Supermarket News

Texas' largest supermarket chain busts a move on Dallas

San Antonio supermarket chain H-E-B has been eyeing Dallas-Fort Worth for a while.

Photo courtesy of H-E-B

San Antonio supermarket chain H-E-B is charging into the Dallas-Fort Worth market with the acquisition of six Sun Fresh Market stores, including four in Dallas, one in McKinney, and one in Grapevine.

A statement from H-E-B emphasized that the transaction is for now a real estate deal; H-E-B has been snapping up property around North Texas. Spokeswoman Mabrie Jackson told the Dallas Morning News that the company was "thrilled" to have the properties.

The company will look at each store on a case-by-case basis, and its priority for the Dallas-Fort Worth area remains Central Market. So it's not yet known whether any of these locations will become Central Markets, H-E-B stores, or neither of the above.

There are two Central Markets in Dallas, plus stores in Plano, Fort Worth, and Southlake. The only H-E-B stores in the area are in far southern suburbs such as Burleson and Waxahachie.

The six locations acquired include:

McKinney, at Hardin Boulevard and El Dorado Parkway
Grapevine, at State Highway 121 and Hall Johnson Road
Uptown Dallas, at McKinney Avenue and Lemmon Avenue
Preston Hollow in Dallas, at Northwest Highway and Midway Road
Lake Highlands in Dallas, at Northwest Highway and Ferndale Road
Lakewood in Dallas, at Mockingbird Lane and Abrams Road

"H-E-B/Central Market has entered into a contract to acquire several properties in the North Texas region from Sun Fresh to add to its real estate investment portfolio," said Todd Piland, H-E-B executive VP for real estate, facility alliance, and petroleum marketing. "We are currently evaluating the feasibility of each site to determine the most effective use of the properties. At this time, Central Market continues to be the primary format for the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex."

The four Dallas stores were previously Albertsons, which were taken over by Minyard Sun Fresh in 2015; they'll be shutting down on or around September 1.

Sun Fresh is the upscale brand that Minyard created in 2014. In July, nine Minyard stores and two of Sun Fresh Market stores were acquired by Fiesta Mart. There's still a Sun Fresh on Arapaho Road, and two Cash Saver stores in southern Dallas.

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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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