Bearish About Beer

Union Bear pledges to make a comeback in new Dallas location

Unpeggable beer spot Union Bearmay have closed in West Village, but it shall return, vows new owner Preston Lancaster. His 33 Restaurant Group owns Taverna Rossa and Cadillac Pizza Pub, and Lancaster says that Union Bear represents another intriguing concept that will make the 33 family more complete.

"We love the idea that we have a really cool concept," he says. "We love the name, look and feel of the restaurant."

Union Bear has some things in common with its new siblings, in that they all serve pizza and beer. But there are nuances.

"They have their differences, and we would play off those unique elements," Lancaster says. "Union Bear had 40 beers on tap, and in its original form was going to be a nano-brewery, and so we've got ideas to play off of that. With Union Bear, we'd put more emphasis on the craft beer side."

The cuisine and vibe are also different, he says. "Union Bear is a decidedly American pizza bar," he says. "We like coining it that way."

Lancaster and partners Tony Smith and Jimmy Cannon are working on a location, and already they are in talks with real estate folks.

"We've been talking to some developers in the suburbs and in Dallas," he says. "We've been mostly in the suburbs, but I feel a lot of pull toward Dallas. It depends on the area and the concept.

"If we find an area that’s just right for another Taverna Rossa, we would go with that. If it's better suited for a Union Bear, we would go that route."

That said, they're not in a rush; it's about finding the right spot. "We're coming up on a year since we opened Taverna Rossa, and we're still to this day tweaking and bettering everything we do," he says.

Lancaster counts himself a fan of the Spillers family, both Union Bear founders Matt and Shane Spillers, and their mother, designer Donna Spillers.

"Donna has helped me in the design process, and we've known Matt and Shane for a long time," Lancaster says. "As soon as Union Bear opened, we were huge fans and big customers. We always liked the concept, so when they decided to close we felt like that was a great concept we would like to see somewhere else."

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Coffee News

Dallas' first Vietnamese coffee shop to open in the Cedars District

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Coffee at chimlanh.

A one-of-a-kind new coffee spot is opening in Dallas: Called chimlanh, it's opening in the former Sandwich Hag space in the Cedars at 1902 Botham Jean Blvd., where it will reign as the first Vietnamese coffee shop in Dallas.

The shop will open on September 19, with coffee, tea, refreshers, and pastries. They'll be dedicated to making authentic Vietnamese-style coffee: employing the traditional Vietnamese phin drip brewing method; using beans from Vietnam; and partnering with Vietnamese-American owned companies.

The phin is the stainless steel device used to brew Vietnamese coffee, sometimes described as a crossover between a pour-over and French press. Water is poured over the ground coffee beans, and drips slowly into the cup. Condensed milk is the milk of choice.

Using beans sourced from Vietnam is an essential part of the experience — not only for their flavor and style but also to champion the coffee tradition that exists in Vietnam. That includes an embrace of robusta beans, which are commonly used for instant coffee and espresso drinks but have unfairly been viewed as inferior to the arabica beans used at most coffee shops.

Chimlanh's coffee drinks include:

Nam Coffee Dalat, made with dark roast robusta beans from Los Angeles roaster Nam Coffee, and condensed milk
Coconut Dalat, made with dark roast robusta beans from Nam Coffee, with condensed milk and coconut
Hanoi Latte — a non-dairy option featuring robusta blend from Nguyen Coffee Supply, with pandan and oat milk
Cà Phê Đen — Black & bold iced or hot coffee made with Nguyen Coffee bold roast robusta beans
HanoiChata (seasonal) — Nguyen Coffee Supply Hanoi robusta bold roast beans with CocoAndre horchata
Robusta Oat (non-dairy) — Nguyen Coffee Supply robusta beans and house organic oat milk syrup
Coconut Frappe — An ice frappe made with Nam Coffee Dalat dark roast beans, coconut and condensed milk
Classic coffee blend topped with hibiscus milk cold foam

There will also be loose leaf teas including a "tea for two," a fancy service with a whole teapot, dine-in only, served with organic agave and fruit of the day.

The space will feature a community library and free wi-fi.

Chimlanh is from the same team that was behind Sandwich Hag: chef Reyna Duong, her brother Sang, and partner Lesley "Bo$" Renteria.

Sandwich Hag was open for 10 years and accumulated much acclaim during that time including a nomination for Duong for a James Beard award in 2023, plus multiple nominations for CultureMap Tastemaker Awards in 2019, 2022, and 2023 (way before James Beard, hello). Duong closed Sandwich Hag in May 2024 to take a break.

Chimlanh is what has emerged: a cà phê shop that supports and amplifies people with disabilities, while uplifting women, AAPI, and Black-owned businesses through mutually beneficial partnerships.

Starship Bagel balls Banh Cam bagels from Starship Bagel at chimlanh.Instagram

Duong explains the name: "'Chimlanh' is actually two words that I connected as one to signify holding of hands, a showing of unity," she says. "Chim means bird and it is also an endearing name for pussy. Lanh means witty, one of the nicknames my ma gave me as a kid."

On opening day, they're doing a special one-day-only collaboration with Starship Bagel, the acclaimed bagel shop from Oren Salomon: It's called a Bánh Cam Bagel, and it's one of Duong's favorite Vietnamese pastries that Salomon has transformed into a jumbo bagel ball with mung bean filling, available two ways: chili crisp coated with everything seasoning; or coconut, coated with toasted sesame.

Their hours on opening weekend will be Thursday-Saturday from 9 am to 2 pm, but closed on Sunday.

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