Chef News

Chef and caterer opens Southern to-go cafe south of Dallas

Cedric Frazier Experience Fruity Pebbles chicken & waffles.

Cedric Frazier

A chef and caterer has opened an eponymous to-go cafe south of Dallas: Called The Cedric Frazier Experience, it’s an upscale soul food kitchen located at 103 Waller St., in Red Oak, where it opened on June 7.

The Cedric Frazier Experience is from chef and caterer Cedric Frazier, a graduate of Johson & Wales University with 30 years of culinary experience cooking and catering, serving celebrities as well as political figures. For a few years, he worked as a traveling private chef and boutique caterer, and still does a brisk catering business for birthday parties, celebrations, and the like. He also owns Luxuria, an event venue in DeSoto he opened in 2024.

The Experience is mainly a to-go restaurant, but it does have limited seating for diners looking for a quick bite or hosting small events. For those looking to drop by and pick up a meal, the kitchen is open Thursday-Sunday with lunch and dinner options.

"It will serve as a full-service catering kitchen, as well as a boutique cafe that offers to-go and limited dine-in options," Frazier says. "While the catering side is by appointment or event-based booking, the café will be open to the public during specific hours. No reservations needed."

Dishes are Southern-inspired "low country" — what Frazier refers to as “elevated comfort food": fried fish, wings, pasta, and salads. On Sundays, he does a special menu with homey meals featuring baked turkey wings, fried chicken, or oxtails, and sides of candied yams, collard greens, and cornbread.

The Cedric Frazier Experience kitchen is an extension of what Frazier was doing as a traveling chef across Texas. Red Oak seemed fitting because it’s a growing community that needed elevated, chef-driven fare while also being “accessible.”

“Launching my own brand allowed me to bring all of my experience together — pairing high-level service with heartfelt, soulful cuisine,” Frazier says. “Every plate I create carries pieces of my heritage, my training, and my passion for connecting with people through food.”

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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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