Closure News

Greenville Avenue Dallas restaurant Blind Butcher throws in towel

Charcuterie board out.

Photo courtesy of Blind Butcher

After four years on Greenville Avenue, Dallas restaurant Blind Butcher is throwing down the cleaver and closing its doors.

The restaurant best known for its charcuterie plate shared the news the way everyone does these days, via an announcement on Facebook.

Addressed to "Blind Butcher friends and family," it states that they will close on June 10.

"It is with a heavy heart that we announce our last day of business will be on Sunday June 10," the post says. "This is a day that we tried very hard to avoid and we want to thank all of you that helped us stick around this long. Our staff have been steadfast in their support and have been as great as any business owner could have hoped. To our loyal customers over the years we say thank you. Thank you for making us a part of your lives and thank you for all of the kind words and patronage that you have extended to us over the last 6 months especially."

In the last six months, the restaurant began to see a serious decline in business — so much so that owners Josh Yingling and Matt Tobin themselves began to work the bar, with a vow to put their tips back into the business. They also scaled down the menu significantly, under the direction of new chef Ernesto Garcia. (Original chef Oliver Sitrin left Blind Butcher in 2017 to take a sous chef position at Bullion, the downtown Dallas restaurant from chef Bruno Davaillon.)

In January 2018, they posted a plea on the restaurant's Facebook page, blaming road construction and too much competition, and soliciting customer support.

We will be offering a scaled down and more concise beer, cocktail and food menu while we work through this tough time.

"This is not a notice for pity but as realistic small business owners we wanted to face the facts head on and give everyone, including ourselves, a chance to fight for this city's restaurant scene and our place in it," they said.

Yingling and Tobin also own Goodfriend Burger House as well as Goodfriend Package Store, both in East Dallas.

closings

Omakase News

Downtown Dallas restaurant Sauvage expands with new dining twist

Sauvage

A downtown Dallas restaurant famous for its multi-course tasting experience is letting its hair down: Sauvage, the high-end mom-and-pop restaurant near the Statler Dallas hotel, has a new dining option that gives a smaller, more casual taste.

The restaurant opened in September with a set menu featuring 16 to 18 courses — wild game, seafood, vegetables, and dessert — all cooked via grill and smoker.

While 16 courses might sound like a lot, the courses are mostly small bites. However, owners Casey and Amy LaRue received feedback from diners wanting a smaller option.

"We were getting a ton of messages from guests who want to stop by just to try one dish, a bite, or a specific pairing without committing to the full tasting — so we built something for exactly that," Casey says.

They've introduced a new three-course "Cocktails & Bites hour" featuring three dishes, each paired with its own cocktail, served from 5–6 pm on weekdays.

Last week’s menu consisted of:

dry-aged red snapper crudo with La Chinola Way, a cocktail featuring passionfruit, mezcal, lime, and ginger
foie gras & truffle on house-baked croissant with Pendennis Club, a gin sour with apricot liqueur bitters
jerk-spiced shrimp with Clarified Paper Plane, a bourbon cocktail with Aperol, Amaro Nonino, and lemon juice

The new offering continues their pattern of pairing courses with cocktails rather than wine — an approach they've embraced since opening. "Limiting pairings to wine can get boring — it so often ends up being one expensive red after another," Casey says.

You can make a reservation on Tock, or just walk in and grab a seat.

Caviar
They've also added a new version of their classic menu: no caviar.

"Some love having caviar integrated into the menu, but others prefer to skip it, whether for taste or dietary reasons, but still want the full value of the experience," Casey says. "With such a small counter, this put us in a strange position: do we give everyone caviar whether they want it or not, or do we remove it entirely and lose a core part of our menu?"

Thus, a new menu without caviar, priced at $195, with an optional caviar course available for those who want it for $245.

downtown