Coffee Talk

Fort Worth player perks up coffee cafe in downtown Dallas

Fort Worth's Avoca Coffee gets a foot in the door in Dallas.

A downtown Dallas high-rise has partnered with a major coffee bean player from Fort Worth to run its ground-floor coffee cafe.

Fort Worth's Avoca Coffee has taken over the coffee operation in the glass-enclosed lobby of St. Paul Place, the building at St. Paul and Ross Avenue. This is the same coffee space that was originally settled by Pearl Cup Coffee, who was there for five years. Hospitality Sweet took over the space at the end of 2014 but left about a month ago.

Avoca Coffee co-founder Garold LaRue says they were excited for the opportunity to spread their wings east.

"The owners wanted somebody to be there to deliver a consistent product for the tenants," he says. "We have some great baristas there, and we've partnered with Bolsa Mercado to bring in some options for lunch."

That includes sandwiches and salads, but LaRue's main focus is providing good coffee.

"I remember when Pearl Cup was there, I came in on the first day to have a cup," he says. "I think it's a great space. It's very pretty and yet modern. The open floor plan makes it visible to everyone."

The closest other coffee options nearby include a Starbucks that's in the lobby of the Fairmount Hotel, a few blocks down Ross; and a Starbucks in the Chase Tower at 2200 Ross Ave., on the second floor.

Deeper into downtown, there is a Starbucks on the ground floor of the 1717 Pacific Ave. building, and indie coffee options such Weekend Coffee at the Joule, Serj Books at 400 N. St. Paul St., and Stupid Good Coffee on the skywalk at 1910 Pacific Ave.

Aside from the opportunity to serve the building's needs, LaRue is also grateful for the opportunity to get his footprint into Dallas.

"It lets people get to know our coffee, and we get to learn about downtown," he says. "We've also been interested in expanding into Dallas, so this gives us the chance to test-drive it first and see how people take to it. In the future, we do want to have a spot in Dallas so this is a cool foray into that effort."

downtown coffee openings

Yes, cheese

Nashville gourmet grilled cheese shop melts into Texas with Plano debut

Photo courtesy of Cheese Lab

Pimento Mac 'n' Cheese Melty at Cheese Lab.

A Nashville restaurant that puts gourmet twists on grilled cheese sandwiches has made its Texas debut in Plano. Called Cheese Lab, the shop has opened inside Legacy Hall, the three-story food hall at the Legacy West complex at 7800 Windrose Ave.

Plano is just the second location for Cheese Lab, and its first outside of Tennessee.

Founded by restaurateur Youssef Koutout, Cheese Lab serves elevated comfort food built around artisan cheeses, premium ingredients, and inventive flavor combinations, a release says. The concept debuted at Assembly Food Hall in downtown Nashville before expanding to North Texas.

Rather than sticking to the standard grilled cheese, the menu features a lineup of "melty" sandwiches with creative fillings.

The Cheese Lab offers creative twists on grilled cheese sandwiches. Photo courtesy of Cheese Lab

Signature options include the Nashville Smokehouse Melty with slow-smoked brisket; the Pimento Mac 'n' Cheese Melty; the Pulled Pork Meltstorm; the Southern Heritage Grilled Ham Duo; and the Brie & Fig Grilled Melty.

Sure to be a Texas favorite: The Birria on Broadway Melty, featuring slow-cooked chuck roll beef braised in-house for six hours, Monterey Jack cheese, onions, cilantro, and consommé dipping soup.

The menu also includes loaded mac and cheese, house-made soups, crispy Cheetos Balls, and breakfast items such as buttermilk biscuits, breakfast burritos, and bagel sandwiches.

BBQ Brisket Mac n Cheese Melty.Photo courtesy of Cheese Lab

"At Cheese Lab, we took one of America's most recognizable comfort foods and completely reimagined it," Koutout says in the release. "Every sandwich starts with quality ingredients and is built to bring unexpected flavors to a classic sandwich. We're excited to bring our second location to Legacy Hall and become part of the Plano community."

Amanda McFarland, executive vice president of FB Society, which operates Legacy Hall, says the concept fits the venue's focus on chef-driven dining.

Cheetos Ball.Photo courtesy of Cheese Lab

"Cheese Lab brings exactly the kind of creativity we look for at Legacy Hall," McFarland says. "Their menu takes something everyone knows and loves and turns it into a new culinary experience. We think guests are going to have a lot of fun working their way through the menu."

Cheese Lab is open 10 am-9 pm Monday-Wednesday, 10 am-10 pm Thursday, 10 am-1 am Friday-Saturday, and 10 am-9 pm Sunday.

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