Ramen News

New Plano ramen restaurant cocks secret weapon: Korean fried chicken

Behold the Korean fried chicken, in all its sweet and sour glory.

Photo courtesy of Bols

A new restaurant serving ramen and bibimbap has opened in west Plano, and that's maybe not even the best part. Called Bols, as in an abbreviated "bowls," it's located at 6505 W. Park Blvd., west of the Dallas North Tollway, in what used to be a Korean barbecue place called Kor-BQ.

Bols comes from husband-and-wife JT and Jacklyn Jeon, who moved here from California; JT has worked as a chef at various Korean and Japanese restaurants in the Los Angeles area for more than 20 years.

Their menu has a Chipotle-esque approach that allows you to build your own ramen or Korean BBQ bibimbap bowl, starting with choice of rice or noodle; broth; and protein from a selection that includes bulgogi beef, chicken, spicy chicken, crunchy sweet chicken, spicy pork, seafood, and tofu.

Toppings include vegetables such as carrot, broccoli, mushroom, and green onion. You can also get extra add-ons such as garlic flakes, dried seaweed, or soft-boiled egg.

If you don't want to build your own, you can also choose from already-composed ramen options including miso, tonkotsu, Korean served with kimchi, shoya ramen, and seafood ramen.

Other items on Bols' menu include "mandu" dumplings in a veggie version or filled with chicken & pork; and bao buns with BBQ chicken, BBQ bulgogi, and tempura shrimp.

They also have tacos, $2.50 each; fries topped with kimchi and bacon; and two kinds of katsu, aka fried cutlets: pork and chicken.

All of this is good news for an area that can certainly use a ramen option as well as a bibimbap spot.

But the secret weapon at Bols is that they also do Korean-style fried chicken. Perhaps you know the kind: crunchy crust and a hot sweet glaze, popularized by the Korean restaurant chain Bonchon Chicken.

Bonchon does currently have one DFW location on 121 in The Colony. Chicken Moto in Richardson and BBB Bop, the mini-chain, also do Korean-style fried chicken.

But there are diners always on the hunt for Korean fried chicken. They'll want to add Bols to their list.

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Deli News

Gourmet market Ari's Pantry to open in Dallas' Trinity Groves

Ari's Pantry

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A new gourmet grocery is coming to Trinity Groves: Ari's Pantry, the market launched in Oak Cliff by husband-and-wife Ari and Amy Lowenstein, will open a second location in West Dallas’ Trinity Groves, with a grand opening celebration on Saturday, November 30.

Located at 3011 Gulden Ln. #119 in the space that was once home to Potato Flats who remembers them, the Trinity Groves store will offer: pasta, olive oil, vinegars, preserves, candy, bread, crackers, cheese, meats, pizza dough, fresh pasta, housewares, cocktail ingredients, novelty kitchen gadgets, spices, prepared foods, fresh pesto and Ari’s own tomato sauce.

“We are excited to open our newest location at Trinity Groves joining the great businesses already there and the wave of new ventures opening in the development,” Ari Lowenstein says in a release. “With this location we will reach a new audience in West Dallas and be closer to our customers coming from downtown and the north.”

The couple opened their first location in Winnetka Heights at 1307 ½ W. Davis St. in December 2023 to fulfill Ari's passion for all things Italy. The idea was a small Italian food store with recipe-ready staples, with a hyper-local vibe. It has since blossomed into a general-purpose gourmet stop.

In addition to the food staples for sale found at their Bishop Arts location, Ari’s Trinity Groves location will also include a commercial catering kitchen that will enable them to provide full-service catering, prepared meal pick-up, pasta classes, and private dinners.

“Amy and Ari bring something new and special to this development as our first partner to offer consumer packaged goods made by people and companies outside of Trinity Groves,” said Sam Romano, Partner at West Dallas Investments, parent company of Trinity Groves. “They are part of the vision we have for the future of Trinity Groves that will combine innovative, up and coming chefs and restauranteurs with lifestyle and entertainment options like pickleball, bocce ball, popup events, arcade game play and additional retail partners.”

The Ari's empire doesn't stop here: Their goal is to open multiple locations "in all corners of DFW and beyond," and that includes a location in the Cyprus Waters community in Coppell, slated to open in spring 2025.

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