Ice Cream News

Dallas ice cream stand crafts uber-creative flavors at Sylvan Thirty

Ube ice cream is a favorite in the Philippines.

Photo courtesy of Betty Ringer

In the nick of time for summer, Betty Ringer, the ice cream shop at Sylvan Thirty, is about to debut. The shop comes from Stephen Smith, founder of Nib Chocolates, and will celebrate its soft opening on July 14.

It'll go into the empty space next to S30 Colectivo Pop Up Shop, and will offer ice cream as well as some of Smith's well-known confections, including his signature caramels.

Smith got hands-on experience in the world of running your own shop while he worked at Hey Sugar, a sweet shop in Roanoke. "I love ice cream and always thought about opening a place," he says. He's been working on the space for nearly a year.

He'll do about 10 flavors of ice cream, plus cookies and, on weekends, chocolates and caramels. He'll also do drinking chocolate when it gets cooler.

He's not using a pre-made ice cream base, which a lot of places do, but is making everything — the ice cream, the waffle cones, the cookies, the chocolate — from scratch.

Flavors he's crafted include sweet corn with blackberry jam; Thai tea; cajeta; milk chocolate with peanuts and burnt caramel; caramelized banana pudding; and cinnamon horchata, made with long grain rice, canela, almonds, and vanilla.

One special flavor, ube, reflects Smith's Filipino heritage.

"Ube is a purple yam used quite a bit in desserts in the Philippines," he says. "It's sometimes confused with taro, which is similar, but ube is very purple on the inside and has a nice floral note. In the Philippines, my memory of ube ice cream was with the little cubes of cheese mixed in."

The lineup of flavors will always include one sorbet, such as mango, lemon, or raspberry ginger; and one vegan ice cream made from house-made cashew milk and coconut milk, such as raspberry chocolate chip.

He'll also do ice cream cookie sandwiches, such as peanut butter and brownie ice cream sandwiched between coconut pecan cookies. And for those who can't decide, he's doing a line of miniature cones, to be used in special desserts such as flights and samplers.

The opening on July 14 will be from 5-9 pm. Hours will be Sunday-Thursday 12-9 pm, and Friday-Saturday 12-10 pm.

Fried Chicken News

Ambitious fried chicken restaurant from Denver lands in McKinney

Birdcall

Fried chicken from Birdcall.

A fast-casual chicken restaurant chain is flying into town: Birdcall, a Denver-based chain that specializes in fried chicken sandwiches and salads, will open in McKinney at 4702 W. University Dr., in a new center west of US-75.

According to a release, the restaurant will celebrate its grand opening on Monday, February 17.

Birdcall's main item is fried chicken sandwiches in nine varieties such as:

Southern with pimento cheese and southern coleslaw
Rancher with bacon onion jam, white cheddar, and Bird-B-Q Sauce
The Nashville hot deluxe with bacon, pepper-jack, tomato, lettuce, and herb mayo

They also do sliders, tenders, nuggets, and salads plus nine sides including fries, tater tots, loaded tots, and coleslaw. In addition, there's a vegan alternative using Meati, a faux chicken made from mushrooms.

Birdcall was created in 2016 by Peter Newlin and Jean-Philippe Failyau, two industry veterans who previously founded Denver-based concepts such as Park Burger and Homegrown Tap & Dough. With Birdcall, their goal was to not only offer a "better" chicken sandwich, but also improve the way fast-food restaurants operate.

There are now 12 locations in Colorado, Arizona, and Texas, with one other location in Richardson which opened in February 2024. (There were previously locations in Carrollton and Frisco, but both are now closed and no longer listed on their website.)

The McKinney restaurant will feature outdoor patio seating, a drive-thru, free arcade games, a bar, and self-serve ordering kiosks. Adding a creative and local touch to the vibrant atmosphere, the restaurant will also display murals by Dallas-based muralist Mari Pohlman.

The new location is part of the company’s goal to open 8-10 locations in the area, but leases have not been signed. All they need are leases and franchisees willing to open locations. Baby steps.

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