Nashville Hot Chicken News

Hangry Joe's to cook up Nashville-style hot chicken in southwest Dallas

There is your chicken sandwich combo with waffle fries and a drink.

Photo courtesy of Hangry Joe's

There's a new player in the Nashville-style hot chicken world coming to Dallas, with tenders, sandwiches, and the best name of all: Called Hangry Joe's Hot Chicken, it's a concept from Richmond, Virginia and it's making its Texas debut in southern Dallas, at 4140 W Camp Wisdom Rd., a block or so west of the Southwest Center Mall (aka the old Red Bird Mall).

Jay Kang, who's part of a team of restaurant entrepreneurs bringing Hangry Joe's to Dallas, says they're planning to be open in January 2022.

Calling it a chain is premature since Hangry Joe's was only just founded in May 2021. It's from Derek Cha — famous for having founded the Sweet Frog Frozen Yogurt chain 2009 — in collaboration with his partner, Mike Kim, who partnered up to create the very best Nashville-style hot chicken sandwich.

They brag that their sandwich is not only spicy-hot but also juicy and crisp.

There are currently two locations in Virginia, but with at least four more in the works.

Like most of these Nashville-style hot chicken places, Hangry Joe's has a fairly simple menu revolving around fried chicken tenders with a crunchy coating which you can get in varying levels of heat. Hangry's has five levels, the hottest being "Angry Hot."

There are:

chicken tenders, which they call chicken fingers
chicken sandwiches, served with cider slaw, pickle, and hangry sauce on a brioche bun
chicken & waffle, with 4 tenders and a funnel waffle

Their fries are waffle fries, which you can get plain as a side, or else loaded, topped with chicken, jalapeño, and cheese sauce. They also have fried okra, a nice treat.

Hangry has a couple of other noteworthy extras including a salad with chicken breast; and Korean chicken nuggets, served with rice and choice of soy garlic or spicy soy garlic.

The food is getting great reviews, says Kang, the Dallas franchisee; you need only skim their Facebook page to see the raves.

"It's unique and tasty," Kang says. "We know there's already a few Nashville-style chicken places in Dallas now, and we've tried them, but this tastes so different."

The other notable thing about this debut is that it's located south of I-30, in a city where much of the new opening buzz tends to be focused north. But this is only the beginning, Kang says.

"We're planning on opening a lot more locations in Dallas and in Texas," he says.

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Henderson Ave News

Cozy Western-chic bar Stay Darlin' rides onto Dallas' Henderson Ave

Stay Darlin'

Stay Darlin' is coming to Henderson Avenue.

There's a distinctive new bar with a twang that just debuted on Dallas' Henderson Avenue: Called Stay Darlin', it's a Western-chic cocktail and wine bar, now open at 2929 N. Henderson Ave., in the space most famously occupied by Sissy's Southern Kitchen.

The new spot will feature a from-scratch cocktail program and shareable kitchen. It'll be open for dinner every night, starting as a cocktail bar but building into a lounge as the night goes on. Daytime weekend brunch will be added in July.

"Darlin’ is the unplanned night," says co-founder Brandon Luke in a statement. "The catch-up you’ve been meaning to have, the happy hour nobody planned, the late one you didn’t see coming — where the phone stays down and the conversation runs long. You come for a drink and stay for the way the night turns."

According to a release, Stay Darlin’ — or Darlin’ for short — is from a partnership between HattenLuke Hospitality Group, the Dallas-based company founded by Luke and his partner, chef Ron "RV" Van Hatten, whose other concepts include The Woolworth and Uno Mas Tex-Mex in downtown Dallas; and The A&B Effect, a Houston company led by managing partner Adonis Graham and bar chef Bronson Gutierrez, who've relocated here for Darlin', their first project in Dallas.

Luke previously installed a location of Uno Mas at this address; he also owned Smithy, a bar in the space next door. They've closed Smithy to focus on Stay Darlin'.

Cozy Western vignette at Stay Darlin'Photo courtesy of Stay Darlin'

Food & drink
The menu by Von Hatten, a former Corporate Chef at Landry’s, Inc. is centered on small plates built for sharing. Standouts include:

duck fries finished in duck fat with truffle and pecorino
steak bruschetta with Prime hanger steak
Caesar, with everything from dressing to croutons made in-house

The bar program by Bronson Gutiérrez features sous-vide spirit infusions, house-made syrups, and fresh-pressed citrus. Nine signature cocktails include a dirty martini with house olive or pickle brine and choice of vodka or gin; espresso martini; and a chili margarita with spicy tamarindo.

They'll offer frozen and draft pours, Perrier-Jouët Brut pours by the glass, Coors Banquet, Shiner Bock, and Texas beers.

The space
The venue has seating for 112, plus a 13-seat bar, main room, and two patios which have been rebuilt as a candlelit space for adult nightlife with dark wood floors, exposed beams, leather, brass, and fringe.

VIPs
Darlin’ is offering a limited VIP club option with 50 numbered memberships at $188 a month which confers reserved entry, a signature cocktail built with the bar chef and saved under their name, partner experiences with Texas makers such as McKinney Hat Co., Tecovas, and Pinto Ranch, and first access to Darlin’s artist series.

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