The sincerest form of flattery

Dallas restaurant news, the spinoff edition: Hook Line & Sinker leads a convoy

The fried catfish at Hook Line & Sinker stands out from its peers.
Hook Line & Sinker/Facebook
The people of Bedford will soon be able to sample Twisted Root's Frito Banditoburger in their own backyard.
Twisted Root Burger Co./Facebook
Park Tavern in the Shops at Park Lane will soon have a sibling to the west, indowntown Fort Worth.
The Mediterranean shrimp salad at TruFire Kitchen & Bar has spinach, orzo,cucumber, tomato, feta cheese and, of course, shrimp.
TruFire Kitchen and Bar/Facebook
Torchy's Tacos opened its fourth DFW location December 5.
Torchy's Tacos/Facebook

After serving up crispy fried catfish and shrimp on McKinney Avenue for the past 17 years, seafood shack Hook Line & Sinker is ready for expansion. A second branch will open on Preston Road in early 2013. Hook, a.k.a. HLS, trolled northward for its new baby bro and will take over a Taco Cabana between Frankford and Campbell roads.

This will be Hook Line & Sinker Version 2.0, says Markus Pineyro, founder of the Urban Taco chain and partners with HLS founder John Tuma.

"Hook Line & Sinker has excellent food," Pineyro says. "John has always taken a lot of time with sourcing and with attention to the product, yet he kept it affordable. But I learned when I opened the Urban Taco on McKinney that the second branch is pivotal. You need to be able to re-create the level of quality and make it even better."

Hook Line & Sinker enjoys an all-walks-of-life clientele, with pickup trucks parked next to Mercedes Benzes — a mix you don't often see around Dallas-Fort Worth.

Hook Line & Sinker was a revelation when it opened in 1995, and not just because its fried fish seemed cleaner and less oily than anywhere else. It enjoys an all-walks-of-life clientele, with pickup trucks parked next to Mercedes Benzes — a mix you don't often see around Dallas-Fort Worth.

"Hook Line & Sinker has the ability to fit in with all demographics, whether it's West Village or Bishop Arts," Pineyro says. "It can camouflage itself as far as appealing to different people."

He and Tuma will capitalize on the restaurant's decor, duplicating its fun neon and kitschy boat motors. They will also expand the selection of grilled fish.

"I keep telling people, 'You gotta try the grilled salmon, the trout,'" Pineyro says. "They're amazing, and we expect them to be popular at the Preston location."

They also see the two concepts flourishing together.

"Hook Line & Sinker has the beer and the shrimp and the ice-house atmosphere, while Urban Taco is margaritas and tacos," he says. "We want to see what we can do about putting the two next to each other."

More spin-offs
Hook Line & Sinker is not the only place about to be cloned. Dallas restaurants are in expansion mode, with second and third locations coming soon all over the place.

Torchy’s Tacos, the Austin-based gourmet taqueria, opened its fourth Dallas-area branch in Casa Linda at 9440 Garland Rd. on December 5, where it serves specialty cocktails and infused tequilas along with beer and tacos.

Park Tavern, one of the many Restaurants America concepts sprouting up all over DFW, has signed on to open a location in Fort Worth, in the City Place development downtown, at 150 Throckmorton St. The first is in the Shops at Park Lane in Dallas, where it's using cheap happy hours to pack 'em in.

TruFire Kitchen & Bar, an ambitious, polished, American-meets-pizza-meets-hummus restaurant in Frisco, is finally poised to open its second branch in Southlake, in the old Jack's Porch space at 1239 Main St. TruFire was conceived by a couple of ex-Brinker/P.F. Chang's guys, who launched in April 2008.

The website reads: "We make familiar food, while still giving off a unique flavor," which doesn't seem like something to brag about, but they do a pizza and a salad with fig, and that's always a good thing.

Twisted Root Burger Co. will open a restaurant in the Mid-Cities — Bedford, to be exact, in a new shopping center north of 183. Owner Jason Boso hopes to open in February 2013.

A third branch of Mellow Mushroom, the hippie-ish Atlanta chain, will open in Mansfield, following branches one and two near TCU and Arlington. Owners Kim and Montie Slawson are Mansfield residents and selected a unique spot near historic downtown.

Tacos Y Mas Mexican Grill just opened a fourth location at 1540 Keller Pkwy., in Keller. It's a bit of a hike from the other three branches, all in Dallas proper, but a staffer said that one of Taco Y Mas' owners lives out that way.

Blue Mesa Grill will open a branch in Arlington's Lincoln Square, which, according to the Facebook page, will be happening in February. This will be the sixth BMG in Dallas-Fort Worth; there's also one in Lubbock.

Quaker Steak & Lube, a garishly decorated wing chain from Pennsylvania that inexplicably brags that its nickname is "The Lube," is opening a second location in far north Plano off State Hwy. 121, following one that opened previously in Carrollton.

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Now brewing

New Love Field-area coffee shop brews matcha and community in Dallas

Instagram/Go Culture Cafe

A matcha drink from Go Culture Cafe.

A new coffee shop and gathering space is coming to the Dallas Love Field area. Called Go Culture Cafe, it will be located at 5606 Maple Ave., Ste. 110, near Inwood Rd., and will open after the Fourth of July.

The concept comes from Farhan Fallahi, an Iran-born fashion designer who has lived in Dallas for 11 years and owns the wedding and event planning company Wedding Erah.

The 1,000-square-foot coffee shop is designed to be a collaboration hub, he says, outfitted with benches, chairs, small tables, and a large coffee bar.

The drink menu will include traditional espresso options like lattes, macchiatos, and mochas, alongside a variety of matcha beverages. Specialty drinks will feature a saffron matcha, saffron latte, fig matcha, fig latte, and an extra-creamy matcha made with heavy cream. They will also offer a mocha latte topped with a cold matcha foam. All coffee drinks will be priced under $9.

To source their beans, they have partnered with Eiland, the Richardson-based artisan roaster.

Additionally, Go Culture Cafe will serve specialty, high-protein smoothies packed with nuts, dates, fruit, and other premium, health-conscious ingredients. The 16-ounce smoothies will retail for around $18.

An iced mocha latte topped with cold matcha foam, one of the signature specialty drinks at Go Culture Cafe.Photo courtesy of Go Culture Cafe

For food, Fallahi is partnering with several local bakeries to offer pastries such as a banana bread cookie, red velvet cookie, and matcha muffins, as well as savory items like avocado toast and cottage cheese toast. All food items will be priced below $10.

The idea for the coffee shop came up unexpectedly, he says.

“I started doing a lot of events and flower pop-ups in front of restaurants and cafes," Fallahi says. "It was cool to see how people would connect over pastries and coffee."

He initially looked into launching a coffee truck before finding the brick-and-mortar location next to a RaceTrac gas station. The building previously housed a coin laundry and a vacant storefront before the landlord divided it into smaller retail spaces.

Fallahi admittedly has no prior background or experience in the coffee industry, which is actually the inspiration behind the entire concept.

“When you start a business from the ground up, it can be very lonely,” he says.

He designed Go Culture Cafe to be a destination for anyone starting something new and seeking inspiration or motivation. The “Go” in the name is a direct invitation for people to “go for it.”

“Whatever it is you’re going after, go for it, even if you don’t feel completely ready," Fallahi says. "Nobody knows exactly what they are doing. Go Culture Cafe is a space for people to gather, collaborate, and make connections.”

Hours of operation will be 7 am-7 pm Monday-Saturday an 9 am-5 pm Sunday.

A grand opening is planned for mid-July, featuring live music, a balloon artist, and other surprises, he says. True to the cafe's roots, the space will host future pop-up events and collaborations to foster community connection.

coffee shop dallas love field matcha coffee