Cowboys Complex

Omni Frisco Hotel at The Star opens with big chefs and shopping perks

New hotel at Dallas Cowboys complex has good food and shopping exclusives.

Rendering courtesy of Omni Hotels

It's all falling into place in Frisco, with the latest domino being Omni Hotels & Resorts' newest location, the Omni Frisco Hotel, located at The Star. It's now open, with 300 guest rooms, a rooftop pool, and a decorative theme that pays subtle tribute to the Dallas Cowboys. Exceptional dining and retail experiences include a branch of Neighborhood Services and a boutique named for Cowboys VP Charlotte Jones.

Omni Hotels CEO Jim Caldwell says in a release that they're happy to finally unveil the hotel. "So much thought and effort has gone into the design and execution of this hotel and we are thrilled to have such exceptional partners in the Dallas Cowboys," he says.

The hotel incorporates elements of the Dallas Cowboys' legacy in the room décor and throughout the hotel, as well as elements from the city of Frisco. Clean lines, layered textures, and multifunctional furniture with integrated storage make the guest rooms the new standard for modern and quality design.

The eats
Nick Badovinus' Neighborhood Services will be the featured dining experience, led by executive chef Richard Blankenship. The menu will include NS favorites such as meatballs, crispy asparagus, butcher's burger, meatloaf and mash, and chicken and dumplings.

A brunch menu will debut on August 25, with avocado toast, granola and yogurt, quinoa bowl, and churro French toast. Blankenship will also oversee the food at the Edge Bar, the hotel's rooftop pool bar and grill, along with in-room dining, banquets, and catering.

The Edge Bar menu will feature seasonal items and culinary partnerships with the Omni Frisco Hotel. We are talking sponsorships, baby. For example, the menu features food and drink options that incorporate the hotel's seasonal partner, Avocados From Mexico.

The hotel's Lobby Bar will feature wines chosen by master sommelier Drew Hendricks, which can be partnered with cheeses from Dallas specialty store Molto Formaggio. A cheese cart will be a daily staple, with cheeses from France, Italy, California, and Texas. Cheese boards can also be paired with charcuterie.

The shopping
In addition to the food and beverage program, Omni Frisco will offer a unique retail experience with the Charlotte Jones Collection. Named after Dallas Cowboys executive vice president and chief brand officer Charlotte Jones Anderson, the luxury retail outpost will feature clothing, jewelry, and goods for men, women, children, and the home, including the Dallas Cowboys throw blankets found in the hotel rooms. Some merchandise will be branded in shades of Cowboys blue and silver.

Charlotte Jones Collection will sell Dallas Cowboys merchandise, exclusive items from Dallas-area artists, snacks, drinks, and sundries. The boutique aims to offer both fashion and home finds, plus souvenirs.

But there's more. Charlotte Jones Collection will also sell gifts such as Hublot watches, Alexis Bittar jewelry, Edie Parker clutches, plus fashion and goods from Kendra Scott, Peter Millar, Paige Denim by Equipment, Essie, Jack Black, Sugarfina, and Swell. Much, much stuff.

Chocolate News

Richardson dessert shop Chocolate Drip lays out eye-catching treats

Chocolate Drip

Chocolate bear with pistachio sauce at Chocolate Drip

A dessert shop in Richardson has become the toast of the sweets world: Called Chocolate Drip, it opened in August at 1057 S. Sherman St., in a center east of US-75 near Spring Valley Road, where it's rolling out some eye-catching chocolate treats.

Chocolate Drip is a passion project from Mohammad Quzmar, a Palestinian-born owner who moved to Dallas four years ago and taught himself to cook through tinkering. That experimentation has translated into a constantly evolving menu, with new creations appearing whenever inspiration strikes — earning him a growing reputation as something of a modern-day Willy Wonka.

"Chocolate is my passion. I just love being in the kitchen and creating,” he says.

The cafe's offerings are extensive, from sweet breakfast staples like pancakes and waffles to off-menu items teased on the café’s Instagram, such as the Dubai Drip platter — an interactive fondue plate with fruit, brownies, waffles, marshmallows, to be dipped into melted chocolate and pistachio cream.

Many of his items have the kind of eye-catching twists and table-side presentations that draw attention on Instagram, such as the cruffle (a waffle made from a croissant) topped with spaghetti-like strands of gelato, which a server extrudes through a potato ricer right before your eyes.

Other signatures include a teddy bear made of chocolate mousse and kanafa, finished with pistachio sauce for $13.30, and crepes filled with a brownie, with pistachio and chocolate sauce for $15.

Prices are not cheap but these are ultra-decadent items with generous portions, often meant for sharing.

The drink list is ambitious, spanning coffee, matcha, smoothies, milkshakes, and nonalcoholic mocktails. It's obvious Quzmar is having fun, rolling out his versions of viral items like the famous s'mores hot chocolate pioneered by New York dessert shop Glace, which features a cap made of marshmallow meringue that’s torched.

There are also a few savory offerings like egg-and-cheese crepes, a salmon croissant, and a turkey waffle. Those in the know also come to order Middle Eastern treats like salab, a creamy milk drink topped with cinnamon; and Om Ali, a sugary pudding with nuts, dried fruit, and coconut.

Named after the Gen Z slang for “cool” or “stylish,” Drip is meant to be a hangout spot more than a quick dessert stop, Quzmar says — a place to linger over brunch, then return late night to a place that feels buzzy and fun sans alcohol.

“Everyone who works here is either family or treated like family and everything is homemade with love," he says.

desserts openings