Coffee News

No Demo Reno duo Mike & Jenn Todryk open coffeeshop in Wylie

Armor Coffee

A coffee shop with buzz has debuted in Wylie: Armor Coffee, a shop from Mike and Jenn Todryk, has opened a location at 3040 FM 544, where it's serving coffee as well as breakfast and lunch.

Jenn Todryk is the HGTV star known for her hit show No Demo Reno, wherein she devises cost-saving ways to transform homes with a goal of keeping the original floorplan.

She's the founder of a highly relatable blog called "Life as a Rambling Redhead" where she shares behind-the-scenes moments of filming, home projects, and motherhood, which has earned her more than 1.8 million followers on Instagram.

This new coffee shop is a second location for the couple, who opened the first Armor Coffee in Allen in 2019, taking over a space in the Village at Allen at 190 E. Stacy Rd. that was previously Village Coffee — rebranded as Armor, inspired by Mike's time as an armor officer in the military.

Jenn and Mike Todryk at their first Armor Coffee.Armor Coffee

They followed that with the launch of Armor Brewing Co., a craft beer brewery, also in Allen at 9 Prestige Cir., just beneath the city of Allen water tower, taking over the former Nine Band Brewing in 2023.

The Wylie shop, located in a booming new center at the intersection of 544 and McReary Road, has been designed as more than an ordinary coffee shop and is instead a community space, outfitted with a conference room for local meetings, interviews, Bible studies, and more. It's a pretty space dressed up with elegant use of stone including a marbled black counter and artisan glass tile in a deep glossy green.

It's also a cafe with a menu that includes coffee and espresso drinks, cold coffee, frozen coffee drinks, and teas. They roast their own beans.

There's also a plentiful selection of food including breakfast sandwiches and breakfast tacos, toasts, Belgian liege waffles, sandwiches such as grilled cheese and vegetarian Caprese, pretzels, and baked goods.

In a statement, Mike welcomed the residents of Wylie, Murphy, and Parker, saying that he was "beyond proud of this team, so much hard work is going into this one, and [were] excited for the Armor future."

coffee openings

Omakase News

Downtown Dallas restaurant Sauvage expands with new dining twist

Sauvage

A downtown Dallas restaurant famous for its multi-course tasting experience is letting its hair down: Sauvage, the high-end mom-and-pop restaurant near the Statler Dallas hotel, has a new dining option that gives a smaller, more casual taste.

The restaurant opened in September with a set menu featuring 16 to 18 courses — wild game, seafood, vegetables, and dessert — all cooked via grill and smoker.

While 16 courses might sound like a lot, the courses are mostly small bites. However, owners Casey and Amy LaRue received feedback from diners wanting a smaller option.

"We were getting a ton of messages from guests who want to stop by just to try one dish, a bite, or a specific pairing without committing to the full tasting — so we built something for exactly that," Casey says.

They've introduced a new three-course "Cocktails & Bites hour" featuring three dishes, each paired with its own cocktail, served from 5–6 pm on weekdays.

Last week’s menu consisted of:

dry-aged red snapper crudo with La Chinola Way, a cocktail featuring passionfruit, mezcal, lime, and ginger
foie gras & truffle on house-baked croissant with Pendennis Club, a gin sour with apricot liqueur bitters
jerk-spiced shrimp with Clarified Paper Plane, a bourbon cocktail with Aperol, Amaro Nonino, and lemon juice

The new offering continues their pattern of pairing courses with cocktails rather than wine — an approach they've embraced since opening. "Limiting pairings to wine can get boring — it so often ends up being one expensive red after another," Casey says.

You can make a reservation on Tock, or just walk in and grab a seat.

Caviar
They've also added a new version of their classic menu: no caviar.

"Some love having caviar integrated into the menu, but others prefer to skip it, whether for taste or dietary reasons, but still want the full value of the experience," Casey says. "With such a small counter, this put us in a strange position: do we give everyone caviar whether they want it or not, or do we remove it entirely and lose a core part of our menu?"

Thus, a new menu without caviar, priced at $195, with an optional caviar course available for those who want it for $245.

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