Snookie's News
Old Snookie's Dallas space is now home to AG Sushi Grill restaurant
AG Sushi
A location on Dallas' Oak Lawn Avenue with lots of restaurant history is now home to a sushi spot: Called AG Sushi Grill, it's at 3604 Oak Lawn Ave., most recently occupied by a Rusty Taco but home for many years to the famed Snookie's Bar & Grill.
AG Sushi has great credentials: It's from Gabriel Reyes, former executive chef at Sushi Marquee and most recently at Bistro 31, partnered with Alejandra Murillo, who also owns El Atoron Mexican Restaurant.
Together, they've created a fresh concept that combines a traditional Japanese menu with Mexican influences, served in a welcoming and modern atmosphere.
Their menu is diverse and, unlike some sushi places, is designed to offer options for everybody in the family, Reyes says.
There are sushi rolls with fun names like the Happy Weekend Roll, combining crab, cream cheese, and shrimp tempura; and the AG Special Roll with spicy tuna, crab, avocado, shiso, and seared salmon. Prices range from $15 to $22 for generous-sized rolls with many ingredients.
There's also crudos, appetizers ranging from gyoza to stuffed jalapenos, and some tradiitional entrees like filet au poivre, a 7-oz prime beef tenderloin with a small salad and side for $45.
Weekend brunch on Saturday-Sunday serves omelets and eggs benedict, but also Asian bento boxes. Brunch drinks range from mimosas to sake-based cocktails, created by manager Octavio Salazar.
"The cocktails we offer were created with Japanese inspiration and techniques," Salazar says. For example, they make their House Old Fashioned with Japanese whiskey using a butter-washed technique; and an Aviation cocktail with crème de Sakura instead of the traditional crème de violette.
Those cocktails come in some over-the-top glassware including one ceramic cup that portrays a woman's face and another clear glass ball-shaped vessel suspended on a glass "hammock".
Sushi is sometimes sprinkled with flowers, and the restaurant boasts key hipster trends including a wall of pink roses with neon signage that says "AG Sushi" plus a pair of neon wings for diners to strike a photo pose.
Snookie's Bar & Grill was one of many concepts from the famed Street family, and had been at that location for nearly 26 years when it closed in 2015 — representing a loss for fans of chicken fried steak and trivia nights.
Rusty Taco moved in a few short months later, during a spell when the chain was going through some uncertain times. The location finally closed during the pandemic, but not before callously removing the distinctive Art Deco roof topper that had been a Snookie's signature.
Reyes says they're winning over the neighborhood, one diner at a time.
“We started with mostly a neighborhood crowd, from Highland Park and Oak Lawn areas, but word of mouth is spreading fast, and we are now welcoming people from other areas as well," he says.
