Vegan beer, too

Libertine brings back its popular, unexpected vegan beer dinners

Last year, the Libertine Bar launched a dinner series that broke ground on two fronts: They paired the courses with beer instead of the usual wine, and instead of the usual pork belly and short ribs, the menu was all-vegan. Both dinners sold out in a flash.

Then chef Taylor McCreary, who'd been doing the dinners in conjunction with vegan website DallasVegan.com, left the Libertine. The series withered.

Now, thanks to a push from the bar's new manager, Bevin Maloney, the vegan beer dinner returns Monday, November 5, pairing the likes of soba noodles and pumpkin pudding with five vegan beers.

"I wanted to make sure vegetarian and vegan options were available, and that includes a whole list of vegan and veg-appropriate beers," says GM Bevin Maloney.

Maloney is a vegetarian. She created the menu with chef Roseanne Dileo, who preceded McCreary and has returned to run the kitchen.

"When I came on as the GM, I felt like it was important to keep that tradition going for people who wanted to be involved but don't get the opportunity," Maloney says.

The first course: sun-dried tomato quinoa cakes with chive oil and arugula, served with Orval beer.

"Crab cakes are a common nice first course, and that's what these look like," Maloney says. "They're the same shape and size, but with strong flavors from the tomato and chive oil."

For the second course, beets are paired with spinach, endive, radish and persimmon and topped with apple frisee slaw. The beer: Houblon Chouffe Dobbelen IPA Tripel.

Third course is pink lentil curry with roasted leaks and smoked cashew, paired with Sam Smith India Ale.

"We had this as part of one of our specials, but it was served with scallops," Maloney says. "I asked Roseanne if she could make me some without. It's a warm, hearty dish, good since it's getting cooler. The smoked cashews are an interesting idea. You smoke the cashews, blend them up, and it's like cream."

Fourth course is seitan piccata over soba noodles and roasted squash, paired with Saison Dupont.

"That's a play on veal or chicken piccata, the recipe is from The Kind Diet, one of my favorite books," Maloney says. "We even made our own seitan, which we pounded until thin, filet-style, and served over noodles in a sauce that's lemony with capers."

For dessert, it's pumpkin pudding with almond foam and praline, paired with Live Oak Hefeweizen with ginger syrup.

Maloney joined the Libertine staff after having been a patron and wants to share her passion for vegetarian eating.

"I was previously in retail management, but I've been a fan of the Libertine since it opened," she says. "I come with a slightly different perspective, maybe a little more corporate. But I wanted to make sure vegetarian and vegan options were available, and that includes a whole list of vegan and veg-appropriate beers.

"There's this misconception from omnivores who think we're craving something or that this food tastes bad. I hope that the fact that I eat that way normally is a help with this dinner. These courses are the kinds of things I love to eat and make at home."

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Pizza News

Iconic Dallas pizza chain Campisi's snags hot address on Inwood Road

Campisi's

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An iconic name in pizza is opening in one of Dallas' ritziest neighborhoods: Campisi's, the beloved longtime pizza chain, will open a location at 7709 Inwood Rd., taking over the desirable space previously occupied by Perch, which closed in March.

The location, across the street from Inwood Village, brings Campisi's back to a neighborhood where it has resided for 30 years, says owner David Campisi.

Most recently, they were in a storefront at 5405 W. Lovers Ln. but were ousted after 20 years in the space, when the center suffered a fire in December 2025. Prior to that, they operated a satellite location in Inwood Village, in the former Lovers Egg Roll space next to Pogo's.

"This will be our third location at Lovers Lane and Inwood Road, where we've been serving generation after generation," David says.

His goal is to open by January 1.

The space, which was originally a Steak & Ale, has seen turnover in recent years. Prior to Perch, it was Dea, an Italian restaurant, and before that, a popular location of Fireside Pies. But scoring it was a triumph, and Campisi won out over other suitors.

"I'm hoping to be good neighbors with Shinsei owner Lynae Fearing," David says.

This Campisi's will be larger than most of the other eight locations in the chain, but David has some bold plans that incorporate both relying on tradition while looking ahead.

"You've got all these out-of-town concepts charging $4 for an iced tea," he says. "We want to be what we've always been: a restaurant for everybody — a dining experience with great food and service where you don't have to wear a sports coat."

It'll definitely have a bigger bar presence.

"The new location will be a little more bar-driven," he says. "It'll have a huge horseshoe bar where you can get small bites for a great price. We won't do happy hour. We'll just always have the strongest and cheapest drinks on Lovers Lane — taking you back in time to the intimate Club Room vibe at the original Campisi's on Mockingbird Lane."

Campisi's signature dishes include its thin-crust rectangular Sicilian-style pizza, buttery crab claws, and "Joe's Famous" garlic toast. Other menu signatures include shrimp scampi, lasagna, spaghetti & meatballs, and fettuccine alfredo.

"But we'll introduce some daily specials, like a fresh pasta of the day," David says. "We've always had weekly staples, like Tuesday nights, we do an $8.99 spaghetti with red sauce, with garlic toast and a house salad — we stole this idea from El Fenix — and on Wednesdays, we do $5 Chianti. We're not creating value meals, we're adding value. The pricing in this city has spiraled and I think people are tired of it."

Opening the location will also help streamline delivery, which represents a large chunk of their business, to that side of town. (They also just opened a dedicated pickup and delivery location at Preston-Royal at 5944 Royal Ln.)

Updates on the interior at the new location are underway, with a goal to "exceed expectations" for their generations of guests.

"You'll see the red tufted booths, the dim lights, our vintage photos bringing our long history in Dallas to this location," David says. "We've lasted 80 years because we are a family — we don't have employees, we have 350-plus family members, and they're the reason. In the end, it'll be a red sauce joint — we're not trying to be anything else."

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