Bubbly news

New champagne bar on Dallas' Oak Lawn picks prime time for toasts to debut

What a classy place to sip your bubbly.

Coupes Dallas

A champagne bar long in the works is about to make its debut just in time for a holiday toast: Coupes, a French-inspired bar which purports to have "a touch of Texas," will open at 4234 Oak Lawn Ave. at the end of December. Exactly which day they do not say but you can be sure they will be working hard to open in time for New Year's Eve.

Located at The Shops of Highland Park, in the former Jos. A. Bank men's clothing store, Coupes was founded by champagne enthusiasts Eric Chiappinelli and Amanda Hale, who have assembled a vast selection of true champagnes, sparkling wines, and still wines, sourced from France and Texas.

That includes more than 15 champagnes and sparkling wines by the glass and 50 labels by the bottle including Perrier-Jouët, Veuve Clicquot, Taittinger, Pol Roger, and Ruinart, as well as Texan sparkling wines from William Chris.

You can order by the glass, bottle, or a champagne flight. Totally here for the champagne flight.

They'll also offer beer, signature cocktails, and a menu of elevated small plates including gougères, wild mushroom tartine, fried chicken herbes de provence, oysters, and a caviar service.

Location
The entrance features a custom mosaic tile floor, lacquered Venetian plaster walls, rich Opuzen fabrics, and high-quality European furnishings.

The focal point is a circular bar with glittering Cambria quartz that beams a subtle shimmer, surrounded by blush bar stools and a reclaimed brass foot rail.

Champagne bottles climb the circular façade in the center of the bar, and there's also a circular ice bucket filled with cold bottles of champagne. #circular

Banquette seating comes with built-in champagne buckets. Two intimate lounge spaces and small tables offer additional seating.

“We’re thrilled to welcome guests into Coupes,” says Eric Chiappinelli in a release. “Come drink the stars as you’re carried away to an evening in Paris in the heart of Dallas.”

holidays openings

FIRE STARTER

Dallas chef will bring the heat with Bobby Flay on Food Network BBQ Brawl

Tim McLaughlin/Facebook

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Bobby Flay is bringing beef to Texas, and he’ll have some Dallas starpower in his crew: Pitmaster Tim McLaughlin of Crossbuck BBQ in Farmers Branch will be on the famed chef’s team when Food Network's BBQ Brawl returns on May 11.

They'll be joined by fellow Texas chef Braunda Smith of Lucy Coopers Ice House in San Antonio.

Now entering its seventh season, the Texas barbecue series follows a format similar to The Voice, pairing 12 battling chefs with team captains Flay, Maneet Chauhan, and Brooke Williamson. Each week brings a new live fire challenge, starting with creating the perfect barbecue bowl. Judges Adrienne Cheatham, Rashad Jones, and Carson Kressley will axe one competitor each week of the series, filmed at Star Hill Ranch near Austin.

Braunda Smith/ Lucy Cooper's Braunda Smith will compete on BBQ Brawl. Braunda Smith/ Facebook

McLaughlin and Smith will have some stiff competition. The roster includes pitmasters from Atlanta, Boston, Brooklyn, and beyond, each bringing their own regional traditions to the pit.

McLaughlin is entering the competition with less TV experience than Smith, but he does film his own "chef tip" videos in the kitchen for social media. He also appeared in a slightly longer-form series on Crossbuck's YouTube channel teaching viewers barbecue basics. McLaughlin's experience as a chef in fine dining has translated to super-sharp skills and an openness to unexpected flavors.

"I've got well over a decade of experience in fine-dining restaurants," he said in the promo. "I've got well over a decade of experience successfully cooking BBQ. I know how to cook just about everything."

His teammate Smith has an advantage over many members of the cast. She’s no stranger to reality competitions, sparring on Guy’s Grocery Games and Chopped in 2023. Although neither resulted in a win, her versatile cooking style impressed both shows’ panels.

"My BBQ reflects all the places I've lived in life: Southern, Cajun, Korean, Hawaiian, and it's got some Texas flair in there,” says Smith in the show’s promos. “You know, we kind of get overlooked a lot in San Antonio. Taking home Master of 'Cue to Lucy Cooper's would just set everything ablaze."

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