It Begins With A V

Dallas fine-dining restaurant Fearing's embraces 2018's hottest trend

Fearing's famed tortilla soup will get a spin-off.

Photo courtesy of Fearing's

One of Dallas' most fine-dining restaurants is going all in on what is anticipated to be the hottest dining trend of 2018: vegetarianism. Fearing's, the impeccable restaurant at the Ritz-Carlton Dallas, has introduced a new all-vegetarian menu for lunch and dinner, allowing diners to savor menu favorites with vegetarian preparations.

The new menu offerings include vegetarian renditions of some of the restaurant's signature dishes, as well as new dishes from chef/partner Dean Fearing.

Vegetarian and vegan foods have been at the top of the list for trend-watchers for the past couple of years, and continue to enjoy increased popularity and sales. The latest forecast from Baum & Whiteman, a New York industry consultant, predicts that in 2018, plant-based dining will go mainstream.

Offering vegetarian options is nothing new for Fearing's, which has had a vegetarian menu, available on request, since 2013. The restaurant also does vegan versions of its vegetarian dishes, eliminating animal products such as eggs and cheese.

But the restaurant, which earned the No. 1 spot on CultureMap's Top 100 restaurants in Dallas, is placing greater emphasis on the options, and developed some new recipes. The new vegetarian menu features four starters and four main courses, as follows:

Dean’s vegetarian tortilla soup
Gem wedge salad with Heirloom cherry tomatoes and cornbread croutons
Corn tamale with cumin/jícama salad and crispy blue corn taco
Elote-style street tacos with jalapeño jack cheese
Mexican sampler with spinach/jalapeño ranchero enchilada, butternut squash taquito, avocado fries, and chile lime corn gratin
Ricotta gnocchi with oyster mushroom ragout, heirloom carrots, and burnt orange emulsion
Sesame sticky noodles with stir-fry vegetables, tempura asparagus, and shiitake mushrooms
Roasted Romanesco steak on apple/fennel purée with papas bravas, olives, Marcona almonds, and sherry-poached golden raisins

"I felt that vegetarian guests deserved an option that meets their dietary requirements, but that also offers more just a couple of starred vegetarian items on a main menu," Fearing says.

Thus they've created a standalone selection of meat-free starters and main courses. "We spent a long time perfecting these recipes so that they really do offer a true taste of Fearing's," he says.

vegan

Quonset Hut News

Familiar names take over Quonset hut for new Far-Out Dallas bar

Yelp

Wriggly Tin is now Far-Out Dallas

There's a new Dallas restaurant and bar coming to everyone's favorite Quonset hut: Called Far-Out, it'll take over the space at 1906 E. Haskell Ave. in East Dallas that was previously home to Wriggly Tin, with a grand opening slated for 2025.

Founders Caroline and James Lee are calling it Far-Out & La Hermana Cerveceria and promise that a culinary adventure awaits.

"After months of creative brainstorming and a bit of furniture rearranging, we are thrilled to announce an exciting new pioneering concept that will open its doors in 2025," the duo says. "Introducing Far-Out & La Hermana Cerveceria, a dynamic new restaurant and brewery born from the collaboration of industry veterans."

The team includes some beloved East Dallas names:

Marc Cassel of The Green Room and 20 Feet Seafood Joint
Christopher Jeffers of Bolsa and Smoke
Stephanie Houston, the trailblazing first Latina Production distillery owner in America

Also joining the team is Bar Director Adam Mercado, whose resume includes stints at Billy Can Can and Brass Ram.

Marcado will crafting a unique beverage program, with support from mixologist Brian McCullough. Together, they will create what the founders call "unforgettable drink experiences to complement our delicious culinary offerings."

Wriggly Tin opened in November 2023 as an ultra-hip pizza and craft beer spot inside a renovated Quonset hut near Dallas' Fair Park — a former Cajun fried turkey place which they gave doting makeover with custom plaster walls and art objects from around the world. They replaced one whole side of the hut with glass for sunsets and created a spacious outdoor patio in front.

They earned two nomination in CultureMap's 2024 Tastemaker Awards, one for Best Bar and another for Best Patio.

Alas, the original founders, who'd previously owned Small Brewpub in Oak Cliff, parted ways shortly after it opened. And the bar closed down in September 2024, for what they called "internal changes."

Now the hut is back: The new Far-Out bar is already up and running a few days a week. In the coming days, they will offer updates and sneak peeks as they gear up for the opening of their kitchen.

openings