News You Can Eat

Special summer dishes perk up this parcel of Dallas restaurant news

Thai Knee Dancer burger from SkinnyFats.

Photo courtesy of SkinnyFats

Summer's here and it's showing up on Dallas menus. If you like seasonal specials, if you like dishes you can only get for a limited time, then this collection of Dallas dining tidbits, culled from press releases and other random sources, will be right up your alley.

Here's what's happening in Dallas restaurant news:

Chipotle Mexican Grill will open a location in Oak Cliff, according to a strange post from the Fort Worth Avenue and West Commerce Facebook page. The post says that the chain will open a location at the Lincoln Property Commercial development at Fort Worth Avenue and Colorado.

Flying Fish, the fast-casual seafood eatery founded by restaurateurs Shannon Wynne and Larry Richardson, is now open at The Sound at Cypress Waters. The menu features catfish, shrimp, oysters, grilled fish, crab legs, burgers, chicken, and mudbugs. Offerings include grilled plates prepared traditional, snappy, or with garlic butter; boiled platters, fried seafood baskets, salads, oysters on the half shell, fish tacos, po' boys, jambalaya, grits, gumbo, hushpuppies, pickled green tomatoes, beer, wine, and margaritas. Inspired by East Texas seafood joints, Flying Fish has 11 outposts throughout North Texas, Arkansas, and Tennessee.

Golden Chick has a new location in Irving at 3511 Regent Blvd. This is their second location in Irving. The restaurant's parent company, Golden Tree Restaurants, recently named Jim Stevens as the new president of Golden Chick. Stevens takes over the 52-year-old brand after one year as a Golden Chick franchisee. Mark Parmerlee, the former president, will continue as chairman of the board and as president of Golden Tree Restaurants, including The Jalapeno Tree, Fireside Pies, Texadelphia, JC’s Burgers, Heff’s Burgers, Lola’s, and Happy Taco brands.

SkinnyFats has a new menu of five dishes available exclusively in Dallas. Thai Knee Dancer is a quarter-pound, grass-fed beef patty with grilled pineapple, pickled red onions, and cabbage peanut slaw on a whole wheat bun. The shareable Brussel Crowe features Brussel sprouts, caramelized onions, golden raisins, capers, almonds, parsley, and balsamic glaze. Long Live Summer is a salad with mixed greens, apples, cranberry-mustard vinaigrette, pickled red onions, dried cranberries, almonds and feta cheese. The Pre Birds is a twist on deviled eggs, with Thai spices, cilantro, and smoked paprika. Caes’ the Day is a Caesar wrap with grilled chicken, pickled red onions, mixed greens, smashed avocado, and vegan Caesar dressing inside a spinach wrap.

Jinya Ramen Bar is launching a new special for the summer, called Hiyashi Ramen. It's a cold, broth-less ramen that's a lighter alternative to the classic ramen, made with pork chashu, egg, cucumber, bean sprouts, spinach, pickled ginger, and ramen noodles, with either a sesame or sweet soy sauce. It's available June 1-August 31.

Public School Restaurant + Bar has several new menu items for lunch and dinner including the southwest chicken bowl, crispy fish tacos, cast iron chicken, pig and pineapple pizza, and the hot mess sandwich with smoked turkey, white cheddar, caramelized onions, pickled jalapenos, and au jus in a hoagie roll. Ahi tuna poke bowl has mixed greens, quinoa, avocado, cucumber, and carrots in a sweet rice vinaigrette. The Impossible Burger comes with arugula, tomato jam, peppered mushroom, truffle aioli, and a parmesan crisp on a brioche bun. Available at both locations in Dallas and Addison.

Del Frisco's Grille has a limited-time menu featuring three new burgers with fries paired with wine from the Bordeaux region. The Blanc is a turkey burger with pear mostarda, brie, roasted garlic aioli, and arugula on a toasted brioche bun served with Chateau Peyrat, Graves Blanc. The Château is a 6-ounce house-ground filet mignon burger with goat cheese, tomato jam, caramelized onions, roasted garlic aioli, and spring mix on a toasted brioche bun served with Chateau Tour Bayard, Montagne-Saint Émilion. The Légende is a 6-ounce house-ground filet mignon burger with mushroom, raclette, black garlic aioli, truffle vinaigrette, and arugula on a toasted Kaiser roll, served with Légende by Domaines Baron de Rothschild, Médoc. Available at all DFW Del Frisco’s Grilles for $25.

Tacos 4 Life has a new menu of limited-edition menu items for summer. Sweet chili shrimp taco has fried shrimp drizzled with sweet chili sauce, topped with mango, avocado, pico de gallo, and lettuce on a soft flour tortilla. Fried green tomato taco has fried green tomatoes with bacon, Cajun ranch, pico de gallo, lettuce, and roasted corn on a soft flour tortilla. Watermelon strawberry punch consists of watermelon puree, strawberry puree, orange juice, lemon, sugar, and water. Available at all 16 Tacos 4 Life locations in Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina through August 26.

Sauce Pizza & Wine has launched two seasonal specials. The watermelon & arugula salad has watermelon, feta cheese, jicama batons, arugula, and spinach in white balsamic vinaigrette. The Summer Sampler special includes a salad, 12-inch pizza, and two glasses of wine for $22. Available June 1-August 31 at three Texas locations: 8185 Walnut Hill Ln. in Dallas, 7300 N. MacArthur Blvd. in Irving, and 1151 S. Preston Rd. in Prosper.

Liberty Burger has an off-the-menu burger available through July 31. Show Me the Shoyu is a bison patty blended with sautéed cremini mushrooms, topped with shoyu glaze, Swiss cheese, caramelized onions, butter lettuce, sautéed mushrooms, and basil garlic aioli. One dollar from each burger sold will benefit the Dallas Area Rape Crisis Center. It's part of a national competition hosted by the James Beard House where you can ostensibly vote online, but their website seems to be messed up.

Dog Haus, known for gourmet hot dogs, has a special chicken sandwich, the Karaage Kid, featuring Japanese karaage fried chicken, slaw, sweet island ginger sauce, spicy mayo, and wasabi furikake on a grilled King's Hawaiian bun. $1 of the price from every Karaage Kid will be donated to Dog Haus’ national charity partner No Kid Hungry. It's available through June.

Café Valley, a bakery brand, has partnered with 7UP on a new line of bite-sized cakes called 7UP Cake Bites. The bites are light and tangy, with a moist cake and lemon-lime flavor.

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Revolving Doors

12 restaurants in Dallas that have either just opened or just closed

Harumama

Harumama Noodles & Buns

In the inevitable ebb and flow of Dallas restaurants, openings and closings are part of the deal — often coming at the end of the year, when restaurateurs, like the rest of us, take stock of the future.

When there is more than one opening and closure, it becomes difficult to keep track. For this reason, there are lists.

Here's a roundup of Dallas restaurant openings and closures, with the bad news first.

CLOSURES

Terra Mediterranean
Mediterranean favorite in Plano closed on December 8, almost four years to the day they opened. When restaurateur brothers Jalal Chanaa and Adam Shanaa opened it at the The Shops at Willow Bend, it was the third location of Terra, following the original in Fort Worth and another in Irving. Both of those locations have since closed, although they're planning to reopen Fort Worth soon. Meanwhile, the brothers are advising Dallas fans to head to Ali Baba, their other restaurant in Richardson, which they say has the same menu.

Yummies
Despite the confusingly quirky name, this Allen restaurant was a fast food halal restaurant featuring halal beef patties prepared fresh in-store every day, plus pita sandwiches, shawarma, and fajitas. They'd been open for seven years including enduring the pandemic, and locals liked their burgers. But they closed at the end of November.

Whistle Britches
Fried chicken & biscuits concept from chef Omar Flores quietly closed its location at 6110 Frankford Rd. in November. Queries about the what and why are going unanswered, but a recording on the location's phone says both that #1 the closure is temporary and also #2 a new concept will go in its place. This was the location featured in Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives, so closing it seems like a shoot-yourself-in-the-foot kind of move, but there are still two remaining locations open, in Plano and Southlake.

Mixtitos Kitchen
Mexican-fusion restaurant in East Dallas finally closed after two years of chef-owner Jose Luis Rodriguez bemoaning a lack of interest in his unusual menu of American, Mexican, and French dishes. He earned oodles of idiotic media attention, but the menu was a tough sell in a space that was previously home to La Acapulqueña, which served cheap Mexican food and margaritas in that space for 33 years. Changing the menu or paying his rent apparently never crossed his mind.

Barley & Board
Denton brewpub is closing after nearly 10 years. According to a post from the owners, the lease was up and they opted not to renew. B&B brought a level of cosmopolitan cool to Denton, combined with an easygoing vibe that made it a fresh addition when it was opened by a hospitality supergroup in 2015. Alas, they got pummeled by the pandemic; one chef said that "things were never the same after COVID." In 2021, they pared down the menu, although they remained a big magnet and brought lots of patrons and revenue into the Square. Their second location which they opened at Grandscape in 2018 closed in November. Denton will close on January 6.

Taco Cabana in Murphy
The Taco Cabana location at 104 FM 544 in Murphy has permanently closed. A Taco Cabana representative said that the location was not doing enough business. People of Murphy, it's on you. Fortunately, the chain has 18 other Dallas-area locations. Support your neighborhood Taco Cabana!

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OPENINGS

Rodeo Cold
Yee-haw dive bar in old east Dallas at 3826 Ross Ave., in the former Eastbound & Down space, is now open. Rodeo Cold is a sibling of Green Light Social, the Austin-born nightlife venue which opened off Good Latimer Freeway in 2021 from owners Robert Dummond and Ian Fletcher, who've partnered with Ian’s brother Eric Fletcher. Their vision is a bar with a late '70s/early '80s vibe plus a little Texas Western color thrown in. They have a basic menu designed by Green Light Social Chef Luis Ayala, with American classics such as steak fingers with gravy, Texas chili, burgers, hot dogs, and Frito pies, plus nothing-too-fancy ready-to-drink cocktails.

MiYa Chinese
New Chinese restaurant is now open in Casa Linda Plaza, in the former Pei Wei space where it's doing an elevated take on Chinese cuisine, blending traditional flavors with a modern, yet cozy atmosphere. MiYa is the brainchild of David Romano, an industry veteran with 30-plus years of food and beverage experience; and brand creator and menu visionary Jia Huang, who grew up in China immersed in her family’s restaurant and has 10-plus years of experience in restaurant operations in America. They're doing classic Chinese take-out items like beef with broccoli and orange chicken, plus hand-pulled noodle dishes such as Sichuan Dan Dan with cucumber, carrot, and sesame Dan Dan sauce ranging in price from $14 to $18.

Be Home Soon
Casa Linda is on fire right now with yet another new opening, this one a place with rock-star cred that just opened in mid-November. The restaurant is from Madison King, a onetime Dallas musician-turned-chef who envisions a warm, comfortable restaurant with a full bar and menu she describes as "home cooking, no matter where you're from." They're open for lunch and dinner with a menu that includes fun appetizers, soups, salads, and sandwiches for lunch, then roll out blue plate specials for dinner.

Kafi BBQ
This one jumps the gun a little because it isn't quite open yet but it's days away. This unusual BBQ restaurant specializing in halal Wagyu beef, will open at 8140 N. MacArthur Blvd. #100 in Valley Ranch on December 14. It's from Salahodeen Abdul-Kafi, a Missouri-born tech engineer and amateur chef who started bringing his BBQ to events at his mosque, where he would sell out very quickly. The menu will include $15 Wagyu brisket sandwiches, brisket on a stick, Iraqi kebab-inspired sausage, and combo plates.

Harumama Noodles + Buns
Small San Diego-based chain with five locations in California is known for "cute" steamed buns decorated to look chicks, pigs, cows, pandas, etc. They've opened a location in Carrollton — their first in Texas — at 1060 W. Frankford Rd. Beyond its twee appeal and Instagram value, the restaurant has a big menu featuring ramen, poke, bao buns, crab wontons, fried rice, potstickers, eggrolls, and salads.

Russo's New York Pizzeria - Frisco
Longtime pizza chain based in Houston which serves New York-style pizza has opened a new location in Frisco at 3420 Main St. #200, in a small new center near Teal Parkway. In addition to full pies, they offer pizza by the slice.

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