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

Saucy Summer

Loro Asian Smokehouse bottles fan-favorite sauces for summer in Dallas

Photo courtesy of Hai Hospitality

This lively salsa can now dress up dishes at home.

You can't bottle famed Texas pitmaster Aaron Franklin's meat-smoking skills, but you can bottle the sauce at Loro, his popular Asian Smokehouse founded with Uchi chef Tyson Cole. Three of the restaurant's signature sauces will be available for a limited time this summer, starting June 21 and ending July 5.

A press release promises "bold, smoke-kissed flavors" on offer during the restaurant's "Saucy Summer" event. Guests can pick them up from all Loro locations across Texas. In Dallas, that means 1812 North Haskell Ave. in East Dallas and 14999 Montfort Dr. in Addison. There are also locations in Austin and Houston.

Fans of Loro probably already know these flavors from dipping wonton chips and slathering fried chicken sandwiches.

Loro Hot Sauce Loro's smoked hot sauce and chicken are a perfect match.Photo courtesy of Hai Hospitality

The three sauces for sale are:

Tamarind BBQ: A sweet sauce that's "a little wild" thanks to spicy and fruity flavors. Ingredients include tamarind, honey, soy, pineapple, Thai sriracha, mesquite, and nam tok seasoning — usually a mix of lime, chili flakes, and other standard seasonings like salt and sugar. This one is recommended for brisket, grilled chicken, or brushing ribs in the last five minutes of cooking.
Loro Hot Sauce: Described as "buttery" and "chili-forward." It's also made with Thai sriracha and augmented with dried Thai chili flakes, vinegar, butter, and tallow. The recipe was made with eggs, tacos, fried rice, wings, sandwiches, and spicy spreads in mind.
Green Chili Salsa and Marinade: Be careful with this spicy sauce, which has a "sneaky heat." The overall tone is bright and herbal thanks to green tomato, cilantro, garlic, lime, and ginger, with soybean paste and Thai chili adding oomph. This sauce is great for marinating chicken or shrimp, but it can also be poured right on top of tacos and rice bowls or used to finish veggies and grilled fish.

Each sauce sells for $8, but shoppers can bundle three of them for $20.

Purchases can be made for dine-in or takeout via Toast. Deliveries are available via Door Dash and Uber Eats while the promotion is running. To stay on top of stock, only a certain number of sauces will be sold each day.

Loro Tamarind BBQ Sauce Sauce-lovers can bundle all three sauces for variety.Photo courtesy of Hai Hospitality

Whether or not guests purchase a sauce, they can use the code SAUCYSUMMER to take $10 off to-go orders placed July 3 and 4.

aaron franklin tacos cooking barbecue