New Pub in Plano

Lantern St. Grill & Tap House breathes new life into grubby old Plano sports bar

Out with the sports bar and in with Lantern St. Grill & Tap House, a new restaurant-bar going into the space previously occupied by Plano's 1st and 10, at Coit Road and Spring Creek Parkway. Lantern St. owner Aaron Morrison took over the dingy old space, cleaned it up and made it nice.

He scrubbed the kitchen, rebuilt the cruddy bathrooms, installed handsome hardwood floors, added a pretty stone backsplash to the bar and rustic wood slats on the wall. The place has been transformed into a casual, comfortable neighborhood pub.

Aaron Morrison almost opened Lantern St. in Frisco but saw potential for a neighborhood spot at this Plano intersection.

Morrison is an entrepreneurial sort who has owned or managed a number of places, including Glass Cactus at the Gaylord Resort, where he did all the training for the convention center staff. That's where he discovered he had a special skill.

"I discovered I had a flair for bottle-flipping," he says. "It was just something I did when I first started bartending, but I kept practicing until I eventually got to the point where I realized I was actually really good at it.

"I almost moved out to Vegas to do it full-time but decided I'd rather own a place rather than be bartending in my 30s."

He almost opened Lantern St. in Frisco but saw potential for a neighborhood spot at this Plano intersection. That's when he and his chef, Anthony Sergilia, got to work on the food.

He has a full menu with burgers, club sandwiches, chili, Caesar salad, and fish and chips. There's a noodle bowl that Morrison describes as "ramen on steroids." Instead of the usual chicken and waffles, they do fried chicken and bacon wrapped in a pancake.

He also felt compelled to create a signature dish.

"Every restaurant has a signature dish," he says. "Ours is the batter-fried mushrooms. I practiced once a week to get the right flavor. I'd call over friends. The batter is thin, but I got them so that they were soft and juicy, as if they'd been sautéed.

"We make our ranch dressing dip fresh, not from a bottle. Two of my friends said they hated mushrooms, and both said mine were so good, they would order them at a restaurant."

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RIP Al

Beloved Dallas restaurateur Al Biernat dies at 69 after ALS battle

Dallas restaurateur Al Biernat, RIP

Beloved Dallas restaurateur Al Biernat, founder of the acclaimed local steakhouse Al Biernat's, passed away on November 13, following a battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also called ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease; he was 69.

Biernat was one of Dallas' all-time great hospitality figures, dating back to his days at The Palm steakhouse, for whom he worked in Los Angeles, Houston, and Dallas.

Biernat founded his namesake restaurant in 1998 on Oak Lawn Avenue, where his standard of excellence and doting charm made it a destination for special occasions, Park Cities swells, and celebrities in town.

His sense of hospitality had little competition in Dallas. He was a charming and personable host who genuinely liked people, and it didn't matter whether you were Conan O'Brien, David Crosby, or one of the other high-profile diners that visited his restaurants — or else just a regular schlub: He had a knack for making everyone feel special and remembered.

Biernat was born on August 20, 1955 and grew up in Michigan, then lived in Colorado, New York, Los Angeles, and Houston, before moving to Dallas to work at The Palm in the West End, where his dynamic presence gave the restaurant an incomparable vitality; it closed in 2017.

He opened Al Biernat's at 4217 Oak Lawn Ave. in 1998, followed by a second location in North Dallas at 5251 Spring Valley Rd. in 2017.

He began to experience ALS symptoms in May 2023, was diagnosed in December, and revealed his condition in February 2024. The revelation was met with an outpouring of sympathy and well wishes from the hospitality industry — a sign of the high regard in which he was held.

The average life expectancy for people with ALS is two to five years after diagnosis. Symptoms can begin in the muscles that control speech and swallowing, or in the hands, arms, legs, or feet. He began to have difficulty communicating in September, and spent his last days in a hospice.

On September 18, he broached the topic of dying, before ending on a note of gratitude to friends and family.

"Having Bulbar ALS I am realistic about my future," he said. "Friends and family have asked me if I’m afraid of dying, and this is what I say to them. Because of the salvation of Jesus, I will be rejoicing in my spirit to see him in all of his glory. Since we are all flesh, soul, and spirit, only my flesh is being left behind. But don’t get me wrong, I have a blessed life in this world, with a loving wife, and a beautiful family and many wonderful and caring friends. I am grateful!"

Both Al Biernat's locations will continue to remain open under the management of Biernat's nephew Brad Fuller, as they have for nearly the past two years.

Biernat is survived by Fuller, as well as his wife Jeannie and three daughters: Angelica Saylor, Kaitlin Biernat Connell, and Jess Biernat and grandchildren. According to family members, details regarding a celebration of his life will be announced soon.

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