Race Time
One-of-a-kind Japanese restaurant and racetrack rev up Dallas debuts
Three concepts that are completely new to Dallas-Fort Worth will join the growing roster of tenants at a new development set to open in The Colony. Two combine restaurants with entertainment in unique new ways; the other is a restaurant from a world-renowned chef.
They're opening at the Grandscape, the 400-plus acre complex being developed by Nebraska Furniture Mart, which is also the first anchor.
Andretti Indoor Karting and Games is a family entertainment and event destination with several attractions under one roof. The Grandscape location, set to open in 2019, will be the first in the state of Texas and will feature high-speed Superkarts that go up to 35 mph.
The two-story facility will house more than 120 arcade games, an indoor ropes course, professional racing simulators with VR technology, a two-level laser-tag arena, custom boutique bowling, and a fan favorite — the Dark Ride motion theater.
After guests have played all the games, they can visit the Andretti Grill, an in-house restaurant with from-scratch dishes such as slow-smoked ribs grilled on a Big Green Egg, and pizzas cooked in a brick oven.
A full bar will serve premium selections of Andretti Wine, with more than 100 HD TVs and projection screens.
Akira Back: Authentic Japanese Cuisine is the eponymous restaurant from award-winning chef and restaurateur Akira Back. This will be his first restaurant in the United States.
Opening in 2018 along The Boardwalk, Akira Back will serve authentic Japanese cuisine with a Korean accent. The trademark dish is a salmon "pizza," a fusion feat with paper-thin slices of salmon "glued" onto a tortilla with mayonnaise. Beverages include sakes, including Akira Back’s own brand, along with wine and cocktails.
Akira Back's other locations are in Jakarta, New Delhi, and Singapore, with future locations opening in Seoul, Dubai, and Bangok.
Back has experience in a Korean kitchen, Japanese kitchen, and an American kitchen. He's a jetsetter who skies in Aspen and fraternizes with celebrities like Paris Hilton.
Windmills Craftworks is an unusual concept founded in 2012 in Bangalore, India, with music, books, food, and craft beer. The idea is to create a space for people from all age groups, including families. There's a stage with comfortable seating, eclectic live music, and thousands of wonderful books, making Windmills Craftworks a unique and special place. Windmills will be located on The Boardwalk next to Akira Back and is slated to open in 2018.
Grandscape president Jeff Lind says that the three new concepts meet their goal to bring the best, most diverse retailers and restaurateurs together in one special location. A Galaxy Theater was announced in January.
One of the largest and most unique mixed-use real estate developments in the country, Grandscape is the sprawling 400-plus acre development in The Colony from Nebraska Furniture Mart, a Berkshire Hathaway company and the development’s first anchor.
