Dallas' restaurant scene is jumping, it's popping, it's off the hook with openings, new menus, new lunches, and new cocktails, and this roundup of news is positively overflowing, with 27 must-read items.
Here's what's happening in Dallas restaurant news:
Primo's MX Kitchen & Lounge has opened in Flower Mound's River Walk restaurant row at 4120 River Walk Dr. This is the fourth location, following Uptown, downtown, and Hillcrest, and will be the largest of all. The menu features an updated twist on Tex-Mex with dishes such as carne asada fries, vegetarian enchiladas, and fajitas with choices ranging from veggies to pork belly to lobster tail. Specialty menu items include jalapeno-citrus mahi-mahi, and a 16-ounce boneless ribeye for $39. The restaurant is now open for dinner and will add lunch and weekend brunch.
Salad and Go has opened its first location in Carrollton at 4213 N. Josey Ln. at Hebron, serving Caesar and Cobb salads, Brussels sprout Caesar, breakfast burritos, cold brew, and house made lemonade. It's open Monday-Friday 6:30 am-9 pm and Saturday-Sunday 7 am-9 pm.This is their sixth location in DFW to open in 2021, with more to come in 2022.
Fish City Grill is preparing to reopen its location at Preston-Royal, after having suffered severe damage when a tornado swept through in October 2019. The section of shopping center where Fish City Grill was located had to be torn down and rebuilt from scratch. They've moved to a different space closer to Preston Road. The restaurant will be larger, with more tables to accommodate more diners and shrink wait times. There will also be a small patio. Cofounder and CEO Bill Bayne says in a statement that "we've been part of the landscape in the Preston-Royal area since 2003 and we want to continue to be an important part of the neighborhood for decades going forward."
Two Doors Down is a new coffee shop from Mitch & Kristen Kauffman, owners of Urbano Cafe in East Dallas that is literally two doors down from the original cafe, in the same building, thus the snappy name. "TDD" will be open Tuesday-Saturday 7-2:30 pm, serving coffee, locally made pastries, kolaches, quiches, grab-and-go salads, and sandwiches. They'll also offer breakfast options such as the French Breakfast, featuring a traditional bowl of cafe au lait, a baguette, and berries.
Urbano Cafe is bringing back lunches for the first time since the start of the pandemic, beginning December 16, open Thursday-Saturday from 11 am-2:30 pm. The menu features Urbano favorites such as the Parmesan chicken panini, house-made tomato-basil soup, pepper-seared ahi tuna salad with beets, spinach, & black olive pesto, and fusilli with short ribs.
Tiff's Treats is launching a warm cookie delivery subscription Blue Ribbon Club. Members get a box of one or two dozen cookies each month featuring a surprise flavor-of-the-month in half of the box and Tiff’s Mix assortment, or another flavor of the recipient's choosing, in the other half. They're also opening three DFW locations this month: Grand Prairie at 3144 S. State Highway 161 #320; Little Elm at 211 E. El Dorado Pkwy. at The Lakefront; and Fort Worth at 5309 McPherson at the Shops at Chisholm Trail. This will make 23 Tiff's Treats stores in the DFW area.
Bellagreen has launched its new winter seasonal menu, available for dine-in, to-go and delivery from bellagreen.com and a new loyalty app, b green Rewards. Dishes include French onion soup, cranberry poppyseed salad with romaine, kale, red onion, cranberries, oranges, & kiwi, Red Wine Braised Short Ribs with chipotle mashed sweet potatoes and steamed broccoli, salmon tacos, salmon with rice pilaf, & curry cauliflower and flourless chocolate cake.
Grimaldi’s has a new "Margherita, Margarita" menu featuring Margherita Pizza and seasonal Margarita cocktail flavors such as Black Cherry and Peach. There's also a new arugula sunset salad with Brussel sprouts, red onions, black cherry vinaigrette, bacon, feta, and dried cherries; and two desserts: a Black Cherry Cheesecake with Oreo cookie crust, and Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake.
Tommy Bahama Restaurant & Bar in Plano has three new shareable dishes: hummus & whipped feta with figs and flatbread; caramelized cauliflower with hummus; and Brussel sprouts with shallots in a Thai chili lime vinaigrette. Through December 31, Tommy Bahama's is selling whole versions of its signature Pina Colada Cake ($85) and Key Lime Pie ($70), available for order with 48-hour notice.
Jinya Ramen Bar has added three new items with traditional Japanese flavors including Karaage Chicken Ramen with crispy chicken in chili sauce, chicken broth, green onion, spinach, seasoned egg, nori dried seaweed; Impossible Gyoza stuffed with Impossible meat made from plants; and Yuzu Shio Delight with chicken and pork clear broth, pork chashu, kikurage, green onion, spinach, seasoned egg, and nori seaweed with yuzu flavor, served with thin noodles.
Saint Ann Restaurant & Bar in the Harwood District is now open for lunch Wednesday–Friday in addition to dinner and weekend brunch. The restaurant is also offering a refreshed menu featuring new seasonal dishes for lunch and dinner created by executive chef Carlos Mancera and corporate chef Taylor Kearney that include Tuna Tartare with wonton chips, Salmon with cauliflower, quinoa, & baby kale, Mushroom Bucatini, a Roasted Beets & Chicken salad with kale, apples, pecans, & goat cheese, and a Lobster Roll. New desserts include a Blondie Sundae with bourbon caramel, and bread pudding.
Joe Leo Fine Tex Mex has added $3 frozen margaritas, mimosas, and micheladas to its weekend brunch, served Saturday-Sunday 11 am-2 pm. They're also offering jalapeño sausage, bacon, or potato grab-and-go breakfast tacos for $3 each or $30 for a dozen on the weekends from 9-11 am.
Loro in East Dallas has new seasonal items including Thai sausage hand pie, deviled eggs, smoked salmon dip, grilled zucchini, shrimp rice bowl, a blood orange blossom, and an Aki sour.
The Melting Pot is offering a romance-infused four-course menu starting at $44 per person with choice of cheese fondue, salad, choice of entrée such as filet mignon, Atlantic salmon or teriyaki steak, and a sparkling chocolate fondue, at both its Dallas location at 4900 Belt Line Rd. #200, and Arlington at 4000 Five Points Dr., #119.
Tacodeli is offering two limited time menu items through December 30: The Pozole ($5.50) soup has pork in a red chile broth with white hominy and tomatoes. A Spiked Horchata ($8) has housemade horchata, Bacardi rum, nutmeg, and a cinnamon stick. The Horchata is available for dine-in or to-go in a 16-ounce container for $16 or a half gallon for $60.
Taco Cabana has introduced a new birria quesadilla with seasoned shredded beef, Monterey jack cheese, and pico de gallo between two warm flour tortillas, accompanied by warm birria broth. They've also brought back their tortilla soup, with shredded chicken, tomatoes, onion, garlic, corn tortilla strips, and jack & cheddar cheeses. They're available through January 2022, and can be ordered in-restaurant, via online ordering for front counter pick-up, in the drive-thru or by mobile order when using the MY TC! App or TacoCabana.com.
Cantina Laredo locations in Addison and Frisco are offering house-made tamales to-go, chicken or beef, $16.95 per dozen, frozen with reheating instructions.
Marugame Udon is hosting its second annual Wabi-Sabi ugly sweater promotion. From December 20-24, diners who wear an ugly Christmas sweater will receive a free bowl of udon with any udon purchase.
Mooyah just added two new holiday-flavored shakes which are available through December 31: Pecan Pie Shake with sea-salt caramel toffee sauce, and White Chocolate Peppermint Shake with crushed peppermint candy.
Opopop, a popcorn company, has created a "Discovery Collection" for Foxtrot stores, featuring seven pouches of Flavor Wrapped Popcorn Kernels and a microwave popcorn popper that retails at $30. Opopop's mission is to redefine what consumers should expect from popcorn with a proprietary technique of individually wrapping kernels in the perfect mix of unique ingredients, prior to popping.
On The Border has a new Holiday Swirl frozen margarita, a mingling of El Toro Tequila and Midori melon, available for $5 in-store and for to-go orders, through the end of December.
Mi Dia From Scratch has a limited-edition Mistletoe Martini with Cincoro blanco tequila, rosemary, lemon juice, and house-made strawberry agave, available through December 31 at its three locations in Plano, Grapevine, and Flower Mound.
Starla Wines, a premium, alcohol-removed wine brand from a Dallas company previously available online only, is now at Central Market stores, in three options: Sparkling Rosé, Sauvignon Blanc, and Red Blend. They use a high-tech vacuuming process to remove the alcohol without compromising flavor.
Takamine 8 Year Old Koji Whiskey is now available in Texas at Spec's. Produced by Shinozaki Distillery in Asakura City, Fukuoka, Japan, it honors Jokichi Takamine, who in the 1890s was the first to apply koji fermentation to barley (it's usually applied to rice). Takamine whiskey is double distilled, aged in virgin oak and ex-bourbon barrels, and is $99 for a 750-ML bottle, although let's call it $100, shall we.
Herman Marshall Whiskey (HM), a small batch whiskey distilled in Garland, has been acquired by Dry County Distilleries which plans to relocate HM from its current location to Wylie in 2022. The new location in Wylie will create a more robust HM experience for visitors by offering larger tastings, tours, events, tournaments and other activities on-site. The HM mark and labels are being revamped to better fit the brand’s new image
Topo Chico has partnered with Brooklyn artist Hyesu Lee to create limited-edition packages time for the holidays that include a 12-pack of 6.5-ounce bottles with an assortment of original art appearing on bottle openers, wearables, and signed prints. Available for purchase at TopoChico.com, these exclusive 12-packs can be shipped anywhere in the U.S., for a limited time only while supplies last.
Guy's Chance of a Lifetime, Guy Fieri's TV show, has two Texas contestants: Chef Eboni Henry, a self-taught cook, Navy spouse, mother of four, and addiction & youth counselor; and Cayton Flippen, the owner of Rooster's Country Cookin', formally known as Miss Nita's Diner in Reno, Texas.
