Pastry News

Acclaimed Dallas sweet shop decamps after decimating Range Rover crash

You can still get their perfect pastries.

Photo by J McClure Photography

An acclaimed Oak Cliff bakery has been uprooted: Rush Patisserie which has been baking impeccable croissants, tarts, cakes, and pastries in the Bishop Arts neighborhood since 2009, has closed its operation at 120 Eldorado Ave., in the same building as Spiral Diner.

The closure was prompted by a freak accident in early May that decimated the shop. A woman behind the wheel of a Range Rover drove right into the building, punching a massive car-sized hole through the shop's western-facing brick wall.

Luckily, owner Samantha Rush was not in the building at the time, but it wreaked utter havoc, not only on the building but on all of her fixtures and furniture.

"I had left about 45 minutes beforehand," Rush says. "The driver took out everything: our sales area, our tables and chairs — she went through a double brick wall, so it created structural damage."

Rush is a native of New York and former accountant who graduated from the Le Cordon Bleu in Paris and founded her bakery-cafe in Deep Ellum in 2007, before relocating to Oak Cliff in 2009.

She's earned countless "best" awards for her beautiful desserts, from croissants to macarons to elaborate wedding cakes.

Although the accident put her retail operation on hold, it hasn't shut Rush Patisserie down. Her pastries are still sold at both locations of Drip Coffee, and also available via custom order, a practice that she, like many businesses, ramped up during the pandemic.

"I have always had a commissary kitchen, and we're still baking every day," she says. "People can call and place an order, and we've been making deliveries and meeting customers. It put a damper on the retail side, but we've still been selling baked goods every day."

Oddly, this was the second pastry shop to be breached by a big dumb SUV: In November 2020, an SUV crashed into kitchen of Dallas bakery Haute Sweets Patisserie. Owner Tida Pichakron and her coworkers survived although they suffered contusions, bruising, second-degree burns, and other injuries.

Joe McElroy, who owns the building where Rush was located, says that it also happened recently to another one of his properties in Oak Cliff. He was able to salvage the Rush space, although he says the mural that was painted on the wall has not been restored.

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Bar News

Rodeo Dallas bar takes party to Uptown Dallas at new location

Rodeo

Rodeo bar is open in Uptown

A bar with Deep Ellum roots is expanding to Uptown Dallas: Called Rodeo Dallas, it'll open at 2922 N. Hall St. in the space previously occupied by Palms Bar. According to co-owner Joseph "JD" Ybanez, it'll open on November 28.

The first Rodeo location in Dallas opened in 2023 at 2724 Elm St. from Ybanez and partner Josh Reagan, a pair of hospitality veterans whose prior venues include Longshots in Dallas, plus two locations of Varsity Tavern, in Fort Worth and in Tempe.

Ybanez' first bar was Trophy Ranch in Fort Worth which had a mechanical bull. "That's where I learned how popular it was," he says. (He also became familiar with Fort Worth's bar scene and went on to open a Rodeo spinoff in Fort Worth's West Seventh district in 2024.)

In August 2025, the Deep Ellum location became the focal point of neighborhood concerns about crime and was closed via an order from the Dallas city attorney. Ybanez says the city is scapegoating Rodeo for other problems in the neighborhood, and that the Deep Ellum location isn't going anywhere.

“This is not a relocation,” he says. “We maintain an ongoing legal dispute with our landlord Asana Partners regarding the re-opening of our Deep Ellum establishment. The Uptown location represents an expansion of the brand.”

Prior to opening Rodeo in Deep Ellum, they opened a predecessor in Tempe in 2018, called Rodeo Ranch. It served as a template for the concept, with an "adult playground" with mechanical bull, bottle service, girls in bikinis, DJs, dancing, and light show.

According to Ybanez, visitors to the Uptown location can expect to take these factors to the next level.

“The Uptown space offers an expansive back patio,” Ybanez says. “This area will feature a massive video wall, optimizing it for communal sports viewing. Furthermore, we have executed a comprehensive refinement of our food menu, which we are confident will elevate the guest experience."

The menu is rendered by Donde Los Tacos, the highly regarded Mexican taqueria in Oak Clifff, with $3 and $4 tacos, like trompo, barbacoa, and suadero. The Uptown location will also serve brunch with dishes such as chilaquiles.

"We have meticulously preserved the core of the Rodeo experience: the unparalleled atmosphere and vibes, our commitment to genuine hospitality, the homegrown character of the brand, and the inclusive spirit that welcomes every member of the community," Ybanez says.

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