Hummus News

California Mediterranean restaurant chain rides into Dallas on white horse

Mediterranean food is good by any name.

A Mediterranean chain with two locations in Dallas will soon be rescued by a dashing Greek savior from Los Angeles. The restaurants previously known as Noon Mediterranean will become Daphne's Mediterranean, a California-based concept known for fresh and wholesome Greek cuisine.

Noon was based in Austin and was acquired by Daphne's in October.

As part of the acquisition, both Noon locations in Dallas — at 7949 Walnut Hill Ln. and 8449 North Beltline Rd. — will reopen as Daphne's, with a celebratory event offering the first look and taste of Daphne's Mediterranean.

Strangely, this is not the first name change for this little chain. They started out as the horribly-named Vert's Kabap, before graduating to the slightly less horribly-named Noon Mediterranean.

Daphne's is a 30-year-old brand whose offerings range from traditional entrees like gyro, seafood, and falafel to more modern offerings like gyro fries and kale quinoa tabbouleh.

The restaurants will feature a hybrid menu with favorites from both concepts. That means maintaining an abbreviated version of Noon's assembly line format, while adding plated entrees and signature bowls from Daphne's, such as hummus, tzatziki, pita, grilled meats, and basmati rice.

Michael Nakhleh, president of Daphne's parent company, Elite Restaurant Group, says they're excited about introducing Daphne's to Dallas.

"We're looking forward to completing the store conversions in a swift, timely manner so the community can soon stop by, pull up a chair, and experience a sense of Greek hospitality at Daphne's," Nakhleh says.

The staff will be the same, but the stores will be updated inside and out with Daphne's branding and logos and invigorate each location with a sense of Greek hospitality and a return to Mediterranean roots.

The menu at the newly converted Noon locations will feature Daphne’s fan favorite items alongside an abbreviated version of Noon’s build-your-own entrees. This hybrid-style menu will incorporate the best of both worlds from the two concepts, all the while rooting itself in fresh, flavorful Mediterranean ingredients prepared in a way that fuels the guests’ active lifestyle.

Daphne’s currently operates 21 locations in California, and will soon have a total of 32 outposts nationwide once the Noon conversions are completed in Texas and Massachusetts.

Daphne's parent Elite Restaurant Group also owns Slater's 50/50 — which has a location in Dallas — and Patxi's Pizza — which does not.

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Hummus News

New Mediterranean restaurant in McKinney spotlights Greek and Lebanese

Ilio's

Chicken shawarma plate at Ilio's Greek & Lebanese

A new Mediterranean restaurant starring two cuisines has debuted in McKinney: Called Ilio’s Greek & Lebanese Restaurant, it's now open at 210 N. Custer Rd. #130, with a collection of Middle Eastern favorites like gyros, shawarma, kebabs, hummus, falafel, and pita wraps.

The restaurant, which opened in mid-May in a center on the newer west side of McKinney, is from a pair of restauraunt veterans, Anas Abu-Ziad, nicknamed "Ziad," and Talal Hammad, who owned a similarly-themed and similarly-named concept in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Managing the front of the house is Ziad's affable wife Jessica Gardener, whose doting customer service has quickly made her a diner favorite.

"The idea with combining Greek and Lebanese was to make the restaurant inviting to everyone," Gardener says.

Baton Rouge has a reputation for good Greek and Lebanese food, even boasting a few restaurants that feature "Greek & Lebanese" as part of their name. Those two cuisines are slightly less common in Dallas, where the Middle-Eastern restaurant scene has been dominated mostly by Turkish and Syrian places.

Ilio's, which was the ancient Greek name for the city of Troy and is a popular moniker for Greek restaurants across the U.S., specializes in sizzling grilled kebobs, which are available in chicken, beef, shrimp, and kafta, the Lebanese favorite consisting of ground meat — often a combination of beef and lamb, with spices, onions, and herbs — molded into a long cylinder.

Greek dishes include dolmas (stuffed grape leaves with rice), spinach pie, and lamb shank — all dishes that can appear on many Middle Eastern menus but are most closely allied with Greek cuisine. That includes moussaka, the homey casserole dish made with eggplant, meat sauce, and bechamel — although Ilio's version is deconstructed, which is easier for restaurants to execute than the traditional layered version favored by home cooks.

Hummus comes in three options: traditional, Mediterranean, and Sultan, topped with chunks of meat. Other Mediterranean classic dishes include chicken shawarma, gyro plates, falafel, and fried halloumi cheese.

Most dishes come in under $15 and the restaurant is also BYOB.

There are extra-healthy dishes including salads, lentil soup, and pita wraps, made with pita that's a little softer and less doughy than many pitas in town. And there's also a fusion twist that's very Texas: a "Greek quesadilla" with your choice of grilled meat stacked between pita bread.

greek cuisine lebanese cuisine mckinney mediterranean restaurant middle eastern favorites openings