Deep Ellum Is So Hot

Deep Ellum boom continues with 4 newly announced bar-restaurants

Harlowe MXM is one of four new bars and restaurants opening soon in Deep Ellum.

Photo courtesy of Harlowe MXM

Deep Ellum continues its transformation into Dallas' unofficial Restaurant Row with the announcement of a quartet of bars and restaurants set to move into properties where large-scale restoration projects were completed earlier this month.

This is located in a cluster of vintage buildings on the block that runs along Malcolm X Boulevard between Elm and Main Streets. The four bars and restaurants coming to the new complex include:

Hide Bar, 2816 Elm St. Expected to open by the end of 2016, Hide is a bar-restaurant going into a space with a rather dingy history; at one point, it was an entity called Ravach Arts. But that's all over with now. Hide Bar has some cutting-edge things in the works, such as the use of technology like centrifuges and vaporizers to create clear, clean cocktails. The menu will be comprised of small plates, salads, and sandwiches.

The Table, 2826 Elm St. The suburbs comes to the big city with this spin-off of a restaurant already open in Flower Mound. It takes over a space that was occupied by a series of bars with the number "2826" in them, such as 2826 Arnetic and Club 2826. The Table offers American cuisine with global influences in a refined, yet rustic setting. It will also feature innovative and classic craft and pre-Prohibition style cocktails, as well as new and old world wines and beer on tap.

Harlowe MXM, 2823 Main St. New concept from the Bread Winners folks will go into the former Catalina Cycle, a motorcycle and scooter supply shop. The bar-restaurant will feature two patios, one rooftop and the other on ground level. Harlowe MXM follows the mode of Henry's Majestic, with a funky atmosphere and, like Bread Winners, a big brunch. It's anticipated to open by the end of the year.

Baker and Company, 2820 Elm St. Bar/restaurant takes over a space that was home to a series of non-memorable bars such as Swallow Lounge and Viper Lounge. Baker will feature small plates and old-fashioned cocktails in a setting with jazz music and a 1920's theme. It'll open February 2017.

A multimillion-dollar investment was made by Westdale Properties in the restoration of these properties. The buildings were mostly erected in the 1930s and 1940s, used at the time for retail, office, and service businesses. The remodel includes the carving out of a corridor into the 2618 Elm St. space that connects Main Street to Elm.

In addition, Deep Ellum received $1.6 million in tax increment financing (TIF) funding from the city of Dallas. This allowed for civil upgrades to utilities, pedestrian access, public space, and beautification.

You know this is big stuff when there's a ribbon-cutting. On November 11 at 10 am, city council member Adam Medrano, Dallas officials, and the Deep Ellum Foundation will be joined by Dallas-based construction and engineering firm C1S and other players responsible for these restoration efforts in a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house event at 115 Malcolm X Blvd.

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All You Can Eat News

Eki Sushi will bring buzzy sushi experience to southwest Dallas 'burb

A sushi restaurant with a little something extra is coming to Cedar Hill, on the southwest corner of Dallas: Called Eki Sushi, it'll open at 649 Uptown Blvd., where it will bring two buzzy options to a neighborhood eager to have them.

The restaurant is opening in a former Applebee’s, and is from a team that includes Meng Yang and Ben Zhu, who've operated other Asian restaurants in Texas. A spokesperson says they chose Cedar Hill, which is 18 miles southwest of downtown Dallas and just below Duncanville, because it's an up-and-coming area without many sushi restaurants so far.

They'll open in mid- to late-September.

Eki Sushi will offer:

a "revolving sushi" experience, in which pre-plated sushi is placed on a conveyor belt that circulates past tables, allowing diners to pluck them as they pass
"AYCE" all-you-can-eat sushi, in which diners pay a set price and order as much as they want

Both of these options have proven to be highly appealing to diners. The revolving sushi experience, for example, is a novelty with a sense of "fun" that takes it beyond the usual restaurant meal; entire chains are dedicated to the experience such as Kura Revolving Sushi Bar, which has numerous locations in the DFW area.

AYCE sushi places, also plentiful around DFW, are a lure for those seeking variety and instant gratification. And like a buffet, they allow diners unfamiliar with a cuisine to try a variety of dishes at a low-risk low price.

That said, Eki will follow the lead of many AYCE places that monitor your consumption to avoid waste; if you don't finish the food you order, you get charged regular price. There's also a 90-minute limit — no all-day gluttony — and it's priced differently depending on time of day: $20 at lunch, $30 at dinner, and $31 on weekends.

Eki has a massive menu with sashimi, sushi rolls, 25 specialty rolls from the prototypical Rainbow Roll with crab, cucumber, and avocado, draped with tuna and salmon, to the Sweetheart Roll with spicy tuna, cucumber, and avocado, wrapped in soy paper as well as seaweed and artfully fashioned into a heart-shaped roll.

In addition to sushi, the menu also offers Asian appetizers like edamame, spring rolls, egg rolls, tempura, and gyoza, plus wings and French fries, which are surely welcome in any restaurant, regardless of cuisine.

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