Coffee News

Dallas coffee chain steams ahead with new shop at Plano's Willow Bend

One coffee coming up.

Ascension Coffee

One of Dallas' more forward-thinking coffee shop chains has a new location in the works.

Ascension Coffee, which follows the Australian style of coffee shop, will open an Ascension Annex at the Shops at Willow Bend in Plano. According to a release, the targeted opening date is September.

Ascension Annex will be located on the mall's lower level, between Neiman Marcus and Dillard's.

Founded in 2012, Ascension is a craft coffee and wine bar that serves a European-café inspired menu with simple, classic bites for breakfast and lunch. The Shops at Willow Bend will be the sixth Ascension location, following the recent opening of an Ascension at The Star in Frisco.

Founder and roaster Russell Hayward says in a release that they're incredibly excited about the Willow Bend store. They're usually excited or thrilled.

"Ascension believes in creating an environment where communities can gather, discover, and share," Hayward says. "So opening a location at The Shops at Willow Bend was a natural decision for our brand."

The addition of Ascension is part of The Shops at Willow Bend's $125 million reimagining and renovation project, opening in phases through 2019. Other new things coming include the Crayola Experience, a restaurant district, Equinox, and an office tower.

Shops at Willow Bend marketing director Amy Medford says in the same release that Willow Bend is thrilled. They're generally either thrilled or excited.

"The addition of Ascension aligns perfectly with our mission to bring community-centric and chef-driven dining options to North Dallas residents," Medford says.

Before the new location opens, a pop-up Ascension Annex will offer Willow Bend shoppers limited menu items that include signature roast coffees, pastry items and other on-the-go lunch selections. It'll be located between Neiman Marcus and Macy's.

coffee openings

Omakase News

Downtown Dallas restaurant Sauvage expands with new dining twist

Sauvage

A downtown Dallas restaurant famous for its multi-course tasting experience is letting its hair down: Sauvage, the high-end mom-and-pop restaurant near the Statler Dallas hotel, has a new dining option that gives a smaller, more casual taste.

The restaurant opened in September with a set menu featuring 16 to 18 courses — wild game, seafood, vegetables, and dessert — all cooked via grill and smoker.

While 16 courses might sound like a lot, the courses are mostly small bites. However, owners Casey and Amy LaRue received feedback from diners wanting a smaller option.

"We were getting a ton of messages from guests who want to stop by just to try one dish, a bite, or a specific pairing without committing to the full tasting — so we built something for exactly that," Casey says.

They've introduced a new three-course "Cocktails & Bites hour" featuring three dishes, each paired with its own cocktail, served from 5–6 pm on weekdays.

Last week’s menu consisted of:

dry-aged red snapper crudo with La Chinola Way, a cocktail featuring passionfruit, mezcal, lime, and ginger
foie gras & truffle on house-baked croissant with Pendennis Club, a gin sour with apricot liqueur bitters
jerk-spiced shrimp with Clarified Paper Plane, a bourbon cocktail with Aperol, Amaro Nonino, and lemon juice

The new offering continues their pattern of pairing courses with cocktails rather than wine — an approach they've embraced since opening. "Limiting pairings to wine can get boring — it so often ends up being one expensive red after another," Casey says.

You can make a reservation on Tock, or just walk in and grab a seat.

Caviar
They've also added a new version of their classic menu: no caviar.

"Some love having caviar integrated into the menu, but others prefer to skip it, whether for taste or dietary reasons, but still want the full value of the experience," Casey says. "With such a small counter, this put us in a strange position: do we give everyone caviar whether they want it or not, or do we remove it entirely and lose a core part of our menu?"

Thus, a new menu without caviar, priced at $195, with an optional caviar course available for those who want it for $245.

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