Bishop Arts News

Ex-Lucia Dallas space makes way for NY restaurant with brunch all day

Brunch all day is totally the right thing.

Isla & Co.

Pull out your world atlas for this: A new restaurant and bar based in New York is coming to Dallas from an Australian team. Called Isla & Co., it'll open in Bishop Arts, at 408 W. 8th St., better known as the former Lucia Dallas space. (Lucia relocated to 287 N. Bishop Ave.)

Isla & Co. is from Parched Restaurant Group, a New York outfit from two natives of Australia, Barry Dry and Tom Rowse, whose other concepts include coffee cafe Hole in the Wall, The Sentry penthouse lounge, and Daintree in Midtown Manhattan.

There are currently Isla & Co. locations in Williamsburg, Brooklyn; Fairfield, Connecticut; and Midtown Manhattan. Bishop Arts opens October 21.

Co-owner Tom Rowse says that their goal with Isla — pronounced "eye-la" — is to recreate a common concept in Australia.

"Isla is one of most popular female names in Australia," Rowse says. "We liked the idea of having a female name, and it's also a Scottish word that translates to 'island'."

"The concept started in New York where we could find coffee specialty shops and places doing good brunch or good dinner, but no one that did them all," he says. "That kind of versatility is not unique in Australia."

So they're there for morning coffee, lunch, and dinner, with a seasonal food and beverage menu featuring influences from Australia, Europe, and SouthEast Asia, plus cheerful, engaging service.

"The service aspect can be challenging, especially in this environment, but it's important to us," Rowse says. "We are very culture driven and put a lot of time into not just hiring the right staff but in doing continuous training. We want to create a fun work culture that passes on to the guest experience. We even have a 'culture officer' who supervises this process."

Dallas had been on their radar for a couple of years.

"A few years ago, we might've gone to Austin, but Bishop Arts spoke to us," he says. "We like to be in areas with good restaurants and Bishop Arts has a great food & beverage scene. And the space itself is exactly what we were looking for, with 40 seats inside and 40 outside."

Food
Executive chef Matt Foley attended the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, worked at two-Michelin-starred Marea, and was corporate chef at fast-casual restaurant group DIG, before joining Parched, where he oversees the menus at Hole in the Wall and Isla & Co.

Brunch is served daily until 4 pm and includes:

Brekkie Roll
Smoked Salmon Benedict
Brioche French Toast
Isla & Co. Burger
Grilled Chicken Sandwich with cheddar and charred broccoli pesto

Dinner dishes include:

Spicy Shrimp Vodka Rigatoni
Fish & Chips
Pork Sausage Rolls
Thai Green Vegetable Curry
Half Chicken with seasonal roasted vegetables

Drinks
Isla & Co. has a specialty coffee program inspired by Australia's hardcore coffee culture, serving Hole in the Wall Espresso with two house blends suitable for espresso or drip, originating from Ethiopia and the Americas, and roasted in Denver. Need the world atlas again!

Their bar program includes a wine list focused on natural and organic wines, plus craft beer and signature cocktails like the Espresso Martini (Tito's vodka, Mr. Black coffee liqueur, espresso), Wizard of Aus (Starward Whiskey, lemon juice, sugar, egg white, Shiraz wine float), Isla Old Fashioned (bourbon, Amaro Montenegro, Eucalyptus bitters), and The Taipan (Hiatus Tequila, spicy pepper, yuzu, agave, and shiso).

All beverages including mimosas and bloody marys are served from brunch through to dusk.

Isla & Co. is also slated to open locations in Atlanta, South Beach, and West Palm Beach later this year.

oak-cliff openings

Diner News

Home-cooking classic Chubby's closes location in southwest Dallas

Chubby's

Biscuits and gravy at Chubby's

A beloved diner near Duncanville in southwest Dallas has closed: Chubby's, famous for its home-cooking cuisine and splendiferous breakfasts, has closed its location at 7474 S. Cockrell Hill Rd., near I-20 and 67, after 18 years.

In what will be a relief for Chubby's many fans, the original location, at 11331 E. Northwest Hwy., is still open. A manager at the original location confirmed that the Cockrell Hill location had closed, while a spokesperson for the property said the building was up for sale because the owner was "ready to retire."

The location has been on the market since June, but they finally shuttered the restaurant on October 31. It had been at that address since 2008, taking over a space that was formerly Owens Family Restaurant, and originally a Bob Evans Restaurant.

Chubby's was founded by brothers and Greek immigrants John and George Touris, who opened the first location in 1987. Over the years, they opened more locations, winning over fans with their pancakes, omelets, chicken-fried steak, burgers, sandwiches, salads, and more, as well as a few Italian and Greek dishes.

If you know restaurants, you know that Greek restaurateurs usually adhere to a high standard of quality. Stellar signatures, shown in their most tempting light on Instagram, include biscuits & gravy, chicken-fried steak, Greek baked chicken with potato wedges, banana pancakes topped with banana slices and whipped cream, Greek salad, and masterful desserts including multi-layer cakes and baked pies in varieties such as cherry, coconut cream, and the rare chocolate meringue.

As their website explains, John Touris was 16 when he, his brother, and mother left Greece in 1978 and emigrated to Buffalo, New York, where John learned the ropes from his uncle, a restaurant veteran who worked at Towne Restaurant, which helped many Greek immigrants find their way in the U.S.

John moved to Dallas and in 1982 opened his first restaurant, Dough Boys, which eventually evolved into Chubby’s when it moved to its location on Northwest Highway. Together with his brother George, John built Chubby’s into a community cornerstone, expanding to four locations across Plano and Lancaster, which both closed, and this location near Duncanville, which has now closed as well.

Chubby’s is treasured by old-timers as one of a shrinking pool of diner-type places, like Mama's Daughters' Diner, Original Market Diner, Metro Diner, and Norma's Cafe, that offers unpretentious, well-prepared food at a relatively low price.

breakfast closings greek cuisine