Rootsy restaurant from Dallas chef Tiffany Derry will set a Southern table

Dallas celebrity chef Tiffany Derry is opening a new restaurant inspired by her upbringing on her family's Southern farm. Called Roots Southern Table, it's opening at Mustang Station in Farmers Branch, at 13050 Bee St. #160.

According to a release, it'll open on June 18.

Derry is famous from her appearances on food network shows such as Top Chef, Top Chef Junior, and Bar Rescue. She's also the founder of Tiffany Derry Concepts and co-founder with partner Tom Foley of T2D Concepts, the hospitality group behind Roots Chicken Shak, Roots Southern Table, and 'Shef Tiffany spice and apparel line.

Menu highlights at Roots Southern Table include

• Gumbo with chicken, Zummo sausage, Louisiana shrimp, TexJoy file, and herb rice
• Cast-Iron Cornbread topped with Steen’s syrup, smoked salted butter, and preserves
• Black-Eyed-Pea Hummus with a crispy pea fritter, XO chili sauce, and pea shoots
• Spring Pea Salad with burrata, preserved lemon, radishes, and candied bacon
• Crawfish Boil Ravioli with crawfish tails, Zummo sausage, corn, and herbs
• Halibut with lima bean, okra, corn, spring onion, and roasted tomato
• Pork Osso Bucco with Texas tamale, West African peanut sauce, and mustard green salad.

The menu centerpiece is Tiffany’s famous Duck Fat Fried Chicken served family-style with drop biscuits, watermelon rind preserves, and house-made sauces.

Derry retains the principles of her family's cooking style: eating with the seasons, canning and preserving fresh-picked fruits and vegetables, and never letting anything go to waste.

"My grandmother was cooking field-to-table before it was a trend, and always welcomed guests with food," Derry says in a statement. "The dinner table was the heart of our family where we’d gather for special occasions over fried chicken, fish-fries, and crawfish boils. Inspired by my culinary roots, this concept is something I’ve been cooking up for years and I’m thrilled to introduce it to Dallas."

Cocktails
Cocktails are also Southern-inspired and seasonal, to wit:

• Southern Collins with gin, Steen’s cane syrup, seasonal melon shrub, club soda, and lemon
• Kingfish, a spin on a classic Vieux Carre with house infused plum rye whiskey, cognac, sweet vermouth, and lemon bitters
• Debutante with house Orangecello, Lillet Blanc, prosecco, and seasonal fresh herbs
• Kool-Aid Cocktail with vodka, hibiscus tea, strawberry, dry curacao, lemon, and pounded sugarcane

The bar will always be prepared to make classic Southern libations such as the house Old Fashioned or the New Orleans-born Sazerac, as well as a list of craft temperance beverages for those who don’t partake.

Decor
Roots Southern Table will hve a minimalist, understated, yet welcoming design, with an open kitchen, allowing food, cocktails, service, and conversation to shine. An AirPHX filtration system has been installed in the dining room to clean the air. An outdoor patio will be added during the summer for al fresco dining.

Derry's partner Tom Foley says that he and Tiffany are fierce advocates for creating equity in the hospitality industry.

"Through our advocacy and efforts to design a scalable model empowering ownership, we aim to bridge the gender and racial wealth gap," Foley says. "We believe great food brings people together and great conversation unites people—we want Roots to be that gathering place where everyone is welcome."

Hours at opening will be Tuesday-Sunday 5-10 pm, with brunch and lunch service to follow.

The Shops at Mustang Station is a retail development with restaurants, retail, and entertainment set in the Station Area, a master-planned district unfolding in West Farmers Branch. The shopping and restaurant village will also be home to Cox Farms Market, Cedar Creek Brewhouse & Eatery, Red Stix – Asian Street Food, Victoria's Mexican Kitchen, and Starwood Cafe.