Chef News

Dallas chef Graham Dodds leaves new Oak Cliff restaurant before it opens

Chef Dodds is a rambling man.

Photo courtesy of Graham Dodds

A new restaurant coming to Dallas' Oak Cliff neighborhood is minus one chef. The Mayor's House, the much-anticipated eatery set to open in a historic Oak Cliff home, has parted ways with its chef, Graham Dodds.

A release says that restaurant and chef are splitting "due to construction delays and a timing conflict."

The Mayor's House is from husband-and-wife A.J. Gilbert and Martha Madison, an interesting couple who've moved to Dallas from Los Angeles to oversee this new spot. It's going into a stately residence at 635 N. Zang Blvd., in what was once the home of George Sergeant, mayor of Dallas from 1935-1937. It's been in the works since 2017.

Gilbert and Madison have owned and operated six Luna Park restaurants in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York City under The Luna Park Group.

Gilbert started managing restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area in the early ’90s. He worked his way up through both corporate and independent restaurant groups and worked alongside some of the country’s most notable chefs before opening his first Luna Park in San Francisco in 2000.

Madison, a Texas native, started her restaurant career as a bartender in New York, but is also an actress who's played the role of Belle Black on NBC's Days of Our Lives since 2004.

Gilbert says in a statement that "scheduling restaurant openings are a challenge, especially when there is a huge construction project turning a beautiful historic house built in 1910 into a contemporary, multi-room restaurant with a bar, banquet room, and state-of-the-art kitchen. Chef Graham is an all-around talented chef, and we wish him the best on his new journey."

Madison says that they're "amazed by the top culinary talent and exceptional restaurants that Dallas has to offer," stating that "Dallas truly is an extraordinary restaurant city, and we are excited — and anxious — to finally open our doors and invite everyone to experience The Mayor's House."

Despite Dodds' departure, The Mayor's House will move forward with its plan to open in the fourth quarter, in time for those essential holiday meals.

A new chef will be announced in the coming weeks.

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Closure News

Buzzy Komodo from Miami closes restaurant in Deep Ellum Dallas

Komodo

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Dallas' Deep Ellum has suffered another loss with the closure of Komodo, the buzzy restaurant and bar from Miami-based Groot Hospitality, located in The Epic office tower at 2550 Pacific Ave. #120, where it closed on May 18.

A Komodo spokesperson confirmed it had officially closed, but said that the company was not issuing a statement.

The closure came three years after it opened in April 2023, on the ground floor of the Epic mixed-use development at the southwest corner of Good Latimer Expressway, and originally intended to house Uber's corporate hub. Unfortunately, Uber bailed during the pandemic, and the building struggled to find tenants.

Komodo is only the latest restaurant in the Epic to close; Harper, the global restaurant from Dallas-based Milkshake Concepts, closed in 2024 (and is now home to Paparazzi Chophouse); and Biscuit Bar, the local chain of biscuit restaurants, shuttered at the end of 2025.

Founded in Miami by hip entrepreneur David Grutman, Komodo is known for Southeast Asian-inspired cuisine, cocktails, eye-catching decor, and a buzzy atmosphere. The first location opened in Miami's Brickell neighborhood; there's also a location in Las Vegas.

Dallas was its second location, opening as one of an array of Miami concepts that migrated to Dallas at the time. While it boasted a flashy exterior, it was also really good, with a menu that was both innovative and solidly executed featuring a full sushi bar, Peking duck, salmon tacos, plant-based Kung Pao chicken, and stellar desserts such as the chocolate peanut caramel bar, which earned Komodo a spot on CultureMap's list of Best Desserts in February 2025.

They also made CultureMap's list of Best Patios in 2023, and received two nominations for CultureMap's Tastemakers Awards including Best New Restaurant in 2024, followed by a nomination in 2025 for "Best Eatertainment," thanks to its combination of good food and a lively bar scene.

The Dallas opening was a case of perseverance on the part of Groot Hospitality: In the works since 2019, and originally forecast to open in 2022 until the pandemic intervened. A representative from the company who asked not to be named stated that the situation at the Epic did not help, nor did the deteriorating situation in the neighborhood, with the most recent example being two shootings that took place on Cinco de Mayo in which five people were injured and a security guard was killed; but that "Groot Hospitality loves Dallas" and even hinted that it might return.

deep-ellum closings