Opening News

Elegant martini lounge Columbian Country Club readies for Dallas debut

Columbian Country Club

The day draws near for the opening of Columbian Country Club, an elegant martini and tequila lounge coming to East Dallas, at 3314 Ross Ave. #150.

According to a release, it'll open on December 22.

The concept was created and founded by hospitality veteran Brian Rutt, along with partners Justin Kallhoff and Jonathan Rosenberg. All three own Alice restaurant, the Pan-Asian concept one block down the street; Rosenberg is also founding partner of the White Unicorn Agency. And Juan Pablo Sanchez, well known from his stints at Georgie, Le Bilboquet, Up On Knox, and Lounge 31, is also a partner and will manage the club.

Rutt says the inspiration was the original Columbian Country Club, a historic Jewish country club on Main Street in downtown Dallas that closed in 2004 after 100 years. Though originally in downtown Dallas, it relocated to the North Dallas-Carrollton border in the '50s, with a 60,000 square-foot clubhouse, pool, and tennis facilities, thriving as a social and recreational country club known for its tremendous dining and social events.

"We wanted to pay homage to this exclusive social club," Rutt says. "It was a place that many Dallasites spent a lot of time while growing up. It was a special place for me and my family in particular."

They're going for the essence of New York City’s golden era with an old-world glamor, piano player, and martinis including:

The CC Martini - Grey Goose Or Sipsmith Gin, Lo-hi Dry Vermouth, Orange Bitters
Espresso Martini - Tito’s Handmade, Luxardo Espresso, Licor 43, Cocoa Bitters
Apple Martini - Crop Vodka, Apple Schnapps and Lemon
Hanky Panky - Greenhouse Gin, Carpano Antica, Fernet
Vesper Martini
Dirty Martini

Other cocktails include a New York Sour “Mazel Tov” with Maker’s Mark, Luxardo, apple spice, Manischewitz float; and Señor Harvey Wallbanger with Dos Hombres Mezcal, Montenegro, Galliano, mango.

Columbian Country Club also features an extensive selection of champagne, red wine, and white wine, by the glass and by the bottle. Guests can also purchase their own bottle of any type of liquor to keep at the lounge on display in their storage case where a name plate will be added to their reserved space in the case.

A small menu of bites give a nod to the original Columbian Country Club including caviar, Cobb deviled eggs, Nonnie’s Doozie, a classic sandwich from the country club, and thinly sliced Parmesan Bagels.

The 2,500-square-foot space has seating for 100 and was designed by Wallace Johnson Studio (who also did Alice, Beverly’s, and Sachet). It features elegant carpet, dimmed lighting, plush seating, decor from the original country club, and photos of musical artists from the ‘80s and ‘90s.

They'll have a piano player Monday-Saturday and a DJ Thursday-Saturday, plus an old-school lit dance floor that's disguised but revealed during dancing times.

Rutt says they expect it to rival martini and tequila lounges in New York City.

"You can come here to enjoy crisp martinis whether you are on business or you want to enjoy a date-night and sip on drinks before or after dinner or even skip dinner to enjoy bites and cocktails here," he says. "We invite our guests to step into a world of sophistication, nostalgia and elegance unlike anything else in Dallas."

downtown openings

Chocolate News

Richardson dessert shop Chocolate Drip lays out eye-catching treats

Chocolate Drip

Chocolate bear with pistachio sauce at Chocolate Drip

A dessert shop in Richardson has become the toast of the sweets world: Called Chocolate Drip, it opened in August at 1057 S. Sherman St., in a center east of US-75 near Spring Valley Road, where it's rolling out some eye-catching chocolate treats.

Chocolate Drip is a passion project from Mohammad Quzmar, a Palestinian-born owner who moved to Dallas four years ago and taught himself to cook through tinkering. That experimentation has translated into a constantly evolving menu, with new creations appearing whenever inspiration strikes — earning him a growing reputation as something of a modern-day Willy Wonka.

"Chocolate is my passion. I just love being in the kitchen and creating,” he says.

The cafe's offerings are extensive, from sweet breakfast staples like pancakes and waffles to off-menu items teased on the café’s Instagram, such as the Dubai Drip platter — an interactive fondue plate with fruit, brownies, waffles, marshmallows, to be dipped into melted chocolate and pistachio cream.

Many of his items have the kind of eye-catching twists and table-side presentations that draw attention on Instagram, such as the cruffle (a waffle made from a croissant) topped with spaghetti-like strands of gelato, which a server extrudes through a potato ricer right before your eyes.

Other signatures include a teddy bear made of chocolate mousse and kanafa, finished with pistachio sauce for $13.30, and crepes filled with a brownie, with pistachio and chocolate sauce for $15.

Prices are not cheap but these are ultra-decadent items with generous portions, often meant for sharing.

The drink list is ambitious, spanning coffee, matcha, smoothies, milkshakes, and nonalcoholic mocktails. It's obvious Quzmar is having fun, rolling out his versions of viral items like the famous s'mores hot chocolate pioneered by New York dessert shop Glace, which features a cap made of marshmallow meringue that’s torched.

There are also a few savory offerings like egg-and-cheese crepes, a salmon croissant, and a turkey waffle. Those in the know also come to order Middle Eastern treats like salab, a creamy milk drink topped with cinnamon; and Om Ali, a sugary pudding with nuts, dried fruit, and coconut.

Named after the Gen Z slang for “cool” or “stylish,” Drip is meant to be a hangout spot more than a quick dessert stop, Quzmar says — a place to linger over brunch, then return late night to a place that feels buzzy and fun sans alcohol.

“Everyone who works here is either family or treated like family and everything is homemade with love," he says.

desserts openings