Eating on the fly

Wine bar Vino Volo and tea shop Teavana lead a new wave of foodie options at DFWAirport

Vino Volo will offer wine by the glass or in flights, plus cheese plates andother snacks.
Photo courtesy of Teel Construction
Teavana's exotic blends made it an appealing purchase for Starbucks, whichacquired the company in November.
Photo courtesy of Teavana
Teavana at the airport means you can pick up a tin for that last-minute foodiegift.
Photo courtesy of Barber Shop Marketing

High-flying oenophiles passing through DFW International Airport will soon have a new spot to get their wine with the opening of Vino Volo, a wine bar and retail store serving wine flights, small plates and bottles to go.

Vino Volo will be located in Terminal A, near Gate 17 which isn't anywhere near La Bodega Winery, the wine bar/retail shop from restaurateur Gina Puente, located at D14. But Puente announced in January a new partnership with Stephan Pyles called Sky Canyon Wine Bar that will replace La Bodega with a more food-focused spot.

The opening date on Vino Volo is predicated on the airport renovation, said spokeswoman Sarah Evans.

"Our DFW location is going to be opening late winter / early spring, but the timeline is being governed by the rest of the terminal construction, so we can't be 100 percent sure at the moment," she said.

The first Vino Volo opened in 2005 at Washington, D.C.’s Dulles International Airport. There are now 18 airport locations, with the closest to Dallas being San Antonio. More are planned, and the company just opened its first stand-alone store in Bethesda, Maryland. The stores offer wines by the glass, in flights, or by the bottle to take on your flight or have shipped.

Vino Volo CEO Douglass W. Tomlinson (who has a patent for classifying the fruitiness of wine and who also donated money to oppose the gay marriage initiative in California), told the Washington Post that Vino Volo — which means "wine flight" in Italian — makes wine tasting "fun and interactive by putting together tasting flights that allow guests to discover which wines they enjoy most."

The stores boast a swanky atmosphere with leather lounge chairs and dark woods. Small plates and entrees include cheese plates, dry-cured meats, and the signature dish smoked salmon and crabmeat crostini. Diners can eat onsite or take the food onto their flights.

More airport grub
Eating action at DFW International Airport is brisk, and it's not just because the holidays are here. The airport recently announced the opening of III Forks, a branch of the North Dallas steakhouse, located near gate D27, and Teavana, which sells specialty teas and accessories, at gate A16.

Teavana was acquired by Starbucks for $620 million in November. There are four Dallas-area locations, at NorthPark Center, Galleria Dallas, Shops at Willow Bend in Plano and the North East Mall in Hurst.

Also new to DFW Airport:

Cantina Laredo, Mexican restaurant newly relocated to gate D24
Qdoba Mexican Grill, Jack in the Box's Chipotle concept, at A16
Salt Lick Bar-B-Que, barbecue legend from Central Texas, at A16

DFW Airport says that Qdoba and Salt Lick are among the first offerings in a new "village-like space" in Terminal A.

Meanwhile, if you want to know where to eat today, Eater has a list of what it considers to be the five best eats at the airport: Urban Taco (gate C22), Grand Hyatt DFW's Grand Met and M Lounge (outside terminal D), Reata Grill (D33), Cousin's Bar-B-Q (B27 and D28), and La Bodega at D14.

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Shawarma News

Kebab concept Doner Shack comes to Texas with location in Prosper

Doner Shack

A new doner kebab chain is coming to town: Called Doner Shack, it's a quick-service restaurant concept based in the U.K. which is opening its first location in Texas in Prosper. The restaurant has yet to be built, so the opening date is still TBA. But according to a release, it will open in a shopping center at the intersection of Teel Parkway and University Drive, on the northwest corner, kitty corner from the PGA Golf Resort.

Doner Shack says it was built with one goal: to become the world’s leading kebab brand. No mention of the food, but what they're really pushing is franchising. Founders are chef Sanjeev Sanghera and Laura Bruce, who own three stores in the U.K., and who were inspired after an "epic 48-hour trip to Berlin" where the culture and kebabs blew their minds "in the best way possible." Hopefully that means the food is good.

Doner kebab is the dish of Turkish origin made of meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie. It's popular in Germany because there's a large Turkish population there. Competitors — many of whom have expanded to DFW — include Halal Guys, Nick the Greek, The Great Greek, Spitz Mediterranean Grill, Soulard Gyro, and German Doner Kebab.

Doner Shack's menu features the original doner kebab with beef on Turkish bread and salad, and then varieties such as chicken, or beef with chili sauce, or a vegetarian with fried halloumi cheese.

In addition to doner kebabs, there are also chicken tenders served with crinkle cut fries; slider-size sandwiches with fried chicken or with shaved beef; and loaded fries, topped with the same assortment of meats.

Bringing it to Texas is franchisee group Gyro N Philly LLC, led by Hassan Zaman who says in a statement that they're delighted to bring Doner Shack to Prosper.

"With the new PGA headquarters across the street, a high school with over 30,000 students, and the upcoming Universal Kids Theme Park just minutes away, we believe this is a home run location," he says. For good food, one hopes.

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