Our ramen situation just got more rameny with two new ramen-serving restaurants — one to the north, one to the west. There's also sausage, steak and build-your-own Bloody Marys. Onward:
Ramen restaurant No. 1 is on Belt Line Road by Addison: Ramen Hakata has a long list of a dozen varieties of ramen, from the traditional tonkotsu, to garlic ramen, vegetable ramen, spicy miso ramen, cold ramen and more. The menu helpfully includes photos next to each option. There are also rice bowls, dumplings and appetizers such as takoyaki (octopus balls). Small plates start at $4, and the ramen costs $8-$10. The place is BYOB and already enjoying crowds at both lunch and dinner; according to a commenter on Eater, the restaurant was sold out of food by 6:30 pm.
Ramen No. 2 is in Fort Worth's Cultural District: Hanabi Ramen & Izakaya, which comes from the owners of Hanabi Hibachi and Sushi in Fort Worth, offers eight varieties of ramen, from tonkotsu to spicy karami tonkotsu with seasoned ground pork, to spicy miso tsukemen, with the noodles in a separate bowl for dipping. The izakaya, or small plates, includes skewers, tempura plates, salads and dumplings.
Scotch & Sausage, the Oak Lawn restaurant whose name positively reeks testosterone, has opened and is drawing members of the male species from all over DFW. BBQ Snob Daniel Vaughn was there on opening day, enjoying the lamb sausage but wrinkling his nose at the veggie he tried. The menu features 20 options, including pork, beef, chicken, venison, antelope and quail, plus three vegetarian options, all priced from $6 to $8. You can get them in a bun or in a gluten-free lettuce wrap. There are also Scotch eggs and Belgian fries, plus scotch, whiskey, and Belgian and German beers.
Southpaw's Organic Cafe is opening at Equinox, in the Highland Park and Preston Hollow locations; the cafes are open to both members and non-members. The Highland Park branch is already open, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner dishes such as oatmeal, granola, egg wraps, sandwiches and gluten-free bowls. Favorites include an avocado bowl filled with hummus, tabbouleh or tuna on a bed of baby spinach. The Preston Hollow cafe opens in August.
Landmark Bar & Kitchen is a new watering hole going into the space previously occupied by Brownstone. Landmark featuring vintage arcade games such as Skeeball, Ms. Pacman, Super Mario Bros, Donkey Kong and more. The fun doesn't stop there: There are 30 TVs, a mechanical bull, fishbowl and carafe cocktails, and 29° beer. The menu includes cilantro jalapeño hummus, meatball sliders and Buffalo chicken pizza. There is a cocktail called the Cereal Killer, with vodka and cereal milk.
A third branch of Dee Lincoln Steak Bar will open in Fort Worth in 2015, at 3280 W. Seventh St. in the Museum Place project. Both the Dallas and Plano locations have been known as Dee Lincoln Steak & Burger Bar, but from now on, it's Steak Bar only, to avoid confusion. "Dee Lincoln Steak Bar is a casual but chic steakhouse that also happens to have a nice presence of gourmet burgers on the menu," Lincoln says in a release. She opened her first steakhouse in Fort Worth nearly 20 years ago.
A new farm-to-table dining concept called Harvest will open this September in historic downtown McKinney, from restaurateur Rick Wells, owner of Rick's Chophouse. This restaurant will feature cage-free chicken from Pottsboro and shrimp from the Texas Gulf Coast. Chef is Andrea Shackelford, who currently oversees culinary direction for Rick's Chophouse.
The newest location of McAlister's Deli will open in August on Heritage Trace Parkway in Fort Worth, with a new interior design that includes all digital menu boards along with a new color scheme and décor.
Brio Tuscan Grille at Watters Creek has new menu items, such as proscuitto and mushroom pizza; a pork porterhouse with seasonal vegetables, arugula and mashed potatoes; spaghettini with broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, peppers, asparagus, capers and pine nuts; and sausage and tomato pasta. New cocktails include strawberry Fresca with rum, strawberries and lime juice.
Pakpao has a new build-your-own Bloody Mary bar at Sunday brunch. A shot of vodka is $8 and comes with choice of toppings such as jalapeño olives, pickles, palm olives, celery sticks and Thai chili. Three Bloody Mary mixes include one with Sriracha, one with a Thai theme and one with a curry theme. Pair them with brunch items such as taro pancake or Thai omelet with pork, onion and cilantro.
Last but not least, there's an update on the closing date of Bonchon Chicken. According to manager Wyatt Hurt, the restaurant will serve its last round of Korean-style wings and tenders on Sunday August 3.
Pakpao is the place to be if you like Bloody Marys.
Frita, a Cuban-style burger. Photo by Noah Fecks 