Craft Beer News

On Rotation craft beer brewery relocates to Braniff Centre at Dallas Love Field

The taps are coming, too.

Photo courtesy of On Rotation

After five years in Lakewood, On Rotation Small Batch Brewery & Taproom is up and moving. The craft beer boutique brewery is relocating to a very cool new space by Dallas Love Field, in The Braniff Centre, the former home of Braniff Airlines.

The move represents a big step up: It will allow On Rotation to

expand its production capacity
start packaging their beers in cans
build a kitchen

On Rotation co-owner Jacob Sloan says in a statement that they've been looking for a bigger space for some time.

"While we never wanted to leave Lakewood, we spent two years looking for a location in Dallas that would offer us the chance to build On Rotation into a true brewpub experience and couldn't pass up the opportunity to stretch our legs at The Braniff Centre," Jacob says.

Construction will begin in a few weeks, and they anticipate opening the new location in early 2021.

The Braniff Centre is a $140 million restoration of the original Braniff Airlines Operations and Maintenance Base, transforming the facility into a mixed-use development that will include aviation, entertainment, and hospitality venues as well as The Planet Lincoln car dealership, which will be the largest Lincoln facility in the world.

Jacob and his wife Lindsay Sloan founded On Rotation in 2015 as a "nanobrewery," making unique and creative beers that have won them awards, including two Tastemaker Awards nominations for best brewery in Dallas. It also serves as a taproom and crowler/growler filling station, with On Rotation brews as well as a rotating slate of guest taps from Texas and beyond.

They'll keep that profile, retaining their 40 ever-rotating taps of craft beer, cider, and hard seltzer, plus wines. They'll also transplant their two fermentation tanks, plus add two more, doubling their brewing capacity.

"Our additional capacity will allow us to share more brews more often," Lindsay says.

Adding food is a big next step. At their Lakewood location, they've been beer-only, although they've always encouraged customers to bring their own food, and have had an unofficial alliance with Cane Rosso White Rock Lake, located right next door.

Their menu will spotlight fried chicken "in all its forms," with Southern-inspired sides and shareable appetizers.

"When we first started On Rotation, we wanted to be judged on the quality of our beer, not our appetizers," Lindsay says. "With five years under our belt, we have the experience to do this right and offer a stellar menu that will complement our beers."

The new location will also offer a convenient minimart for beer to go and takeout order pickup. They'll also soon offer 4-packs of 16-ounce cans.

On Rotation has been closed since March to in-house customers, but they've been open for curbside pickup of crowlers and growlers. You can call or order online at on-rotation.com/order.

craft-beer

Taco News

California restaurant Casa Comal debuts in Irving with standout tacos

Casa Comal

Shrimp taco at Casa Comal in Irving

A restaurant from the West Coast with a fresh approach to Mexican food has made its Dallas-area debut: Casa Comal Cocina, a Mexican restaurant founded in Santa Barbara in 2021, has opened at Cypress Waters in Irving, at 8701 Cypress Waters Blvd. #150, in the former Chilli Thai space, with a menu that is decidedly not run-of-the-mill.

Casa Comal, whose roots lie in Mexico City, specializes in tacos, with a wide variety that encompasses everything from traditional Mexico City-style offerings like carnitas and al pastor, to upscale tacos like lemon pepper chicken with arugula.

There's a taco filled with pork rinds, green sauce, and rice; quesa-birria, the trendy taco with shredded beef and crisped jack cheese; and taco Sonora with carne asada and a cheese-stuffed Anaheim pepper.

Seafood tacos include shrimp and tempura-fried fish; and there are vegetarian options such as zucchini with corn, or hibiscus flower with mushrooms — two ingredients commonly used in vegetarian tacos.

Everything's served on corn tortillas which they make in-house. With a few exceptions such as the shrimp tacos for $7.75, most of the tacos are $5.75.

In addition to tacos, there are nachos, quesadillas, empanadas, sopas, gorditas, and a torta sandwich filled with meat, refried beans, lettuce, and tomato. Appetizers include queso fundido, tostadas, and flautas filled with shredded chicken and beans.

One of their signatures is the "wet burrito" — sort of a cross between a burrito and an enchilada, featuring a burrito covered with choice or red sauce or verde green.

They also serve a full bar with about 16 cocktails including margaritas, a paloma, and their Mezcal de Pacifico, made with mezcal, coconut water, and lime, says co-owner Bachir Ramadam, who grew up in the Santa Barbara area. He has opened the Irving location with his wife, Elisa, and their partner, Alejandro Vera.

"We combine traditional preparations with local ingredients for dishes that are authentic to both their Mexican origins while incorporating local flavors," he says. "A lot of the recipes come from my family. My father is from Mexico, and this is the food I grew up with."

"But we always try to present the plates with a different touch," he says. "A lot of taquerias do tacos with the filling, salsa, and lime, and that's it. We try to do something a little more complex."

While Irving, Texas is a long way from Santa Barbara, Bachir says they have friends and family here, and are learning the ropes of Tex-Mex, which is more meaty and saucy than what you find on the West Coast.

"California has good Mexican food, but I've tried some Tex-Mex — we went to a couple restaurants, and I like it," he says. Good answer!

tacos openings