Downtown News

Chef Nick Badovinus to open not one but two concepts in downtown Dallas

Chef Nick Badovinus has a patriotic streak.

Photo by Julia Cooper

The new restaurant in downtown Dallas in the works from sprightly chef Nick Badovinus (Town Hearth, Neighborhood Services, Montlake Cut, Offsite Kitchen) has a name, and a little sibling. Called National Anthem, the restaurant will open in the triangular Magnolia Oil building as part of a new district being formed on the eastern edge of downtown Dallas.

According to a release, the district has a name, too: East Quarter.

As if having chef Nick Badovinus were not enough, National Anthem will also have a rooftop patio. Badovinus will also open a second restaurant concept in the same building: a breakfast and coffee joint called PMA All Day. PMA — short for "Positive Mental Attitude" — will be on street level and will serve coffee, doughnuts, and to-go items.

That's two Badovinus restaurants in one building.

The area is being developed by Todd Interests and represents more than two years of planning and acquisition of 18 buildings that include the triangular Magnolia Oil building at the intersection of Jackson and Chavez; the former Munger Cadillac showroom at 2211 Commerce St.; the Meletio Electric Supply buildings, at 315-325 S. Cesar Chavez Blvd.; and the Scottish Rite Temple, a historic landmark at 500 S. Harwood St.

This section of town was once known for automotive and industrial uses, and is now a large chunk of real estate inside the Central Business District. Todd Interests' goal is to weave in modern-day urban planning on a set of turn-of-the-century industrial and commercial structures.

The buildings feature unique exterior architectural elements and old-time craftsmanship that Todd Interests intends to preserve. That includes vintage signs, exposed beams, rafters, and trusses, and automotive emblems embossed into the entry flooring.

Guided by the Dallas 360 Strategic Plan, coupled with the under-construction Harwood Park, the newly-dubbed East Quarter adjoins Farmers Market, Deep Ellum, and downtown Dallas.

Does East Quarter roll off the tongue? "Hey, let's head down to East Quarter!" "Yeah, let's!"

"National Anthem" is a clever name that does follow Badovinus' pattern of two words for restaurant names, as we predicted in January, and it's way better than the guesses we ventured that included Magnolia Triangle, Magnolia Nosh, and Magnolia Chow.

An additional 200,000 square feet of creative office, retail, and restaurant space in now available within the 18 historic buildings, with spaces available ranging from 1,000 to 60,000 square feet.

downtown

Coffee News

Pinkies brews up coffee and cocktails on Cedar Springs in Dallas

Pinkies

Coffee at Pinkies

A gay bar in Dallas' Oak Lawn neighborhood has transformed into a coffee and cocktail lounge: Called Pinkies, it's now open at 3900 Cedar Springs Rd., in the space previously occupied by the Mr. Misster bar.

Pinkies comes from Trey Stewart and Meghan Harris, who also owned Mr. Misster, which they opened in 2019.

According to Stewart, they were looking to provide a more relaxed and cozy space, one that was less focused on nightlife. They figured others might also appreciate a coffee and cocktail concept along the Cedar Springs strip.

"Myself and my husband, who I met at Mr. Misster four years ago, no longer find ourselves out on weekends as consistently as we used to," he says. "We enjoy a nice craft cocktail, a cappuccino after dinner, a comfortable setting, and a place where we can socialize with our group of friends."

The menu features coffee and espresso drinks such as lattes, cappuccinos, and mochas, as well as teas including a popular matcha latte. A small selection of pastries includes doughnuts, coffee cake, blondies, and sweet breads including lemon-blueberry and white-chocolate-raspberry.

Cocktails incorporate some of their morning ingredients such as their espresso martini and matcha martini; they also offer martini flights.

They've updated the space, including painting the exterior a vivid pink, to make it easy to spot. Inside, there are magenta accents and it still feels a little clubby, with purple tile walls and touches of neon lighting. One wall is covered with floral wallpaper and a massive Pinkies Up neon sign. Furniture is a mix of modern white tables and big tufted banquettes.

They hope it will still fit in with the lively night scene in Oak Lawn, since it’ll be a coffee shop by day and high-energy lounge by night.

"Over the past six years, Meghan and I feel that we accomplished our goal of shaking things up on Cedar Springs, and some of the elements that once made Mr. Misster so special have slowly been replicated and duplicated down the block," Stewart says. "That was always our initial intention, to spark change and growth."

"With Pinkies, we wanted to offer a place where you can plug in, sip something great, and get things done without feeling out of place," he says. "Unlike a grab-and-go coffee spot, we want you to sit and stay for a while."

coffee openings