Coffee Date

Dallas is one of the proud few to get a Martha Stewart Cafe

Soon we can all sample Martha Stewart's favorite coffee at her cafe.

Photo courtesy of Martha Stewart Cafe

Dallas will get coffee, Martha-style, in November, with the opening of Martha Stewart Cafe, a coffee shop at the Macy's store at Galleria Dallas.

A spokesperson confirms that Dallas will open in early November, and will be the third location.

The first opened in 2015 in New York, in the lobby of Stewart's corporate headquarters. A second branch opens in Sacramento on October 8.

The cafe draws its inspiration from artisanal cafes of Europe with coffee, tea, espresso drinks, and cold-brew iced coffee. Coffee comes from Kobrick Coffee, a New York City-based and family-owned roaster that sources the beans for the custom "Martha's Blend." Martha's favorite espresso bean is roasted in small batches in Trieste, Italy.

Artisanal loose-leaf teas are provided by Wei Bertram of Connecticut-based Arogya Tea. They include Martha's Breakfast Blend, a signature blend of Assam long leaf and Chinese black teas; Da Hong Pao, a legendary oolong hand-rolled and roasted in China; and a nutty, subtly sweet buckwheat tea.

In addition to drinks, the cafe will sell beans by the bag for $13.50 to $15, and cannisters of loose-leaf tea for $20.

While the original cafe features pastries, the Dallas store will ~~probably follow the example of the Sacramento store and~~ serve granolas and nuts. Note: A spokesperson says that the cafe will also feature "a curated assortment of pastries from local bakeries."

Stewart has a longtime association with Macy's, which sells her collection of bedding, bath, furniture, and decor.

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Soul Food News

Dallas celebs are flocking to Soul Shack, new restaurant in Cedar Hill

Soul Shack

Fried chicken, mac & cheese, collards at Soul Shack.

Dallas has a new upscale soul food restaurant that originally hails from Chicago: Called Soul Shack, it’s in the former Turkey Leg King space at 305 W. FM 1382 #502, in the Hillside Village shopping center in Cedar Hill where it opened in late January.

Soul Shack was founded by owner Erik “Rico” Nance, an entrepreneur and veteran restaurateur, and is led by his business partners Theous Griffin and Ronald Edwards III, who serves as general manager. The original was a fast-casual concept in Chicago called Soul Shack Express, which is still open.

The Dallas location is a more ambitious effort, with a full-service restaurant, full bar, and swanky nightlife atmosphere. Nance had previously opened Mikkey's Retro Grill, a hip-hop themed burger restaurant, in Cedar Hill, which closed in late 2024.

"I felt like the city needed a cocktail lounge," he says.

The space boasts a 1920's jazz club atmosphere, with marble floors, circular black booths, chandeliers, crystal bead curtains, and tables topped with a newsprint design. There's a "Soul Shack" sign in white neon, and an Insta-friendly wall with flowers and photo collage of iconic Black artists and performers like Eddie Murphy and Diahann Carroll. They also host live music and DJs at night.

The menu is mostly Southern but with fusion twists: soul rolls (fried egg rolls) filled with jerk chicken, which is their signature dish; plus gumbo, collard greens, sweet potatoes, mac & cheese, lamb chops with a parmesan crust, oxtails, and beef short ribs in gravy.

Tranelle and Ron Edwards with Shaq O'Neal Shaq O'Neal (right) drops into Soul Shack.Soul Shack

"Soul Shack has been an offspring of the things that we've learned from our other restaurants," Nance says. "We're still in soft opening mode, but we've already taken off. We'll have a beautiful nightlife and older crowd."

They've quickly earned notice from celebrities including TikTok phenomenon Keith Lee, who touted them with a review in their first week open (giving it a high rating of 8 out of 10 on his scale); and more recently celebrity Shaquille "Shaq" O'Neal, who dropped in for a surprise visit, posing for a photo with Edwards and his wife, Tranelle.

"We had no idea, he just came in, made a reservation and said he'd heard the food was amazing," Nance says. "When he came in the door, we said, 'We're turning this into Soul Shaq.' We accommodated everything he wanted. I love that man and what he stands for, his philanthropy."

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