This roundup of Dallas restaurant news welcomes the opening of a new healthy restaurant in Lakewood, a new-ish bakery in Oak Cliff, and the return of the Hatch chile.
Here's what's happening in Dallas restaurant news:
Crisp & Green is opening its second Dallas location at 6333 East Mockingbird Lane, #165 with a menu of salads, grain bowls, and smoothies. Franchisee Blake Graves says in a statement that having the location near the White Rock area was a no-brainer because they'll be able to provide a healthy fast-casual option for lake visitors. They debuted in Dallas in January at Snider Plaza, and have plans for 15-plus locations across the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. The brand is based in Minnesota where it launched in 2016, and has locations across Minnesota, Texas, and South Dakota. We're only one of three, yay us.
Taco Ocho, the small locally-owned chain, has opened a new location in McKinney, at 3041 S. Custer Rd. Owner Mani Bhushan worked for companies such as PepsiCo, Yum! Brands, and Blockbuster, before founding Taco Ocho in 2011 as a Mexican restaurant inspired by Latin cuisine with classic techniques. Every item is made-to-order using fresh ingredients, with inspiration from Peru, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela. They're also extremely veg-friendly, and they keep long hours: breakfast, lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch. This is the fourth location, joining the original in Richardson, plus Frisco and Flower Mound, and it boasts a colorful mural perfect for instagram posts plus really pretty patterned ceramic tile.
Oak Cliff Bread Co. is a new-ish cottage bakery from husband and wife Tyler and Chayanne Rooney, who according to the Advocate are making loaves, baguettes, croissants, and other pastries out of their Oak Cliff home, using fancy wheat sourced from Barton Springs Mill and milled in Oak Cliff. You can get sourdough and rye bread for $8, baguettes for $5, and croissants for $4, for porch pickup or local delivery on Fridays or at the Dallas Farmers Market on Sundays.
Neighborhood Cellar, the Bishop Arts wine shop, has brought back its full menu, plus its wine club, plus a new natural wine flight. Its Wine 101 classes are also returning, where 20 guests can learn about wine and enjoy four types of wine along with snacks from Fount Board & Table for $35. An August 12 class covers Rosé and an August 28 class covers Natural wine.
City Works Eatery and Pour House in Frisco and Fort Worth have an array of new dishes and cocktails including: Duck Nachos, Ahi Tuna Chopped Salad, BLTE with scrambled egg, bacon, sausage, smoked cheddar in a crispy flour tortilla, chimichurri with bacon, arugula, tomato, and egg, and a S’mores Dip dessert. New cocktails include the Negroni, Scotch Old Fashioned, and Golden Honey Margarita.
Corner Bakery has partnered with Avocados From Mexico on menu items featuring avocado including the Anaheim Panini, Turkey Avocado Cobb Salad, and Uptown Turkey Avocado Sandwich. Customers can also just go crazy and add half an avocado to any menu item for $1.
Tropical Smoothie Cafe has introduced a new line of Poolside Quesadillas for summer: BBQ Shrimp Quesadilla has BBQ shrimp, queso blanco, cheddar and smoked cheese blend, pineapple salsa, and pickled jalapenos in a flour tortilla served with BBQ ranch. Jerk Chicken Quesadilla has grilled chicken, queso blanco, cheddar and smoked cheese blend, pineapple salsa, black beans, red pepper, and jerk sauce in a flour tortilla served with jerk ranch. BLT Quesadilla has bacon, queso blanco, cheddar and smoked cheese blend, tomato, and shredded lettuce in a flour tortilla served with salsa ranch. The menu is available through August 31.
Wing Boss, the ghost kitchen concept from Dickey's, has a new sauce: Dr Pepper Barbecue Sauce, a sweet, smoky sauce inspired by the legendary flavored soft drink.
Twin Peaks has released a new beer called Twin Peaks Light. This clean and crisp American beer is brewed at the Twin Peaks Brewery Co. in Irving, and is for those who want a lighter brew with lower alcohol content: 105 calories and five carbs per 12-ounce pour. It joins their three other beers: the Dirty Blonde, Knotty Brunette, and Drop Dead Redhead.
McDonald's has partnered with platinum hip-hop artist Saweetie on a special meal to be available starting August 9. The meal will feature a Big Mac, 4-piece Chicken McNuggets, medium Fries, medium Sprite, BBQ Sauce, and Sweet 'N Sour sauce. Saweetie is the latest chart-topping artist to be featured on McDonald's menu since the Famous Orders program kicked off last year. Like many fans who have their own menu hacks, her combinations bring a creative twist to McDonald's iconic food.
Liberty Burger is doing a special Key lime shake for the summer with vanilla custard, graham crackers, and lime juice at all five locations.
Street's Fine Chicken is doing a special Key Lime Pie Martini for the summer with coconut rum, cream, pineapple juice, and lime juice, rimmed with graham cracker crumbs.
Roy G's on Cedar Springs Road has added a Key lime frozen margarita to its menu, with Bacardi Lime, Rumchata Limon, lime, and cream.
Chipotle is giving out free guacamole on July 31, either as a free topping or as a side, as long as they purchase an entrée. Use the digital-only promo code AVO2021 when placing an order on the Chipotle app or Chipotle.com.
Truluck's is featuring Rioja wines from Spain for the month of August that include Conde de los Andes, Rioja, 2001 for $148 per bottle; Conde de los Andes, Spain, Rioja, 2001 for $37/glass; and Contino, Reserva, Rioja, 2011 for $98 /bottle.
Invivo X, Sarah Jessica Parker, the somewhat awkwardly-titled yet award-winning wine from SJP, has launched a new online store in Texas - one of 14 states across the U.S. where customers can now purchase two wines: a Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, and a Rosé from France, both for $20. Parker says that "connecting directly with our loyal clients is so important to us. I very much look forward to a new kind of content that will be available to US customers through Invivoxsjp.com." The wines have earned high ratings and awards since launching in September 2019.
Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas has a new Executive Pastry Chef: Yudith Bustos. Originally from Costa Rica, Bustos joined the Four Seasons family as the Pastry Chef de Partie at Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo in 2008. She then moved to Four Seasons Hotel Washington, DC in 2013, as Executive Assistant Pastry Chef and continued to hone her craft while working (baking) her way up to Executive Pastry Chef in 2018. Her insistence on perfection and wild creativity provided opportunities to impart her expertise and work alongside peers at Four Seasons properties in Nevis, Dallas, and Paris.
Starbucks has made a donation of $1.7 million to Feeding America to advance equitable access to nutritious food for BIPOC and under-resourced communities. These grants will be distributed to 16 Feeding America-member food banks across the U.S. where Starbucks Community Stores are located, including the North Texas Food Bank.
