Wine Bar News

Sommelier to debut enticing wine bar in Flower Mound with wine on tap

Monograph Series: Wine, The Great Match: An Evening with Spanish Wines

Wine bars are becoming a thing.

Photo courtesy of The Hotel Emma

One promising trend for 2021 seems to be wine bars, and Flower Mound is getting one of its own: Called Clink Wine Bar and Bites, it'll open at The Shops at Lakeside, at 2601 Lakeside Pkwy., at FM 2499 and Lakeside Parkway.

According to a release from Realty Capital Management, LLC, The Shops at Lakeside developer, Clink will open in March 2021.

They describe it as a neighborhood wine bar with 16 wines on tap, four beers on tap, other wines by the glass or bottle, and some beer and cider options.

The food will be tapas-style plates aka bites, including charcuterie boards, flat breads, paninis, salads, and desserts. Wine and beer will also be sold to go.

Even better, it'll be locally owned. Owner-operator is Laura Black, a sommelier and Flower Mound resident.

"I am thrilled to be opening Clink Wine Bar in Lakeside," Black says in a statement. "Wine is about community. It is meant to be shared with family or friends while enjoying moments big and small. My job is to find you a great glass or bottle to enjoy that enriches your experience."

She has great plans that include wine education classes and food and wine pairings led by a winemaker, winery representative or sommelier each month.

"Our menu will be rotating every two months to keep things fresh and exciting," Black says. "We will also offer a wine delivery service for those that live in Flower Mound/Denton County. We will have a walk-in wine cellar, a private room that can be rented out for special events, and an inviting outdoor patio."

She says the atmosphere will have a similar feel to a wine bar located in Napa, California, but with a mid-century modern twist.

Realty Capital Management managing director Jimmy Archie says that there's been great demand from locals.

"A neighborhood wine bar has been at the top of the list of uses Lakeside residents have been requesting be added to the wide array of food and beverage options in the project," he says.

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Pei Wei News

Upscale Indian restaurant takes over an original Pei Wei in Dallas

Roti Grill

A hallowed restaurant space in Dallas' Knox Park Village has a new tenant. The new tenant is Roti Grill, the Northern Indian restaurant known for its modern take on traditional Indian food. The space is the former Pei Wei space at 3001 Knox St., which closed in 2023 after nearly 20 years.

Roti Grill knows the neighborhood well, as it has been there since 2005 (as reported by Andoni Vossos), just around the corner at 4438 McKinney Ave.

That location was a little hidden away, without much on-street presence. And yet they survived 20 years. Imagine what they'll do in the Pei Wei space.

That Pei Wei was only the fifth Pei Wei to open in Dallas. (No. 1 was Preston Frankford, #2 was Carrollton, #3 was Las Colinas, and #4 was South Arlington — this is the kind of solid-gold intel you can find in Fork Fight!, the memoir by Pei Wei co-founder Mark Brezinski.)

But the Knox location being so centrally located in Dallas made it a major foodie destination for most of its two-decade lifespan.

Roti Grill founder Pardeep Sharma says the new location brings not only greater visibility but also gives them the opportunity to present a more refined version of the typical Roti Grill dining experience — including full-service dining and a full bar serving craft cocktails made with Indian ingredients.

“There’s a lack of Indian restaurants in DFW where guests can sit down and take their time enjoying wine, beer, or cocktails along with dinner,” Sharma says.

Open daily from 11 am-10 pm, the restaurant offers a contemporary, elevated Indian dining experience, unlike its other counter-service locations. Guests can enjoy a full-service meal paired with cocktails and wine.

Sharma is a veteran restaurateur who has owned some of Dallas' most popular Indian restaurants starting with Kebab N Kurry, which he opened in Richardson in 1982. He went on to open India Palace in 1985, a longtime staple in the Indian restaurant community.

He launched Roti Grill in Plano in 1992, and has since opened locations at Victory Plaza near downtown Dallas and at The Star in Frisco.

Roti Grill Knox Street Roti Grill gives former Pei Wei space a bright makeover.Roti Grill

Dishes include

Vegetable Samosas filled with spiced potatoes and peas
Chili Paneer with onions and bell peppers
Dahi Papdi Chaat - fried chickpea flour cake, spicy chickpeas, and chutney

Tandoori specialties include chicken tikka, ground lamb seekh kebab, and shrimp tandoori — each served with basmati rice, naan, and masala sauce. Entrees include chicken Vindaloo in a tangy sauce; plus vegetarian favorites like Chana Masala and Malai Kofta - vegetable and cheese dumplings in a creamy sauce.

Drinks include the Indian Sunset with Indian rum, amaretto, cranberry juice, and pineapple juice; and a Mango Margarita with Hornitos tequila, mango purée, and lime.

The new location spans 3,300 square feet and seats up to 80. It features a vibrant design by Hatsumi Kuzuu (Tei-An, FT33). The former Pei Wei now incorporates decorative details of Indian architecture and art, large wood beams, vibrant colors, and stenciled figures.

It joins other excellent-yet affordable restaurants at Knox Park Village that include Bread Zeppelin, the ingenious salad chain that puts salads inside a crusty loaf of bread, and Fadi's Mediterranean Grill, the excellent Mediterranean and Lebanese concept from Houston.

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