Greenville Avenue Buzz
Dallas' hottest restaurant team snags prized steakhouse spot on Greenville Avenue
The space that was once Woodfire Kirby's has a new tenant and chef. Although a release says that the restaurant is as-yet unnamed, it's going by the tentative title of Wayward Sons. It comes from Brandon Hays and Phil Schanbaum, the team behind So & So's on McKinney Avenue and the new-ish High Fives on Henderson Avenue.
The chef is Graham Dodds. This will be the first time he has ownership in a restaurant. His last day at Hibiscus will be October 7. Dodds has been a pioneer on local, seasonal, and Texas cuisine, and the menu is anticipated to take that to the next level.
Woodfire Kirby's closed in July. They'll give the space a warm and inviting makeover, with plant life and a mix of raw materials to create the perfect setting to complement the cuisine. There'll be seating for 200 with a garden patio.
Hays and Schanbaum have been on an unbeatable streak, beginning with their McKinney Avenue bar-restaurant Standard Pour. They also have another concept called Whippersnapper's that's set to open on Henderson Avenue. With a lock on McKinney and a lock on Henderson, Greenville is the next Avenue for them to conquer.
Linking up with Dodds takes them to a higher foodie level. As opening chef for Bolsa in Oak Cliff, he carved out a reputation as an early proponent of local and seasonal cuisine. He was executive chef at Central 214 (now Knife), then joined Hibiscus as executive chef in 2013. He's won numerous best-chef awards, with the most important, obviously, being his award as CultureMap's 2015 Tastemaker chef of the year. Obviously.
Let's hope they stick with Wayward Sons as a name for this place. Are they fans of '70s rock band Kansas? "Carry On Wayward Son" is a song that appears on Leftoverture, a 1976 album by the band Kansas. Or maybe they like webcomics; Wayward Sons is also the name of a webcomic series and movie. Or cover bands? Wayward Sons is the name of a tribute band in Los Angeles.
The restaurant will serve dinner and brunch only and is slated to open by the end of this year.