Hotel News

Peek at the menu of Virgin Hotels Dallas restaurant, opening in December

The dining room has kind of a sage thing going on.

Photo courtesy of Virgin

There's an opening date for Commons Club, the in-house restaurant at Virgin Hotels Dallas. According to a release, the eatery is accepting reservations starting December 15.

Virgin Hotels Dallas is the third property from Virgin Hotels, the lifestyle hospitality brand pioneered by Sir Richard Branson's global Virgin Group. The property is in the Dallas Design District at 1445 Turtle Creek Blvd, with 268 Chambers (rooms) and two penthouse suites.

In addition to the Commons Club, other dining and drinking outlets include the Funny Library Coffee Shop and The Pool Club.

Commons Club is the hotel's all-day restaurant, bar, and lounge, which also incorporates a concept called The Kitchen by Matt McCallister, which will serve a seasonally driven menu with French influence.

Collaborating in The Kitchen and leading the hotel's culinary team is Executive Chef Nick Walker.

It's a "French meets Texan" theme, with large-format dishes cooked via live fire in a charcoal-burning oven and wood-fired rotisserie. Dishes include:

grilled grouper with sauce bourride and root vegetables
rotisserie roasted chicken with stewed onion crème fraiche
A Bar N Ranch black pepper-crusted wagyu ribeye roast, sold by the bone, and served family-style with pumpernickel rolls

Additionally, the menu will feature several chilled dishes:

Texas farm radishes with seaweed butter and bottarga
tuna and beet crudo with pickled and raw golden beets and tapioca crisps
scallops roasted in the half shell dressed with citrus brown butter and hazelnut crumble

"The menus at Commons Club showcase an updated, French-inspired fare that is refined yet approachable," McCallister says in a statement. "We're celebrating French technique and local ingredients with a creative and playful approach."

The restaurant will feature a charcuterie display case featuring cured meats that sourced from artisanal producers, alongside pâtés, potted meats, and fermented vegetables made in-house.

Starting in spring 2020, there'll also be an on-site raised garden to supplement the restaurant's garnish and petite vegetables.

The Bar, which will feature some live entertainment, has a cocktail program rooted in classics, ranging from celebrated cocktails from famous hotel bars around the world to signature cocktails with a Virgin twist.

Beers will be Texas craft and draught focused, plus imports and local specialties in bottles and cans.

The wine and champagne list will specialize in producers committed to organic and sustainable viticulture.

The restaurant is located on ground level, with an open kitchen, community chef's table, wrap-around dog-friendly patio, and The Shag Room, a ‘70s-inspired space ideal for cocktails or an intimate reception.

Commons Club is open for breakfast from 7-11 am; lunch 11:30 am-2 pm; and dinner 5:30-10 pm; with a limited menu from 2-5:30 pm.

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Coffee News

New Dallas coffee shop opens with good coffee — and great hair

Common Good

Common Good coffee and good vibes

A new coffee shop with some serious styling has opened near downtown Dallas: Called Common Good, it's located at 1619 N. Hall St., right off Ross Avenue, in what was previously a retail outlet for Rakkasan Tea Company, who left the space in mid-2024.

Common Good is more than just a coffee shop – it's a coffee shop-hair salon from Christopher Bermudez, a stylist who previously owned Ellum Salon in Deep Ellum which he sold in 2022. Their motto: "Good coffee, good hair, good vibes."

Bermudez was born in Mexico City and moved to Dallas when he was one year old but remained close to his culture and often travels to Mexico City, where he found the inspiration behind this new concept.

"I was inspired by the multiuse spaces in my hometown of Mexico City: coffee shops that turn into a nightclub or tequila tasting rooms in the evening. Great vibe is what we are going for," he says.

The coffee shop is in the front, while the hair salon is in the back, divided by a large glass. The salon has eight stylists, including Bermudez.

The shop also features all-vinyl jam tables where guest DJs play music most weekends, creating a cool atmosphere. The décor resembles listening rooms that are popular in South Korea, with custom-made wooden walls and modern furniture.

Good vibes at Common Good Coffee and hair salonCommon Good

Heading the coffee operation is Jesse Nava, who recently worked at Xaman Coffee in Oak Cliff, and they're partnered with Lemma Coffee for beans and barista training. The shop offers a small but solid menu, with espresso and coffee classics, plus some specialty drinks including pistachio matcha, cardamon rose latte, espresso freddo, and a Mexican mocha.

“We want to stay consistent with a small menu — we want to get it right, then eventually add to it," Bermudez says.

They plan to add food, as well, working with a local bakery still to be decided for muffins, croissants, kolaches, cookies, and bagels.

They're open Tuesday-Saturday from 7 am-7 pm, with shorter hours Sunday and Monday, from 7 am-2 pm, since the salon portion is closed those days.

They've witnessed a big demand for coffee, since the center they're in had coffee history: The storefront on the corner at 1623 Hall St. was once Method Coffee, then Fiction Coffee, which closed at the end of 2023. (It's now home to Black Swan Saloon, the resuscitated bar from acclaimed mixologist Gabe Sanchez.)

They see themselves as a neighborhood coffee shop, where residents of the multiple apartment complexes around can become regulars. They are dog-friendly, serving pup cups.

"I always believed that if you have a good product people will come," Bermudez says.

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