News You Can Eat

Outrageous $100 tacos jack up this serving of Dallas restaurant news

Fall flavors have arrived, on our plates and in our espresso drinks. For the first time in four years, Starbucks has a new flavor, what could it be? And if you think tacos are supposed to be cheap, you've got something else coming.

Resident Taqueria, the coming-soon taqueria in Lake Highlands, has an opening date to roll out its chef-driven tacos: October 8. Owners Andrew and Amy Savoie live in the neighborhood. Andrew, a culinary instructor at the Art Institute of Dallas for the past nine years, who has worked at restaurants such as Jean Georges in New York, takes a chef's perspective toward tacos while drawing inspiration from Mexican cuisine.

Pollo Tropical, the fast-casual chain with citrus-marinated grilled chicken, will open its first location in Dallas proper on October 2. The location is at 4622 Greenville Ave., just south of University Boulevard. The restaurant will feature indoor and outdoor seating for more than 90 guests, with limited table service and a convenient drive-thru. Pollo Tropical is owned by Fiesta Restaurant Group, and is a sibling to Taco Cabana and Cabana Grill.

Fuel City has opened its travel center in Mesquite, at the southwest corner of Town East Boulevard and Hwy 80. Dubbed "The Ranch in Mesquite," at 17 acres, it's more than twice the size of the original Dallas location. It's open 24/7 with the same legendary tacos, sub sandwiches, elotes, Original Fried Pie Shop, bathrooms, 24 gas pumps, beer, and iced tea. There's indoor seating as well as a wrap-around outdoor patio. Expect to soon see longhorns, donkeys, and deer as well as karaoke from 3-8pm on Fridays and Saturdays.

Pie Five opened its 17th location in North Texas in Euless, at 2921 SH 121 in the Glade Parks shopping center.

There's a name for chef John Tesar's long-awaited Italian restaurant and a timetable, too. It's called Gravy 51º — with an infernal degree sign — and it'll open spring 2016. A release describes it as an "authentic Italian concept" opening in Turtle Creek. Tesar is partnering with Apheleia, which owns Oak, Pakpao, and El Bolero, as well as not-yet-open Quill Lounge, opening in November, and Royale Magnificent Burgers which they say will open in early 2016. Also in on this Gravy deal is Alex Urrunaga and Royce Ring of Plan B. That's a lot of owners.

San Salvaje, Stephan Pyles' Latin restaurant in the Arts District, is now open for weekday lunch only, from 11 am to 2 pm. No more dinner and no more weekends. A spokesperson told Eater that the restaurant will be open in the evenings for private events only.

Starbucks introduces its first new autumn espresso beverage in four years: Toasted Graham Latte. The new drink has espresso, steamed milk, flavors of graham and sweet cream, and cinnamon graham crumbles. According to a release, Starbucks beverage R&D manager Yoke Wong found her inspiration in the "cereal milk" trend popularized by Momofuku and a flavor served in Italian gelato shops called Fior di Latte, or the "flower of milk." Hey Yoke, we have that at Paciugo, too, you know.

Dunkin’ Donuts has its new espresso beverage, too, and this one's pumpkin. Available hot or iced, DD's new Pumpkin Macchiato is a layered espresso beverage made with steamed milk and pumpkin-flavored swirl, topped with a double shot of espresso. Dunkin will also add regular un-pumpkin-flavored macchiatos to its permanent menu, which can be customized with any of their sweetened coffee flavor swirls.

CBD Provisions has new seasonal fried hand pies, as its own State Fair of Texas homage. Pastry chef Ruben Torano fills his flaky pie dough with rotating flavors such as pecan pudding, sweet potato and marshmallow, pear honey, and Texas blackberry.

PS 214 has added some hearty, fall-season items to their menu, including shepherd’s pie (for lunch only) with short ribs, roasted vegetables, and caramelized onions, under a cheesy mashed potato crust; wings with buffalo sauce and bleu cheese; and a Frito pie pizza with chili, provolone, pickled jalapeños, cheese sauce, and Fritos.

Olivella's has unrolled new menu items including burrata salad with arugula, Roma tomatoes, grape tomatoes, pesto, and balsamic; an entrée-size Italian chef's salad with mixed greens, salami, soppressata, house-made mozzarella, provolone, grape tomatoes, egg, and cucumber; and risotto cake, which is cooked risotto blended with cheese and served as a cake. Olivella's is also adding two different piadinas, Neapolitan wrap sandwiches, with prosciutto and mozzarella, and with mozzarella, avocado, mixed greens, asparagus, and tomatoes.

Whataburger has a new Buffalo ranch chicken strip sandwich, available for a limited time. The sandwich has chicken strips, Monterey Jack cheese, ranch, and buffalo sauce on a toasted five-inch bun.

Hard Rock Cafe has a limited-edition burger inspired by one from its cafe in Germany. The Samuel Adams OctoberFest schnitzel burger features a breaded pork schnitzel, beer cheese sauce, bacon, sauerkraut, mustard, and arugula on a pretzel bun. Get the schnitzel burger with Samuel Adams OctoberFest beer, seasoned fries, and a side of Samuel Adams OctoberFest-infused beer cheese, through October 31.

Hail Merry has a new Texas-inspired flavor for the holiday season: The chocolate chile pecan mini miracle tart contains chile spice, pecans, coconut ganache, maple syrup, and cocoa. Hail Merry is the Dallas-based company with non-GMO, gluten-free, vegan, and kosher dessert snacks.

Cantina Laredo has two new margaritas with Hatch chiles, available through November: a citrus-Hatch margarita with Hatch-infused tequila, grapefruit, lime juice, and agave nectar; and a strawberry-Hatch margarita with Hatch-infused tequila, strawberries, lime juice, agave nectar, and orange. Both are $12.

Pizza Hut has a crazy new pizza called the Twisted Crust, with a tearable, dippable breadstick crust, served with dipping sauces such as marinara, ranch, or cheddar cheese, and one topping. Their company spokesman, whose actual name is Jared Drinkwater, says that Pizza Hut has a loyal group of breadstick lovers who also want pizza.

For a limited time, Café on the Green at Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas will offer a taco trio and over-the-top margarita for the low, low price of $100. The trio consists of:

Wagyu beef taco: Japanese beef, seasonal mushrooms, caramelized onion, cilantro, and truffle-béarnaise served on a blue corn taco shell
Hudson Valley foie gras taco: foie gras taco with duck confit, sea salt, sesame seed, gold leaf, and Valrhona chocolate mole served over a soft flour tortilla
Maine lobster taco: Maine lobster taco garnished with caviar pearls, mustard, aleppo chili, and lime crème fraiche served over a grilled white corn tortilla

The margarita has Don Julio 1942 tequila, Cointreau, fresh squeezed lime juice, and agave nectar garnished with an edible gold leaf. The $100 taco and margarita "special" is a charitable endeavor and will be available through October 31.

Dunkin Donuts steps up its espresso game with a macchiato offering.

Photo courtesy of Dunkin Donuts

Dunkin Donuts steps up its espresso game with a macchiato offering.

news-you-can-eat

Eco Warrior News

Dallas restaurants doing amazing little things for the environment

Southwest Airlines

Cute bamboo cup from Southwest Airlines

One unfortunate legacy left by the pandemic has been a huge increase in the use of plastics — setting back progress that was being made pre-pandemic.

Plastics are bad. They harm everything they touch: the environment, health, food security, and economies. But they're convenient, subsidized, and in some cases necessary.

Pre-pandemic, a growing awareness started to snowball regarding the negative impact of plastics, particularly plastic straws and single-use plastic containers — and it was significant enough to make the plastics industry very nervous.

"In the two years leading up to the pandemic, the public backlash against plastic was a major concern for industry leaders," says a story about the plastics and the pandemic in The Guardian. "As a corporate executive remarked during an industry event early in 2019: 'We need to get the image of plastic in oceans out of the public’s mind. Otherwise, we could lose our social license to operate.'"

But then the pandemic came along, igniting mass hysteria about contagion, and suddenly, bans on single-use plastics that had been in the works were reversed in countries around the world: North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia.

“Overnight, plastics went from public enemy No. 1 to consumers asking for everything to have as much packaging as possible and to be single use," said one gleeful analyst for Shell Oil, who are a major plastics player.

The urgency of the plastics situation remains invisible to most people, lined up at the drive-thru for their coffee or Chick-Fil-A, piling up nearly 250 pounds of plastic waste every year. (That's what the average American amasses — more than any other country.) But there are nonethless pro-environment efforts being made by Dallas companies and organizations, big and small.

La Casita Bakeshop cup Revolutionary compostable cup at La Casita Bakeshop.Facebook

Dallas efforts
These Dallas restaurants and organizations are taking positive steps to fight waste, even despite the fact that it's more costly for them to do the right thing.

Plastic Free Lunch Day is November 22
In an effort to reduce the amount of single-use plastic in school cafeterias, Dallas ISD’s Food and Child Nutrition Services will participate in Plastic Free Lunch Day on November 22.

Plastic Free Lunch Day was started by middle school students in Brooklyn. The initiative was so successful that it was implemented at all New York City public schools in 2022 and has since spread and become a national observance at public schools across the country. Dallas ISD was the first in Texas to participate, when it joined up in 2022.

On this one day, in an opportunity to educate students and the community on ways to positively impact the environment, plastic items used during lunch services will be replaced with biodegradable alternatives. (Plastic cutlery, cups, and straws will be available upon request for the crybabies.)

Southwest Airlines bamboo cup
Southwest Airlines Co., the Dallas-based airline, has introduced a new bamboo cup for inflight cold beverages, and a wood stir stick in place of a plastic stick. The airline expects the new items to reduce its inflight single-use plastics by more than 1.5 million pounds annually.

In July 2024, Southwest transitioned to a paper overwrap for its napkins made from 100 percent post-consumer recycled materials — fully eliminating plastic from this service item. The airline is making an effort to eliminate single-use plastics from inflight service by 2030.

La Casita Bakeshop compostable cups
La Casita Bakeshop, the award-winning bakery and cafe operation, recently debuted fabulous new cups that are 100 percent compostable, soil- and marine-biodegradable, breaking down naturally after 90 days. and are made from natural materials.

"We are always trying to find ways to be more environmentally friendly and this is a big way we can," they said in their post announcing the new cups. "We just want to be proud of our paper trail and being a restaurant it's hard to do that."

Smoothie King biodegrable cups
Smoothie King, the Dallas-based smoothie chain, previously used styrofoam cups, but began testing a biodegradable cup in 2019. They now offer it as the default choice. They're using Vio Foam, specially made cups that biodegrade 92 percent in four years. They'll still accommodate whiny selfish customers who insist on getting a plastic cup instead, but their Vio foam cup not only helps the environment, it also keeps their smoothies cold a little longer.

Kate Weiser Recycle Box Program
Kate Weiser, the Dallas chocolatier, sells its gorgeous eye-catching bon-bons in a variety of boxes, from 4 pieces all the way up to 35 pieces. (OK, they'll sell them individually, too, but who goes to a chocolate shop and buys a single chocolate?) They have a program where you can bring your empty box to the store and get a refill and get 5 percent off. (Weiser amusingly calls it a "secret hack.")

Dude Sweet Chocolate freezer packaging
Dude Sweet Chocolate, the Oak Cliff chocolatier, has a next-level campaign in which they will accept cold-ship packaging you've received in the mail and re-use it. Say, for example, that you ordered an 8-pack of ice cream pints from Double Rainbow in San Francisco, and it arrived in a box with freezer packs and a foil liner. You can drop that packaging off at Dude Sweet's factory location at 1340 Inwood Rd., and they'll re-use it in one way or another when they're doing shipments of their chocolate.

Note: Whether you're putting it in the blue bin or the gray bin, your plastic is not being recycled. The best course when it comes to plastic, especially single-use plastic, is to not use it at all.

sustainability