Greenville Ave Eats

American fine-dining option pops the cork on Greenville Avenue

The opening date has arrived for Rapscallion, the new restaurant on Greenville Avenue from brothers Bradley Anderson and Brooks Anderson and chef Nathan Tate: Tuesday, July 7.

Located in the same tri-cornered building as Yucatan Taco Stand and B B Bop, Rapscallion will be a neighborhood bistro similar to Boulevardier, its Bishop Arts sibling. But instead of French food, Rapscallion's menu is influenced by Tate's Southern roots, with some products from his family farm.

There are two forms of chicken: rotisserie and "Nashville" hot-fried. Other entrees include short rib steak, fried catfish with littleneck clams and black-eyed peas, a grass-fed burger and a pork "collar" with plantains. Prices range from $14 to $25.

Sides include mac and cheese, hush puppies and fried okra, and run $7 to $10.

"Snacks" include scallions wrapped in pancetta, pork belly cracklins, spiced potato chips, fried pickles and cabrito kebabs, prices from $5 to $9.

Under "vegetables and grains" is a dish called "fried sorghum" that includes smoked oyster mushrooms, Napa cabbage and spring peas. Greens consist of fermented collards and Chinese water spinach, and there are cauliflower "steaks" with Okinawa white barbecue sauce.

Chef de cuisine Jonathan Peters is a Texas native who most recently was chef at Chamberlain West Hollywood and Palihouse in Los Angeles before joining the Rapscallion team. His background includes working with noted chefs such as Gordon Ramsay, Brendan Collins, Alain Giraud, Warren Schwartz and Eric Greenspan.

Peters and Tate will be working on a piece of equipment that doesn't usually have a brand name: a J&R Manufacturing wood rotisserie and grill. Steaks will be dry-aged in a refrigerator located behind the Rapscallion bar in full view of the guests. Like Boulevardier, Rapscallion will boast a raw bar with oysters, pickled shrimp and other seafood specialties.

The Andersons also own Veritas, so the wines are exactingly conceived, with an all-American list of 126 bottles, 60 of which are $50 or below.

"Just as the food menu has surprising twists and turns, so does the wine," says Brooks in a release, with "lesser-known grapes" such as Arneis, Roussanne, Trebbiano, Carignan, Nebbiolo and Valdiguie. That doesn't sound very American! But the list will also feature more common varietals associated with the world of American wine.

Cocktails by Eddie Eakin will focus on spirits distilled from grain, cane and agave. In addition, Rapscallion will offer martini service with house-pickled garnishes to pair with Rapscallion’s oyster selection. The beer selections, like the wine, will be 100-percent American-made products.

Rapscallion will add a little fine-dining flair to Greenville Avenue.

Photo courtesy of Rapscallion

Rapscallion will add a little fine-dining flair to Greenville Avenue.

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Matcha News

Calif bakery-cafe with creative drinks and snacks makes Dallas debut

Smoking Tiger

Garlic cheese bread and matcha latte from Smoking Tiger

A buzzy coffee shop and cafe from Southern California has made its Texas debut: Called Smoking Tiger, it opened in June in Carrollton, at The Great Oasis plaza at 2225 Old Denton Rd. #100, where it's serving Korean pastries, breads, coffee, and beverages.

Adored by Korean-Americans and possibly everyone on Instagram, the cafe is part of a chain founded in 2020 in Buena Vista, California, that encompasses both coffee shops as well as bakeries. The Carrollton location — full name "The Smoking Tiger Bread Factory" — is one of their most expansive, offering coffee, pastries, breads, and sandwiches.

Carrollton will be the first in the DFW area, but a spokesperson says it won't be the only, although they do not have specifics on other locations or timetable for opening.

Drinks
Their beverage menu is notably rich and creative, leading with the Tiger Latte, their signature brown sugar latte with caramel and frothed oat milk. The Smokin Spaniard is a twist on latte combining espresso, condensed milk, hazelnut, and cinnamon.

Other options summon favorite Korean flavors such as

banana milk latte
honey bori latte with barley milk and salted honey cold foam
sweet corn latte, with sweet corn milk and corn cold foam
chai latte
misugaru — a roasted rice latte served slightly sweetened over choice of milk

… plus matcha lattes including strawberry matcha latte; jeju matcha latte sweetened with maple syrup; hojicha latte, featuring jeju green tea — a green tea grown in South Korea — sweetened with vanilla.

Latte prices average about $6.50.

Other irresistible-sounding drinks include the Pineapple Express, featuring jasmine tea and pineapple concentrate, shaken with ice for a smooth texture; and "YSL" — Yuzu Sparkling Lemonade, featuring yuzu syrup, sparkling water, and lemon.

Garlic cheese bread at Smoking TigerSmoking Tiger

Food
Food options are equally as creative, led by three signature goodies:

Cream Cheese Garlic Bread — a large round roll with a heavy dose of garlic and cream cheese baked inside
Original Salt Bread — sort of like a cross between a roll and an everything bagel
Kimchi Musubi Croissant, featuring a croissant filled with a slice of Spam and kim chi, with a sheet of seaweed baked onto the top of the croissant

Plus "sconkies" — a cross between a scone and a cookie — in flavors such as Oreo or lemon earl grey. For Texas only, they also introduced a special menu of breakfast sandwiches such as a slider with scrambled egg, cheese, and habanero aioli on grilled King's Hawaiian rolls.

According to marketing director Andy Lee, part of its appeal is the way it channels similar cafes in South Korea offering both bread and coffee.

"We wanted to essentially create a space where people could experience modern Korean culture in a very authentic and approachable way," Lee told The Dallas Morning News.

That extends to the decor: They've outfitted the Carrollton location with vertical mahogany wood panels, often seen in cafes in South Korea and traditional Korean houses called hanoks.

coffee openings