a bourbon cocktail with Aperol, Amaro Nonino, and lemon juice

The new offering continues their pattern of pairing courses with cocktails rather than wine — an approach they've embraced since opening. "Limiting pairings to wine can get boring — it so often ends up being one expensive red after another," Casey says.

You can make a reservation on Tock, or just walk in and grab a seat.

Caviar
They've also added a new version of their classic menu: no caviar.

"Some love having caviar integrated into the menu, but others prefer to skip it, whether for taste or dietary reasons, but still want the full value of the experience," Casey says. "With such a small counter, this put us in a strange position: do we give everyone caviar whether they want it or not, or do we remove it entirely and lose a core part of our menu?"

Thus, a new menu without caviar, priced at $195, with an optional caviar course available for those who want it for $245.

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