More Fried Chicken

Aggie chicken restaurant chain gives the fingers to Dallas

These chicken fingers are coming for you.

Photo courtesy of Layne's

If there's one thing Dallas needs, it's another place to get chicken. Prayers answered with the DFW arrival of Layne's Chicken Fingers, a baby chain from College Station that's opening its first area location in Allen, at 102 Central Expy., in a former Pollo Tropical space at the southwest corner of McDermott Drive.

Layne's Chicken Fingers is an A&M haunt that was founded in 1994, and it's nearly identical to Louisiana chain Raising Cane's. It specializes in chicken fingers, which you can get in a plate, in a sandwich, or in a bucket. Other items on the very short menu include crinkle-cut fries, a page out of the book of Shake Shack, which also serves frozen, crinkle-cut fries.

If crinkle-cut fries are not your thing, there is also potato salad. Finally, there is Texas toast. A plate combines all those things: chicken fingers, potato, and Texas toast. Do not concern yourself with green foods, everything here is tan.

There is also a "secret sauce," which they describe as tangy, spicy, zesty, peppery, and perfectly balanced — IE, a more jazzed up version of Russian dressing, which is what "secret sauce" is usually code for.

Founder Mike Layne opened the original location in College Station in 1994. He eventually sold out to his partner, Mike Garratt. There are three locations in the College Station area. Allen represents the first foray outside of the A&M area, but the chain has high hopes of expansion.

A spokesperson confirms that the Allen restaurant will open "soon" and that other DFW locations are in the works, including Dallas and Fort Worth. The chain also has plans to expand to San Antonio in 2018.

openings

Breakfast News

Dos Huevos Breakfast Shop debuts in Garland with New York deli vibes

Dos Huevos

Behold the Hobo sandwich from Dos Huevos

There’s a gotta-try it new breakfast sandwich in town from Dos Huevos Breakfast Shop, a family-owned restaurant with roots in New York, now open at 1237 NW Hwy. in Garland, in a former mens wear storefront in a Tom Thumb-anchored shopping center.

Dos Huevos was founded in Spring Valley, New York, by Cambodian immigrants Bunthan and Sinoun Chan, along with their 3 sons – Kean, Ken, and Thomas – who've been serving breakfast and lunch to locals since 1989.

Bringing the concept to Texas are sons Ken and Thomas, who moved here in 2015; Ken previously worked for the city of Garland.

“The restaurant in New York is still running strong and we’re bringing it down here to Texas,” Ken says.

They're known for their trademark “hobo” breakfast sandwich, featuring egg and chunky homefries on a Kaiser roll — a roll they bake in-house. Many customers add bacon, ham, sausage, or black beans. (The sandwich can also be ordered in a burrito, although it seems foolhardy to miss out on the house-baked Kaiser rolls.)

The Hobo is their mother's recipe. "We offer the taste of a true New York bacon, egg & cheese sandwich," Ken says.

Everything on the menu is made from scratch: breakfast sandwiches, omelets, French toast, and pancakes; and then lunch options such as a smashburger, chicken salad sandwich, and a chicken cutlet sandwich, a popular item in the Northeast. Prices are a bargain, with nothing over $9.

The menu has almost a deli theme, with deli classics like a tuna melt, egg salad sandwich, and a BLT.

“My parents originally opened it as a doughnut shop, and the enterprise got so big, they turned it into a breakfast shop," Ken says.

The no-nonsense interior features white walls, counter service, and a smattering of tables & black chairs.

"We have good restaurants in Garland, but I want to serve amazing breakfasts," Ken says. "Our slogan is 'love is the main ingredient.' We enjoy seeing people smile with our food; we put a lot of effort and love into our cooking.”

breakfast openings