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