AF News

Dallas startup Beyond Booze Beverage Co. is ready to serve your cocktail AF

Why not make that cocktail AF?

Photo by @foodwithmonica

There's a new startup in Dallas that's taking an annual New Year's tradition and running with it all year long. Called Beyond Booze Beverage Co., it's a pop-up vendor that will stage itself at events and offer a menu of drinks that are alcohol-free (AF).

The startup is a collaboration from Reid Robinson and Julie Wade Robinson, who previously owned The Forum and Brizo, two side-by-side bars in Richardson; and Andrea Benningfield and Jennifer Benningfield, who is general manager at Brewed, the coffee shop at Novel Bishop Arts.

Cutting back on alcohol in January after the holidays is a common trend, but there's also a growing alcohol-free movement year-round: An analysis by beverage research firm IWSR forecasts a 25.4 percent growth in non-alcoholic offerings in the U.S. through 2026, as well as a 5.9 percent growth in the low-alcohol segment during the same period — spurring beverage companies to develop no/low alcohol versions of beer, wines, and spirits.

"We'll be presenting about two dozen AF spirits and botanical elixirs including Athletic Brewing Co. AF beer (that's all they make), Seedlip Spirits, and Dallas' own Community NADA IPA, which has become a personal favorite," says Reid Robinson.

Robinson says that he became inspired to step away from alcohol after COVID, which was an especially interesting journey since he co-owned the two bars. Brizo is now closed, and The Forum was bought by two regulars.

"Owning a bar, you feel like you've gotta be like Dean Martin, and I felt like it was affecting my health," he says. "There's an exciting alcohol-free movement in the world. Gen Z and younger millennials are not drinking like we did when we were young. For example, my son is 14 and he has no interest."

"I'm not anti-alcohol — I love the flavor of an IPA — I just don’t enjoy the effects like I used to," he says. "There are plenty of people who still like to go to bars for the social experience, and it's nice to have something else besides a Diet Coke."

They became inspired by the Instagram page of their partner, Andrea, called Zero Proof Dallas.

"It really helped motivate us to act seeing other friends on the same path," he says. "Andrea and Jennifer helped close the loop on what we had been thinking about for awhile, and they're really learning the AF spirits. There's so much to learn, it's fascinating. It felt like it might be a passing trend five years ago but the product, distillation methods, and industry have gotten their acts together."

They'll launch BBBC on January 14 with an event at Zounds Sounds at 10050 Shoreview Rd. #A, a "casual but sophisticated AF event to celebrate Dry January," with entertainment by The Charming Gardeners, Moonflower Noodle Shop by Chef Parvin Sisomphou, Scoop N' Buns "Mexipino" desserts, raffle prizes, and adult zero-proof cocktails and unique NA beverages with little to no alcohol content. There's a $5 cover, and tickets can be purchased online.

"We'll be doing pop-ups and social events around town, and we're also working on becoming a vendor at events where we could provide a non-alcoholic and healthful alternative, not unlike a vegetarian having the option to order a veggie burger," Robinson says. "Wouldn't it be nice to be able to go a ball game or an event at American Airlines Center and have an option that’s non-alcoholic?"

cocktails openings

Asian Food News

Taste of Malaysia restaurant brings rare Asian cuisine to Dallas area

Taste of Malaysia

A new restaurant has debuted in Coppell with a cuisine that's relatively rare in Dallas. Called Taste of Malaysia, it's now open at 3001 Olympus Blvd #130, at the Sound at Cypress Waters, between an Ari's Italian market and a Kilwin's ice cream shop, where it's serving authentic Malaysian dishes and flavors — adding another option to Dallas' burgeoning Asian restaurant scene.

A neighbor to Singapore, Thailand, and Indonesia, Malaysia has been described as having some of the best street food in Southeast Asia, boasting a mix of Malay, Chinese, Indian, and indigenous flavors. Signature dishes include satays — skewered meats — plus vividly spiced soups and rice dishes.

The country's national dish is nasi lemak, a beloved comfort food originally devised as a breakfast staple, featuring fragrant rice cooked in coconut milk with pandan leaves, sometimes enhanced with boiled egg and sliced cucumber and ikan bilis, i.e. anchovies.

Coming in at a close second is laksa, a spicy noodle soup made with rice noodles or egg noodles in a broth flavored with aromatic spices, shrimp paste, and coconut milk or tamarind.

These are the dishes that natives of Malaysia and fans of Malaysian food crave, says Shiva Nair, part of the team, along with his wife, Vsruti "Vish" Nair, that opened Taste of Malaysia.

Shiva has more than 20 years in the hospitality business including managing hotels and running other restaurants.

"There are a lot of Malaysians here in Dallas-Fort Worth but not many Malaysian restaurants," Shiva says. "That's what gave us the idea to open this."

Their menu features seven varieties of nasi lemak — including vegetable curry, chicken curry, slow cooked beef, slow-cooked chicken, fried chicken, fish, and spicy shrimp — all made with coconut rice, peanuts, boiled egg, and cucumber.

Coming in second is laksa soup, like a chicken noodle soup but with an aromatic and complex broth.

They also have fried rice, noodle dishes, satay chicken skewers, spring rolls, a samosa-style pastry with potatoes and vegetables called karipap, and a chicken "kutlet" — a breaded patty with minced chicken enclosed in a crunchy crust.

All of their meat is halal, meaning that the animals are raised and butchered in accordance with Islamic guidelines — a growing trend in Dallas-Fort Worth.

There's a full bar and the ultimate lure for timid diners: a lunchtime buffet, $18 on weekdays and $20 on weekends, with 15 to 20 dishes, with chicken, shrimp, fish, and vegetarian and vegan options, which are plentiful in Malaysian cuisine.

"We serve the buffet only at lunch, so that those who are unfamiliar with the cuisine can sample every dish," Shiva says.

"We saw an opportunity to bring Malaysian flavors to North Texas, a region hungry for authentic, halal-certified Asian food with real spicing and real heritage," he says.

openings coppell asian cuisine