Brunch Gets Sparkly
New Uptown Dallas restaurant-bar promises to put the party in brunch
An address on McKinney Avenue that has remained vacant for an inexplicably long spell will soon be home to a restaurant-bar called TBD that promises to take brunch to a whole new level.
TBD will open at the corner of McKinney and Hall Street, in a space that was formerly home to a bar called Republic. It's been unoccupied for five years, despite an enviable location in the thick of Uptown.
Owner Alex Marko says that TBD takes its inspiration from the nightlife scene in Los Angeles and New York.
"It's an after-work spot where you can go for drinks or dinner, and also grab a table to lead into late night, with bottle service," he says. "It'll be a high-energy place with a food program that's strong enough to hold its own, with the contributing factor of being on McKinney and Hall. Location's everything."
Marko, who owned a club in Detroit before moving to Dallas to assist in the opening of Scotch & Sausage (now Le Taco Cantina), notes that nightlife is heading away from the traditional club and bar categories and more toward hybrid restaurant-bars. "Our food program is strong enough to be called a restaurant only, and our nightlife program is strong enough to stand on its own as well," he says.
They're aiming for a July opening, and renovations are already underway. "Our remodel is so clean," he says. "Everything's white."
He's recruited a young chef from a country club in Texarkana, and he is still working on the cocktail program. One thing they know: They're going big on brunch, with champagne flowing, sparklers and other festive merrymakers à la Bagatelle in Los Angeles, known for its raucous brunch.
"It's going to be like a party brunch," he says. "It'll transcend expectations and provide an incredible experience every weekend. You might think you're at a nightclub, but you're at brunch."
