Chicken News

Fowl new restaurant in hot Uptown Dallas address is strictly for the birds

There'll be chicken and a whole lot more.

Photo by Firebird Fowl

UPDATE 9-20-2021: Firebird Fowl opens on September 20.

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An address in Uptown Dallas with good times in its bones has landed a new tenant: Called Firebird Fowl, it's a restaurant with what is truly a unique angle, set to open at 2816 Fairmount St. this summer.

This location was most recently Dos Jefes, but party people from the '90s and '00s might recognize it as the former home to Nick & Sam's Grill and once upon a time, Martini Ranch.

Firebird Fowl is a highly creative concept that takes the most popular food group right now — chicken, of course — and does it one better.

Owners David Taylor and Timothy Summers were originally plotting a Nashville hot chicken place, but after seeing that trend blow up in Dallas, they hit pause.

"It started because we love Nashville hot chicken — we used to travel to Nashville all the time and would wait in lines for hours just to get it," Taylor says. "I thought we'd be the first to do a place here, but out of nowhere, the hot chicken thing just exploded."

"We said, 'That's it, we're stopping,' but we used the opportunity to come up with something more creative," he says. "We had talked over the years about doing a couple concepts and they all entailed birds like chicken and turkey, and we said, 'Why don't we do a place where we combine them all?'"

Firebird Fowl goes for birds of all kinds: duck, chicken, turkey, emu, quail, and even ostrich, with some creative sounding dishes.

Their menu is still in progress but for example, the chicken category alone has more than half a dozen items, from the Nashville hot chicken sandwich to "giant wings" to spatchcock chicken to a chicken wrap.

There are duck tacos. Turkey Cobb salad. Ostrich burgers. And a Texas emu cheesesteak sandwich.

Developing the menu gave them a newfound appreciation for different kinds of fowl.

"Emu is like steak, and we'll be sourcing it from a couple of ranches, so it's almost farm to table," Taylor says. "We're so excited about this menu, it's as healthy as can be, but with a Southern flair."

Taylor is also the creator of DizziBrands, a food truck-restaurant specializing in alcohol-infused desserts such as ice cream, sorbets, cupcakes, frozen pops, brownies, dummies, and gourmet gelatin shots. DizziBrands is currently on hold, due to changes in the liquor laws by the TABC, but they'll soon be able to serve those products at Firebird Fowl.

"The cool thing about this restaurant is that our entire dessert menu will be Dizzibrands recipes including our signature Margarita Key Lime Pie, Cinnamon Whiskey Apple Pie, and Spiced Rum Cheesecake," Taylor says.

Getting the location at Fairmount was a personal score of sorts. Tim Summers says he fondly remembers Martini Ranch as a one-of-a-kind spot, known for serving extremely stiff drinks and for their popular Monday Night martini specials.

"We're going to do an homage," Summers says. "They used to have their 'Martini Mondays,' so for our first month, we'll do some flashbacks with discounted martinis, because of the love we had for Martini Ranch."

uptown openings

Red letter opening

Dallas bar veterans open Italian speakeasy-restaurant in Denton

Red: Italian

Photo courtesy of Red: Italian

Exposed stone walls and a backlit glowing bar anchor the subterranean space at Red: Italian.

A new speakeasy lounge serving high-end Italian food has arrived at a cool historic building in Denton. Called Red: Italian, the subterranean restaurant opened in the basement of Ruby Rodeo, a bar and live music venue located at 122 N. Locust St. on Denton Square.

The concept comes from Victor García and Mike Church. García spent years at Truth & Alibi — the popular speakeasy lounge disguised behind the faux storefront of the Deep Ellum Candy Company — before acquiring the same space for Scarlett Lounge and Kitchen in Deep Ellum in 2024. Church, a commercial pilot, trained at The Culinary School in Fort Worth and the Ritz-Carlton to refine his passion for cooking.

The business partners say they fell in love with the historic nature of the 1877 building in Denton, which housed Andy’s Bar for 30 years.

“We have always loved the building — it is the oldest building on the square. We saw the vision and loved the aesthetics for both our Ruby Rodeo and Red: Italian concepts,” Church says.

After opening Ruby Rodeo, the duo launched Red: Italian this month. Church notes that the "red" naming convention across their concepts — Scarlett, Ruby, and now Red — nods to his favorite color, a symbol of passion, and the red wines and tomato sauces central to Italian dining.

Church’s passion for Italian cuisine defined the menu, which he created alongside executive chef Denise Gabrielle, his former culinary school instructor. Gabrielle brings decades of hospitality experience from the Westin Hotels, The Wigwam Resort in Litchfield Park, Arizona, and most recently, The Taste Project in Fort Worth and Arlington.

The 58-seat underground space — which includes 10 seats at the bar — serves elevated Italian classics. Entrees range from $25 to $40, with menu highlights including:

Spicy sausage lasagna with arrabbiata sauce
Cacio e pepe bucatini
Chicken piccata
Braised lamb leg
Mediterranean Sea bass
Shrimp diablo
Espresso-crusted filet mignon with Italian seasoning

Appetizers are priced under $15 and include house-made fried mozzarella, stuffed mushrooms, grilled artichokes, bruschetta, meatballs, and flatbreads. The kitchen also serves salads, featuring a classic Caesar and a house chopped salad with nine toppings.

Shrimp diablo served over pasta with toasted slices of bread at Red: Italian.Photo courtesy of Red: Italian

Desserts feature house-made panna cotta, ricotta-amaretto Italian cheesecake topped with drunken cherry sauce, and a table-side bananas Foster served with house-made amaretto gelato.

The bar program leans into Italian flavors with options like an Italian margarita made with house limoncello, tequila, amaretto, and simple syrup, alongside a peach Bellini and a smoky Godfather. The wine list spotlights Italian bottles and a selection of Napa Valley options.

“The place has the perfect intimate, upscale, fun Italian wine and food ambience,” Church says.

While entering Red doesn't require a password, it still has an off-the-beaten-path entry that is characteristic of speakeasies. Social media posts direct patrons to "look for the red awning" adjacent to Ruby Rodeo’s black awning. A set of red stairs leads guests downstairs to a door with a small sign reading "Red:".

To preserve the speakeasy atmosphere, cell phone use is discouraged. The space also features subtle Easter eggs for guests to discover, such as conversation starters tucked beneath the napkins.

Following a sold-out opening weekend, Red: Italian is now open, with an official ribbon cutting planned for September (exact date to be announced).

Hours are Tuesday through Sunday from 5-10 pm, with last seating at 9 pm to wrap up dinner service before Ruby Rodeo’s live music starts upstairs at 10:30 pm.

speakeasy italian restaurant denton

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