Beach News

New bar concept with giant sand pit brings beach to Dallas' Bishop Arts

You can sip your cocktail and dig your toes into the sand.

Dallas' Bishop Arts district has a new bar experience with ... sand. Called Bishop Lane, it's a former walkway that's been reimagined into a beachy scene with sandpit, thatched hut-style outdoor bars, and oodles of outdoor seating.

The concept is the latest from Exxir Hospitality, whose portfolio of bars and restaurants includes Oak Cliff haunts such as Paradiso, the Mediterranean restaurant in Bishop Arts; Botanist, the mixology-driven cocktail bar; and Good Companions, the casual cafe.

Located at 200 N. Bishop Ave., Bishop Lane is a 12,000-square-foot plaza that runs parallel to Bishop Avenue from the parking lot on 9th Street to Melba Avenue, now re-imagined as a tropical paradise.

Basically, they've cleverly repurposed a walkway that ran behind some of their concepts and transformed it into an outdoor oasis with a beach theme. This includes:

rattan couches
beach umbrellas in both striped canvas and thatched palm
blue-and-white striped beach chairs
pink aluminum drink tables
palm tree sculptures

These are all splayed across a big sandpit, spanning 1,000 square feet with 13 tons of sand, begging you to take your shoes off. Although it's brown sand, not white sand, but come on, this is Oak Cliff, not Bora Bora, stop being picky. (They do have great white sand at Sandbar Cantina and Grill, between Deep Ellum & Expo Park.)

Exxir has added two new outdoor bar concepts as part of the space: The Palm Bar at Casablanca, and Tejas Beach Shack.

Contributing to the beachside vibe are pop-up shops and street-food vendors, selling beach-style snacks such as tamales, tacos, walking tacos, multiple elote concoctions, noodles, bites, and craft cocktails, from executive chef Nick Hurry and beverage director Iluggy Recinos.

Food and drink items include Tejas Beach Shack's Frozen Chamoy Margaritas and Cool Ranch Doritos Walking Tacos, the Palm Bar's Longer Long Island Cocktail, and Casablanca's Dan Dan Noodles.

All offerings can be mixed and matched to be eaten throughout the al fresco seating areas.

Live music and DJ’s will be a big component, on Fridays from 6:30-8:30 pm and Saturdays from 7:30-10:30 pm.

Each weekend will celebrate a beach from around the globe:

June 3-4 - Hawaii
June 10-12 - Miami Salsa Night
June 17-19 - Venice
June 24-2 - Ibiza

nightlife

All You Can Eat News

Eki Sushi will bring buzzy sushi experience to southwest Dallas 'burb

A sushi restaurant with a little something extra is coming to Cedar Hill, on the southwest corner of Dallas: Called Eki Sushi, it'll open at 649 Uptown Blvd., where it will bring two buzzy options to a neighborhood eager to have them.

The restaurant is opening in a former Applebee’s, and is from a team that includes Meng Yang and Ben Zhu, who've operated other Asian restaurants in Texas. A spokesperson says they chose Cedar Hill, which is 18 miles southwest of downtown Dallas and just below Duncanville, because it's an up-and-coming area without many sushi restaurants so far.

They'll open in mid- to late-September.

Eki Sushi will offer:

a "revolving sushi" experience, in which pre-plated sushi is placed on a conveyor belt that circulates past tables, allowing diners to pluck them as they pass
"AYCE" all-you-can-eat sushi, in which diners pay a set price and order as much as they want

Both of these options have proven to be highly appealing to diners. The revolving sushi experience, for example, is a novelty with a sense of "fun" that takes it beyond the usual restaurant meal; entire chains are dedicated to the experience such as Kura Revolving Sushi Bar, which has numerous locations in the DFW area.

AYCE sushi places, also plentiful around DFW, are a lure for those seeking variety and instant gratification. And like a buffet, they allow diners unfamiliar with a cuisine to try a variety of dishes at a low-risk low price.

That said, Eki will follow the lead of many AYCE places that monitor your consumption to avoid waste; if you don't finish the food you order, you get charged regular price. There's also a 90-minute limit — no all-day gluttony — and it's priced differently depending on time of day: $20 at lunch, $30 at dinner, and $31 on weekends.

Eki has a massive menu with sashimi, sushi rolls, 25 specialty rolls from the prototypical Rainbow Roll with crab, cucumber, and avocado, draped with tuna and salmon, to the Sweetheart Roll with spicy tuna, cucumber, and avocado, wrapped in soy paper as well as seaweed and artfully fashioned into a heart-shaped roll.

In addition to sushi, the menu also offers Asian appetizers like edamame, spring rolls, egg rolls, tempura, and gyoza, plus wings and French fries, which are surely welcome in any restaurant, regardless of cuisine.

openings