Bishop Arts News

Chef debuts seasonal Dallas restaurant in old Bolsa space in Oak Cliff

Hey how about some beef tongue with confit potatoes and tomatoes.

Photo by Kathy Tran

The new restaurant going into the old Bolsa space in north Oak Cliff is ready to roll: Encina, which will be a warm neighborhood restaurant offering New American cuisine, will open on Friday, October 9 for happy hour and dinner Monday-Saturday, with Saturday/Sunday brunch service in coming weeks.

Encina is from chef and co-owner Matt Balke, formerly of Bolsa, partnered with co-owner Corey McCombs, formerly front of house at Stephan Pyles, FT33, Flora Street, and Smoke.

Located at 614 W. Davis St., the restaurant will serve what a release calls an uncomplicated yet adventurous menu with influences from Texas, California, and the South, with a focus on seasonality and fresh ingredients.

The name Encina is Spanish for "Holm Oak," both a type of tree and also the original name of Balke’s hometown of Uvalde, Texas. Who knew.

Food
Balke says in the release that the menu will be focused on simplistic, familiar dishes that offer value; are well executed; consistent; and made with quality ingredients.

Appetizers include:

A Bar N Beef Cheek Pastrami with Granbury pimento cheese and sweet tea gastrique
Devils on Horseback with dates, blue cheese, bacon and apple butter
Black Eyed Fritters with spicy carrot slaw and giardiniera aioli
Calamari Sugo with salami, sofrito, tomato and greens
Skillet Cornbread with Brazos Valley Feta and sorghum butter

Entrees will evolve but for the opening menu will include:

Reuben Flatbread with pastrami, swiss, sauerkraut, and pickle dressing
Zucchini and Squash Salad with lemon, garlic, mint, pine nuts and feta
Ricotta Gnocchi with mushroom broth, braised leeks, roasted mushrooms, pecan gremolata and pecorino
Lamb and Pork Bratwurst served with green chili hominy grits and apple mustard
The Cliff Flatbread with goat cheese, provolone, confit tomatoes and arugula
Turkey Leg Confit with roasted carrot, celery root, brussels leaves, pomegranate and black pepper gastrique
44 Farms NY Strip served with mascarpone grits and broccoli rabe

Beverage
McCombs' beverage program features cocktails that also use fresh, seasonal ingredients such as herbs and flowers from local farmers, with only four to five ingredients max. Intriguing.

Cocktails include:

The Kincaid – Bombay Sapphire, Suze, St. Germain, tarragon and lemon
Mokonuts – El Silencio Mezcal, Velvet Falernum, coconut, lime and agave
The Flower Patch – strawberry and rosemary Grey Goose, grand poppy, lemon, and sparkling wine
Reading Wood Black – Woodford Rye, coffee infused martini and rossi bitter, and sweet vermouth
Cactus Jack – Cazadores Reposado, Aperol, sweet peppers, dill, lime, and Tajin salt

Wines will be available by the glass or bottle with familiar labels as well as some unique finds. Bottles range from $60 to $150 but are very well priced and affordable.

Design-wise, they've kept Bolsa's layout and structure but made down-to-earth updates that are supposed to feel like an extension of their home.

Updates include improvements to the patio with expanded table and bar space as well as a raised roof, added walls, casement windows, and dining year-round.

Balke is a 2007 graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, where he graduated as salutatorian, who apprenticed with Sharon Hage of York Street in Dallas, and worked at Bolsa, Bolsa Mercado, The Rustic, and Smoke.

openings oak-cliff

Bar News

Rodeo Dallas bar takes party to Uptown Dallas at new location

Rodeo

Rodeo bar is open in Uptown

A bar with Deep Ellum roots is expanding to Uptown Dallas: Called Rodeo Dallas, it'll open at 2922 N. Hall St. in the space previously occupied by Palms Bar. According to co-owner Joseph "JD" Ybanez, it'll open on November 28.

The first Rodeo location in Dallas opened in 2023 at 2724 Elm St. from Ybanez and partner Josh Reagan, a pair of hospitality veterans whose prior venues include Longshots in Dallas, plus two locations of Varsity Tavern, in Fort Worth and in Tempe.

Ybanez' first bar was Trophy Ranch in Fort Worth which had a mechanical bull. "That's where I learned how popular it was," he says. (He also became familiar with Fort Worth's bar scene and went on to open a Rodeo spinoff in Fort Worth's West Seventh district in 2024.)

In August 2025, the Deep Ellum location became the focal point of neighborhood concerns about crime and was closed via an order from the Dallas city attorney. Ybanez says the city is scapegoating Rodeo for other problems in the neighborhood, and that the Deep Ellum location isn't going anywhere.

“This is not a relocation,” he says. “We maintain an ongoing legal dispute with our landlord Asana Partners regarding the re-opening of our Deep Ellum establishment. The Uptown location represents an expansion of the brand.”

Prior to opening Rodeo in Deep Ellum, they opened a predecessor in Tempe in 2018, called Rodeo Ranch. It served as a template for the concept, with an "adult playground" with mechanical bull, bottle service, girls in bikinis, DJs, dancing, and light show.

According to Ybanez, visitors to the Uptown location can expect to take these factors to the next level.

“The Uptown space offers an expansive back patio,” Ybanez says. “This area will feature a massive video wall, optimizing it for communal sports viewing. Furthermore, we have executed a comprehensive refinement of our food menu, which we are confident will elevate the guest experience."

The menu is rendered by Donde Los Tacos, the highly regarded Mexican taqueria in Oak Clifff, with $3 and $4 tacos, like trompo, barbacoa, and suadero. The Uptown location will also serve brunch with dishes such as chilaquiles.

"We have meticulously preserved the core of the Rodeo experience: the unparalleled atmosphere and vibes, our commitment to genuine hospitality, the homegrown character of the brand, and the inclusive spirit that welcomes every member of the community," Ybanez says.

uptown openings