Bar News

Refined NY sports bar opens in Plano with burgers & famed 24K gold chicken wings

Burgers from The Ainsworth

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A new restaurant-bar with Big Apple ties is coming to Plano: Called The Ainsworth, it's a classy sports bar set to open in the Shops at Legacy North at 7300 Lone Star Dr. #C150, in the space previously occupied by Shakertins.

The Ainsworth is from a team that includes Martin Corboy, a hospitality veteran whose past projects in Dallas include Henderson Avenue Tap House, Henderson Avenue Country Club, and Mason Bar (although he's probably just as well known for his various ventures outside Dallas, in Washington DC and New York).

They're hoping to open in early February.

UPDATE 2-29-2024: The Ainsworth opened for business on February 29.
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The Ainsworth was originally founded in New York in 2009 and currently has three locations: two in New York and one in Phoenix. The concept brings a sophisticated twist to the all-American sports bar, with classic American dishes and craft cocktails. Sort of like a Houston's with big-screen TVs.

"It's an elevated sports watching place with good food," Corboy says. "But no Dan Marino jerseys, no NASCAR posters. It's more refined."

Corboy is friends and partners with the current Ainsworth ownership team, and got permission to use the name.

"It started when I invested in The House of Comedy, the comedy club that opened in the Shops at Legacy in 2021," Corboy says. "We saw that, after the shows were over, there'd be a few hundred people leaving with nowhere to go next."

As if by magic, which is how things often seem to work around the irrepressible Corboy, the Shakertins spot opened up.

"We got this space, and I said, 'Well, we can't call it the Henderson Tap House,'" Corboy says. "I always liked The Ainsworth, so we decided to use the name."

They'll keep late-night hours for that apres-comedy crowd, but also will be open for lunch, a niche that was going unfilled.

"There aren't many places in the center if you want to get a basic lunch," he says. "You can get Mexican or Thai or steak or sushi, but there was nothing right down the middle, with a menu that has something for everyone. That's how we approached the menu: A little something for everyone, and done well."

For the menu, he worked with Noah Hester, the award-winning Texas chef-turned-reality TV star who appeared on E! Entertainment TV show The Bradshaw Bunch (Hester is married to Lacey Hester, daughter of Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw).

"Noah is a great chef, and he's also from Hawaii, so he suggested a few Hawaii-influenced dishes like poke bowls, which people love," Corboy says.

The Hesters, who bought Hamm’s Butcher in McKinney in 2023, are doing custom ground beef blends for the burgers at The Ainsworth.

The menu will include Ainsworth trademarks such as the signature Mac burger with an 8-ounce Angus patty and cheddar cheese on top of a fried mac-n-cheese patty with Ainsworth sauce on a brioche bun. There's also pasta in pesto, tuna tacos, and brick chicken.

But the talker is definitely the famous chicken wing dipped in 24K gold, a recipe by chef Jonathan 'Foodgōd' Cheban, who created it for The Ainsworth in New York.

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"It's gotten quite a bit of attention, and we'll have it so that people can do Instagram posts, but I'm sure nobody will order it after that," Corboy says dryly.

The bar features a big selection of bourbon, reflecting a newfound personal interest on Corboy's part.

"I'd never been a liquor drinker in my whole life, and thought it would be fun to see what bourbon was about," he says. "Now I've got guys sending me bottles, it's become my new thing, and it's fun because most of the time, you can't get your hands on this stuff."

The bourbon element meshes with the space, which has received a handsome makeover, with chocolate-brown tufted leatherette banquettes that wrap around the interior, and big screen TVs enclosed in gilded frames.

"We borrowed a lot of features from the Polo Bar in New York, like the furniture and the herringbone patterned wood floor," Corboy says. "It's like a Ralph Lauren version of a sports/whiskey bar."

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Joie de vivre

New Bishop Arts bistro brings French elan to historic Oak Cliff home

Photo courtesy of Trapèze/Peter Novotny

Trapèze is serving French fare in a laid-back bohemian yet deeply thought-out atmosphere.

Transforming historic Oak Cliff homes into dining destinations is an art, and a duo known for their Deep Ellum hot spots has a new work on display: Trapèze, a French bohemian bar and bistro, that has quietly opened at 240 W. 8th St. in a repurposed bungalow on the west end of the Bishop Arts District.

Owners Peter Novotny and Dan Murry, who operate Ruins on Commerce and Armoury D.E. on Elm Street, told CultureMap in February that they envisioned Trapèze as “an old-fashioned bohemian artist’s enclave.”

Now in the soft opening phase eight months later, they say, by "drawing inspiration from the old French bohemian bars and cabarets,” they've accomplished their goal of creating "a place where people can enjoy a great meal and drinks, listen to some music, and just lose track of time a little.”

Trapèze has been welcoming guests discreetly the last couple weekends, as they complete a few finishing touches both to the building — they are excited about the near-complete patio — and to the food: “We have a limited but very solid menu available now, and should have the full menu, brunch and all, ready very soon,” Novotny says.

A grand opening date is still in the works.

Novotny has said that inspiration for Trapèze came from Oak Cliff’s historical French influence. Bishop Arts once was home to the French utopian community La Reunion, which settled in the mid 1800s. The neighborhood pays homage to these roots at its annual Bastille on Bishop celebration.

“We’re trying to do a tribute to the French history of Oak Cliff and Bishop Arts, and our goal is to capture the things we love about regional French cuisine and culture,” Novotny said earlier this year.

trapeze Designed by local artists at Decotron, the front-porch sign at Trapèze offers a taste of what's inside. Photo courtesy Trapèze/Peter Novotny

Novotny and Murry hired New York-bred chef Jeremy Spector to direct Trapèze’s culinary program. He’s worked in famous kitchens such as Balthazar and Gramercy Tavern and has owned and operated restaurants in NYC. The owners have told CultureMap that Spector's menu represents different regions of France, along with flavors inspired by France’s once-vast colonial empire, including Moroccan cuisine.

The bar menu is full of classic French and New Orleans-esque cocktails made with French spirits and liqueurs like absinthe and chartreuse; an extensive list of cognacs; French Caribbean-rooted Rhum Agricoles (or Agricole rums), and French and “French-adjacent” cider and beer.

The house that is now a restaurant underwent a massive revamp, which lasted months due in part to weather-related delays. To make matters more challenging, Trapeze is located in a conservation district, which means construction had to be done in a specific way that would preserve the home’s original look.

“It’s basically a complete renovation,” Novotny says. “They had to rebuild the entire structure. The whole exterior is all new.”

The new sign out front reads Bien Mangé, Bien Bu, which translates roughly to good food, good drink. Made by the sculptural artists at Decotron, an Elm Street-based signage fabrication company, it creates curb appeal and offers a preview of the attention to detail, whimsy, fine craftsmanship, and French flavor found inside.

Hours have been slightly fluid. At this time Trapèze is open 4 pm-"late" Wednesday-Thursday and 4 pm-2 am Friday-Sunday. Updated days and hours will be posted on Instagram along with information about live music performers, they say.

bar food drink craft cocktails french food live music bishop arts restaurants