In this round of Dallas restaurant news, there are burgers and pop-ups and lattes, oh my. Hot chocolate is being warmed, and new winter menus are everywhere.
Here's what's happening in Dallas dining:
Fiction Coffee has transformed itself into into a holiday pop-up coffee bar called Deck the Hall Street, with a holiday menu of seven craft beverages to match, such as Falala-latte with cinnamon, lavender, and star anise garnish; Secret Santa latte with cinnamon, mocha, and jalapeño; Peppermint Dreams latte with chamomile and mint; and Run, Run Brewdolph cold brew with cream and spiced syrup. The shop will also have its traditional menu available. Fiction Coffee is one of the workday brands in the Common Desk portfolio, a growing Dallas-based coworking company.
Rodeo Goat Ice House has opened at The Harbor in Rockwall on the Lake Ray Hubbard shoreline. This is the fifth location for the concept from restaurateurs Shannon Wynne, Keith Schlabs, and Larry Richardson that debuted in Fort Worth in 2012, with outposts in Dallas, Houston, and Plano. Rodeo Goat Ice House serves craft beer and grass-fed beef burgers from 44 Farms in more than 20 selections, including the Nanny Goat with goat cheese, bibb lettuce, beefsteak tomato, onion, and garlic-herb mayo. The Rockwall location is at 2095 Summer Lee Dr., #105.
Dakota's Steakhouse, the unique underground steakhouse in downtown Dallas, has unveiled its winter menu, featuring new offerings from chef Taylor Kearney. They include open-faced meatloaf sandwich, beer-battered Atlantic cod fish and chips, butcher’s block meatballs, pork belly, and a fully stacked shellfish tower. They've also revamped dishes such as Scottish salmon with roasted cauliflower, drunken raisins, and almonds; Diver scallops with sweet potato; and sesame-crusted tuna with Napa cabbage, oranges, wontons, cashews and sesame vinaigrette.
Dick's Last Resort, known for serving up dishes with heaping sides of sarcasm, has undergone a brand makeover that includes a new menu. Developed in partnership with Mike Hufler, a culinary-industry veteran, the new menu items feature better ingredients, fresher meats, and a new focus on flavor. They include 12-ounce sirloin topped with blue cheese bacon butter, served with asparagus and mashed taters; 8-ounce salmon filet topped with pineapple salsa, served with rice and roasted asparagus; ragin’ Cajun chicky pasta with blackened chicken, red and green peppers, onions, and cavatappi pasta, in a creamy spice cheese sauce; and Baja fish tacos with fried cod, pineapple salsa, black beans, and yellow rice.
Pinstack has a new set of seasonal chef specials available throughout December. They include butternut squash bisque, an oversized hand-battered siracha onion ring tower, roasted rosemary chicken, and a unique Mediterranean-style calzone. The dessert special is an apple and pecan cobbler with diced apples and vanilla ice cream.
Parks Coffee, the new coffee shop and roastery in Carrollton, has four new holiday-inspired beverages, available now through January 31: Spiced mocha; nitro nog combining coffee and non-dairy Silk eggnog; cinnamon cider with citrus; and candy cane hot chocolate, a sweet peppermint treat with white hot chocolate.
Mi Dia From Scratch has a themed martini for December called The Mistletoe, available at all three locations in Grapevine, Plano, and Flower Mound. It has Clase Azul Tequila, lemon juice, egg white, strawberry-infused agave, and cranberries. It's $15 but during happy hour Monday-Friday from 3-6 pm, it's $13.
Greenville Avenue Pizza has collaborated with chef Kent Rathbun on the Wild Turkey Pizza, topped with One90 smoked turkey, gruyére cheese, alfredo sauce, caramelized onions, mushrooms, spinach, and prosciutto, served with a side of cranberry sauce. GAPCo will also be serving cranberry-habanero wings. Both items will be available at both GAPCo’s locations, on Greenville Avenue and Peavy Road, through January 31. The pizza is $18 for a small and $23 for a large, while the wings are $10.
Champps Kitchen + Bar, a neighborhood sports bar that has been serving Las Colinas for almost two decades, has a new menu featuring 34 new beverage and food items in addition to its classic favorites. Highlights include: deep fried Brussels sprouts, blistered shishito peppers with chipotle ranch, steak salad, pork chops, and pork belly Wagyu burger with arugula, tomato, red onion, bacon aioli, cheddar, glazed pork belly, and bacon. Two new chocolate lover’s desserts include the Mile High Reborn with a cookie crust, three flavors of ice cream (chocolate brownie fudge, salted caramel, and vanilla bean) and toasted marshmallow whipped cream; and triple chocolate cookie sundae, with a chocolate chip cookie topped with salted caramel ice cream, hot fudge, and bourbon-caramel sauce.
Corner Bakery has new menu items to satisfy winter cravings. Options include chicken orzo soup, a BBLT and egg sandwich, a warm bacon and spinach salad, and spicy Balsamic pulled pork panini. A new power breakfast egg bowl has scrambled eggs, farro, tomatoes, and a power-greens blend of baby kale, arugula, and spinach. There's a new pistachio cranberry muffin, which they say is studded with chopped walnuts and dried cranberries. That's weird, is it walnuts or pistachios? There's also white chocolate mint cold brew, which is a cold brew with white chocolate and mint. That's a lot of flavors in a coffee.
Velvet Taco, the unique taco concept, is offering their signature Red Velvet Cake in a full sized (10x12") take-home version. The dessert is a light red velvet cake layered with cream cheese frosting and covered with a cajeta (Mexican caramel) sauce. The cake is available for $49 through December 31, and must be ordered at least 24 hours in advance.
