Matchbox in Texas

Preston Hollow Village lands first-in-Texas joint slinging pizza and sliders

Sliders at Matchbox restaurant in Dallas

Sliders are on the menu at Matchbox.

Photo courtesy of Matchbox

A Washington, D.C.-based concept called Matchbox will debut in Texas with a Dallas branch at Preston Hollow Village. A spokesperson for the center said that the opening would take place in 2016.

Matchbox is another joint doing wood-fired pizza, but it also does burgers and other food groups. According to a release, it has a "contemporary bistro twist," with a Houston's-like aim to be upscale but at what they say will be casual dining prices.

The first Matchbox opened as a burgers-and-pizza joint in D.C. in 2003. They've since opened branches in Palm Springs, Maryland and Virginia. The parent company, the spatially challenged and intentionally lowercased matchboxfoodgroup, also runs a companion "upscale diner" concept called Teds Bulletin.

Co-owners Drew Kim and Mark and Ty Neal, who are brothers, hope to extend the American bistro brand to 48 restaurants nationwide by 2020. They hired Peter D'Amelio, formerly of the Cheesecake Factory, to help them expand, and chef Stephen Lyons to broaden the menu.

The Preston Hollow Village branch will be big, with 350 seats in an 8,250-square-foot dining space and large outdoor patio. Decor will consist of exposed brick and wood accents.

In addition to pizza, the menu will feature the signature burger slider appetizers and sandwiches such as smoked salmon BLT for the not-all-that-casual price of $18. Entrees include chicken, fish and chips, and a definitely-not-casual $38 rib-eye.

The Dallas restaurant is one of eight the group will launch in 2016, accompanied by locations in Northern Virginia and South Florida.

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Churro News

Global churro chain Churro Mania takes hold of Dallas with 3 locations

Churro Mania

A delicious new dining treat has come to Dallas: Called Churro Mania, it's a chain of places dedicated to churros and it opened a location in Lewisville at 801 W. Main St, where they're promising the best churros around.

They have basic churros covered with sugar or cinnamon; bites, both crispy and filled with caramel. They have an oversized fat single churro called Big Mania. You can also get them stacked up in a churro cake, or in an ice cream sandwich, with ice cream set between two circular piped churros.

There's another category called "salted" that features tequeños, AKA cheese sticks: dough filled with melted cheese, in either mini or jumbo sizes. A Churro Dog is as it sounds: a unique salty churro topped with a sausage, which you can get topped with potato stix.

There are also savory empanadas, filled with choice of cheese, shredded meat, or chicken, for $3.50 each. The churros range from $8 to $13.

Churro Mania launched their first location in 1997 in Venezuela. They developed a franchise operation, and subsequently opened more than a dozen locations across Venezuela.

They made their U.S. debut in 2001 with a location in Miami, then in 2012, they formed a partnership with Walmart to open outlets inside Walmart stores.

They currently have five locations in the Miami area and one in Houston.

Founder and CEO is Ariel Acosta-Rubio, who worked in industries such as collections, sales, and real estate, where he learned valuable traits such as customer service, marketing, and how to create a sustainable business.

Happily for DFW, the churromania won't stop in Lewisville. According to a spokesperson, they're opening at least two more locations starting with Dallas at 3636 Frankford Rd. #320, and Irving, at 4100 W. Airport Fwy.

openings desserts