News You Can Eat

All kinds of fried chicken head up this spicy Dallas restaurant news

Family-style fried chicken from Lawry's the Prime Rib.

Lawry's

While pizza continues to be a sizzling-hot trend in the Dallas restaurant world, it's not the only food group that's booming. Fried chicken is having a moment, with some unusual variations on the usual Southern theme.

In other dining dish, there's a taqueria closure and the opening of an ice cream shop.

Here's what's happening in Dallas restaurant news:

Taco Stop Restaurant, located at 1900 Irving Blvd. in the Design District, is closing after nine years. Its last day of operation will be August 29. In a release, owner and founder Emilia Flores blamed reduced foot traffic in the Design District. She received international attention for her annual winter coat drive, where she put a rack of coats out front, free for the taking, during cold weather.

SomiSomi at Carrollton Town Center had its long-awaited grand opening on August 7. They do a special Korean dessert known as Ah-Boong: a fish-shaped waffle cone filled with your choice of filling such as custard, taro, or red beans, and topped with soft serve. You can also just get a cup of soft-serve in flavors such as banana, coffee, chocolate, horchata, ube, sesame, oreo, and more. There's also a location in Frisco.

Jollibee, the Filipino chain that serves fried chicken and spaghetti, opened its first North Texas restaurant in Plano on August 20 and was greeted over the weekend by a big turnout. Yuge. People waited two hours in the drive-thru line, which is almost as bad as Chick Fil-A. @Cedge said that Jollibee Plano was "behaving like the streets of Manila," while @uhhlexii noted that "people in Plano are losing their shit." @joanneraen offered a prayer for her mom and "every Filipino in the DFW area flocking to the new Jollibee," and @DougSpaltro said he happily drove an hour, then sat in line for 2.5 hours to get his fix. "It was heavenly!" he said.

Chicken Chris is a new fried chicken restaurant located at 8300 LaPrada Dr. in Casa View on the border of Mesquite whose motto is "Faith, Food, and Fellowship."

"We offer Home-style Fried Chicken dishes with Jesus Christ as the Head Chef," they say. That is quite a get. They serve Southern favorites, especially fried chicken, which you can get in a basket with marinated chicken strips, custom cut fries, Texas toast, pickles, peppers, carrots, and their Chicken Chris secret sauce. They have hot links, banana pudding, and an item called "nacholatas," featuring chips topped with cheese, sour cream, onions, tomatoes, and choice of shrimp or chicken. Their smothered chicken Daddy Fries are French fries topped with smothered chicken tender bites, available Friday-Saturday only.

TKK Fried Chicken, the Taiwanese fast food chicken that partnered with Kung Fu Tea to open dual concepts across the U.S. including a location in Richardson, has a "spicy series" featuring a spicy chicken sandwich it introduced in July 2020, plus new spicy crunchy tenders and spicy TKK wings. So much spicy.

Lawry's The Prime Rib has a family meal kit program with family-style meals, hot and ready Tuesday-Sunday. Reserve online by 2 pm for same day pickup. Meals vary weekly; for August 25- September 1, it's shrimp cocktail, fried chicken, whipped mashed potatoes, Caesar salad, and strawberries & cream, and it's $89. Which is pretty good for a spread like that.

East Hampton Sandwich Co. has four new lobster sandwiches to celebrate its eighth anniversary: Spicy Lobster Roll with lobster and cherry peppers in a spicy chipotle pepper aioli; Connecticut Lobster Roll, a hot version of the roll with grilled lobster, Old Bay seasoning, and green onion; Lobster Grilled Cheese with Old Bay, and Cooper white & orange American cheese; and Maine Lobster Roll with lobster and celery in an herb aioli.

DFW Restaurant Week officially starts next Monday August 31, with nearly 100 options for dine-in or take-out. Some restaurants are doing Preview Weekend, starting Friday August 28. The list is here.

Watters Creek in Allen is hosting its inaugural BiteNites Restaurant Week which runs through September 2. Guests can enjoy a prix-fixe menu of multi-course dinners at participating restaurants, including P.F. Chang’s and Edith’s.

Taco Cabana has launched QuesoMania, featuring three new loaded queso options, in small or large for $2.99 or $4.29 respectively in the following flavor combinations:

Queso with corn, cotija cheese and Taco Cabana Hot Sauce
Queso with chorizo, beans and jalapenos
Queso with ground beef and pico de gallo

Beyond Meat now has an ecommerce site featuring access to a vast portfolio of signature plant-based meats, including all-new bulk packs, mixed product bundles, limited-time offers, trial packs, and more. The direct-to-consumer site is a convenient way to experience Beyond Meat, with two-day shipping, delivered to your door.

Impossible Burger Patties are now available at Kroger stores. Each pack comes with two pre-formed, quarter-pound patties. You can find them in the fresh meat section of the store, or online.

openings

Deep Ellum News

Mexican 'vibe' restaurant from California to open in Deep Ellum Dallas

Mama Por Dios

A buzzy concept from California is coming to Dallas: Mama Por Dios, a Mexican restaurant chain known for its vibe, will open its first location in Texas in Deep Ellum in the Epic development at 2525 Elm St., taking over the former La Neta space, which shuttered in May.

According to a spokesperson, the restaurant will open in early to mid-January.

Mama Por Dios was founded in Southern California in 2020 by chef Misael Guerrero, who famously got his start selling Mexican sushi out of his garage.

Since those early days, he's gone on to form a restaurant empire called Emme Group, with concepts that include Los Amores de Julia, El Rincon de Los Dolidos, and Culichi Town, a lower-priced chain known for Sinaloa-style Mexican sushi & seafood, which has a local presence: It opened a location in Mesquite in 2022.

Mama Por Dios — which translates to "Mother of God" — describes itself as modern Mexican, offering a unique blend of steakhouse, sushi bar, and seafood. The menu includes favorites like tacos and enchiladas, alongside luxe dishes like lobster with spaghetti, lobster enchiladas, and a surf & turf featuring a lobster tail balanced atop a skirt steak. Prices range from $18 for birria tacos to $48 for a bacon-wrapped filet mignon with mashed potatoes and asparagus.

But they also have a showy side that includes flamboyant presentations such as the bacon-wrapped shrimp which come strung on clothespins; or the trompito al pastor, served on a personal spit, as well as servers who walk around with shots while dancing with patrons.

There's a Gold Burger for $65 featuring Prime beef on a brioche bun garnished with 24k gold leaf, and a similarly gilded tomahawk steak for $400 that brings to mind the good old days of Salt Bae. Decor is swanky with low lighting, and there'll be a serious brunch offering on weekends.

Cocktails such as the Al Agua Pato — served in a mini bathtub with a rubber ducky — are made for Instagram. They offer margarita and mezcalita flights with flavors such as mango, tamarindo, and strawberry, and intriguing sips like Carajillo, a Spanish cocktail with Licor 43, espresso, and 43 different fruit, citrus, aromatic, and herbal ingredients.

There’s also a $20 per-person minimum spend, and the menu comes with a warning that everything is cooked to order — meaning some dishes may take 30 to 40 minutes. For many diners, waiting will surely be part of the experience.

deep-ellum tex-mex openings