Coming attraction

Dallas hospitality pros team up for new restaurant in Inwood Village

Charlie's will go in the space formerly occupied by Adelmo's.

Rendering courtesy of Charlie's

Dallas restaurateur Bob Sambol, who brought Bob's Steak & Chop House to the city in the 1990s, is partnering with a prolific Dallas hospitality group to open an intimate new eatery called Charlie’s in Inwood Village.

Planned for spring or summer of 2027, Charlie's - a partnership between Sambol and Vandelay Companies - will take over the space at 5450 W. Lovers Ln. #225 formerly occupied by longtime Dallas favorite Adelmo's.

The restaurant will be small, with about 30 tables, and will serve dinner only. It will also take reservations the old-fashioned way: by landline phone in the restaurant.

Specifics about the menu, chef, and exact opening timeline will be announced closer to the restaurant's debut. But a rendering included with the press release shows a white brick exterior with black shutters, and text beneath the restaurant name that suggests the involvement of "steak," "chop," and "seafood."

Sambol describes Charlie's as "low-key" and "quietly sophisticated," with a "warm palette" and calls this a "very personal" project, which will be built in the spirit of small East Coast neighborhood dining rooms of the past, such as a place his father once owned called The Continental in New Jersey.

“After 30 years, I wanted to create something that feels humble and familiar with great hospitality, a beautiful room, people you know and a restaurant you want to return to again and again," Sambol says in the release. "Nothing overly complicated. Just a really special place for the neighborhood.”

Charlie's restaurant owners Vandalay Companies' Hunter Pond and Rick Dunlap flank Bob Sambol.Photo by Samantha Marie Photography

Sambol says he's had a longtime friendship with the Vandelay Companies' Hunter Pond and Rick Dunlap, whose restaurants include Hudson House, Anchor Sushi, Drake’s, and a variety of other brands. He says he’s watched the restaurant development investors grow up and make a name for themselves in Dallas hospitality.

“I’ve known Hunter and Rick since they were in grade school, and seeing what they have built is truly remarkable. It’s a surreal moment to partner with them on such a personal project” Sambol says.

Pond calls the partnership with Sambol a "fun and unique project ... that no one in Dallas has done in quite some time."

Charlie’s will be "deliberately different" from many of the big city's large-scale "highly produced" restaurants, the owners say, adding that it "will embrace an understated, old-school elegance."

“Charlie’s isn’t about trying to make the biggest restaurant or the loudest statement. It’s about creating a timeless one," Pond says. "That restraint is what makes the project so exciting to us.”

As for Charlie's predecessor at the coveted Inwood Village address, Adelmo's — known for its Italian food "with accents" of French and Mediterranean — occupied the space for 10 years before closing in December 2025 and reopening this year in the Preston Valley Shopping Center, at the southwest corner of Preston Road.

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Pulling in

Award-winning Denton food truck team to open Dallas Farmers Market eatery

Photo courtesy of Insurgent

A dish at Insurgent

An award-winning Denton food truck is getting a permanent home in Dallas: Insurgent, a concept from husband-and-wife chefs Sam and Gabby Lopez, will open as a brick-and-mortar spot at Dallas Farmers Market on October 27.

According to a release, the restaurant will take over a space at 920 S. Harwood St., Ste. 174 (the former home of Caribbean Cabana), where the Lopezes say, they'll expand on the popular food they have been serving from their Denton trailer since 2022. They will be joined by executive sous chef Alec Sanders.

Insurgent launched four years ago as a food trailer and has developed a menu that doesn't stick to one particular cuisine - a point of pride for the owners. Instead, the chefs draw from their fine-dining training at The Culinary Institute of America and the ingredients available from Texas farmers and producers.

Gabby and Sam Lopez, chef-owners of Insurgent.Photo courtesy of Insurgent

Their approach has been met with great acclaim, as they've earned several high honors on the food-truck circuit. Insurgent was named Most Unique Food at the 2023 Eighter From Decatur Food Truck Challenge, then Grand Champion at the 2024 Food Truck Championship of Texas and Best American Cuisine at the 2025 Food Truck Championship of Texas.

The move to a permanent kitchen will allow Insurgent to add more shareable and plated dishes, the owners say, along with a chef's tasting counter and reservation-based tasting dinners throughout the year. While few menu details are available, they say some of the food-truck favorites will remain, including the Koji Fried Chicken Sandwich. They'll also offer rotating pastries and desserts from Gabby and will serve "natural" wine and beer.

"Since day one, we knew the trailer was just a stepping stone. We've always kept an eye out for a bigger space to grow into. So when the opportunity came, the Dallas Farmers Market was a no brainer," the Lopezes say in the release. "We're very excited to be exposed to new guests, meet more farmers and ranchers, and showcase menu ideas we've never been able to do in a food truck setting."

The chefs say the menu will continue to follow what's in season. Insurgent has worked with Texas growers and producers including Brushy Creek Farm, Sapling Farm, Winona Orchard, Tree Folk Farm and TX Fungus, among others.

That means ingredients can change with the seasons, and the chefs say they try to use as much of each ingredient as possible. Carrot tops, for example, can become chimichurri or salsa rather than being discarded.

Gaby Lopez is known for her desserts and pastries.Photo courtesy of Insurgent

The Lopezes - whose resumes include work at revered restaurants The French Laundry and Bouchon Bakery - credit their experience in fine dining for shaping their philosophy about cooking and consuming. They vowed to eschew some of the waste and formality associated with the traditional restaurant model. Insurgent aims to keep the cooking techniques while making the experience more casual, they emphasize.

"There's a shift happening in the culinary world where chefs and guests are valuing stories and experiences over luxury ingredients and white tablecloths," the Lopezes say. "We want everyone from all walks of life to feel welcome while also finding new creative ways to showcase Texas grown ingredients."

Denton diners and fans of the food truck shouldn't be dismayed: The owners say they will continue to do Insurgent food truck pop-ups and events after they open their Dallas Farmers Market location.

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