Chef News

Dallas Mexican restaurant Tulum comes back from COVID-19 swinging

Salmon with molcajete sauce and roasted vegetables, now at Tulum.

Photo courtesy of Tulum

Dallas restaurant Tulum, known for its upscale traditional Mexican food, has reopened following the COVID-19 closure with a splash: Namely, a new menu by José Meza, the acclaimed chef who previously worked at Jalisco Norte.

Tulum reopens at the Shops of Highland Park at 4216 Oak Lawn Ave. on November 4, following an eight-month closure, in a direction that's unique. While many restaurants are turning to comfort food, Tulum is going upscale and creative with seasonal ingredients and innovative combinations — just the thing if you've had it up to here with Nashville hot chicken and are craving a chef-driven experience.

Highlights include Yucatan pork cochinita pibil-style, and flat-iron steak that they cook sous vide-style for 72 hours, served with charred eggplant purée and Brussels sprouts. A separate happy hour menu features Mexican-inspired bites and specially-priced cocktails, such as the Meza margarita made with a coconut essence.

Meza says the menu is based in tradition and heritage. A native of Mexico, his career began in his teens when he worked at Michelin three-starred restaurant Martin Berasategui in San Sebastian, Spain. He cooked at Moxi at the Hotel Matilda, San Miguel de Allende; the St. Regis Punta Mita; and Ramona at Hotel Nizuc in Cancun. He also interned at Noma, the world-famous gastronomic mecca in Copenhagen.

"My mission is to exemplify just how memorable Mexican cuisine can be," he says. "Dishes can be completely different, but when you close your eyes, you immediately recognize their heritage."

The menu includes:

"Sikil pak," a Creole spin on a Mayan pumpkinseed dip with heirloom corn tostada
Avocado purée, like a super creamy guacamole with roasted ginger, radish, and pumpkin seeds
Aguachile scallops, featuring raw scallops in a coconut-lemon grass aguachile with jicama
Vegan tartar, made from roasted beets, eggplant, dried tomato, sprinkled with pumpkin seeds and capers
Caesar salad, a grilled Romaine heart with smoked anchovy salt, parmesan cheese, and garlic chips
Octopus in a zarandeado sauce with black bean purée, kohlrabi slaw, and toreado (blistered) onion
Red snapper with green pipian sauce, topped with "shredded" broccoli

Desserts are notable including a sweet plantain tamale and an unusual ice cream sandwich with coconut cookies enclosing a filling of sweet corn ice cream.

Cocktails include an extra smoky Familia de agave margarita and "pasiflora 75," their version of a French 75 featuring a purple passionflower.

Tulum debuted in 2018 in the space formerly occupied by Madrina as an homage to Tulum, Mexico by restaurateur Mike Karns, head of Local Favorite (El Fenix, Snuffer's Restaurant & Bar, Village Burger Bar, Meso Maya, Taqueria La Ventana), who said that he and his wife Valerie loved to visit there. Very much a passion project.

In March 2020, Karns acquired Jalisco Norte, an upscale Mexican restaurant also on Oak Lawn Avenue that was founded by restaurateur Tim McEneny, who brought Meza to Dallas to serve as chef. One week later, COVID-19 shut everything down. Meza stayed with the restaurant and is now giving Tulum a twirl.

They're open for dinner Tuesday-Sunday, and reservations are recommended by calling 972-677-9747.

"At the end of the day, it's about doing what I love and letting people enjoy it," Meza says.

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Farm News

Dallas farm-to-table champion Profound Farms closes produce operation

Profound

Profound Microfarms

A Dallas farm-to-table champion is pulling the plug: Profound Microfarms, the small farm in Lucas that provided locally-grown produce to chefs and the general public for nearly a decade, is shutting down its growing operation and discontinuing deliveries. Their final delivery and pickup day will be May 23.

According to cofounder Jeff Bednar, they were simply unable to keep the business afloat.

"It's always been tough for small farmers, and it's only getting harder," Bednar says. "I'd hate to count how many farmers and ranchers we've known in the last 10 years that have gone out of business. Honestly, I know very few farmers that could make it with out having off-farm income from a spouse or other sources."

Jeff and Lee Bednar first bought their 2.6-acre plot in Lucas in 2014, then spent three years learning hydroponic methods and building industry relationships. In May 2017, they began selling produce to Dallas-area chefs, helping to support DFW’s burgeoning farm-to-table restaurant scene, delivering to restaurants multiple times per week.

In 2018, Profound Foods received a USDA grant to create a local "food hub" — a business that helps small farmers grow by offering a combination of production, distribution, and marketing services. At their peak, by the end of 2019, they were serving 130 restaurants.

And then the pandemic arrived. They pivoted, expanding into retail sales in March 2020, offering weekly home delivery and pickup outpost options for home consumers.

Profound Microfarms lettuce Beautiful lettuces at Profound MicrofarmsProfound Microfarms

"Unfortunately, running a year-round food hub became tougher than we can sustain right now," he says. "It's disheartening we were not able to make it work after trying for 11 years. But we were able to raise our daughters the way we wanted to and we really had a great run. Profound impacted hundreds of Dallas chefs and thousands of families in our community and we'll continue to do that, just differently."

Over the years, Profound grew from harvesting greens to aggregating and delivering for other producers, then into community gathering spaces, commercial kitchens, and hands-on education.

"Profound has never been just a farm — it’s our commitment to connecting North Texans with local food, and that commitment will keep evolving even as the farm operations wind down," Bednar says.

So while the growing part has gone away, Profound will continue hosting cooking classes and other foodie events. In the interim, they'll also be listing their plants, hydroponic supplies, and greenhouses for sale.

Some of their stats:

Moved more than $4.5 million of truly local food into North Texas kitchens.
Sent 75 cents on every dollar to 185 farmers, ranchers, and producers in North Texas.
Delivered 34,000+ restaurant and home orders.
Donated over 90,000 lbs of fresh food to area charities and food banks.
Hosted dozens of interns and hundreds of volunteers for hands-on learning on our farm.
Helped over 22 companies launch food-based business in our incubator kitchen and hub.
Hosted tours for more than 15,000 people, schoolchildren, and aspiring farmers.

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