Fare park

Pop-up cafe hopes to stay after the State Fair has gone away

Madame Butterfly's Garden Cafe is a new canteen in Fair Park that is, for now, temporary. But cross your fingers, because it may become permanent.

The snackery, located at Texas Discovery Gardens, has a healthy bent, serving smoothies, sandwiches and fruit. Executive director Dick Davis says the eatery is operating on a trial basis. If it does well enough, the cafe's lifespan will be extended.

"This is something the board has wanted for quite a while, and this year we finally got it off the ground," he says. "In our lobby, during the State Fair, we have a kiosk set up. You place your order there, then go into our grand hall and pick up your food and drink."

The facility, on MLK Boulevard where it dead-ends into the west side of the park, has its own private parking lot. Davis and staff hope the cafe can stay open year-round.

"When the State Fair is not in session, there’s no place on Fair Park proper to get a decent meal," Davis says. "We do have The Old Mill Inn, but it's not a destination for many people. Fair Park is a little off the beaten path, unless you’re coming to a museum or the State Fair.

"But there's quite a few people who work here year-round. I don't know how many employees that is, but a lot of museums around Dallas and the state have cafes or snack bars in their facilities. We're interested in exploring that possibility both from a customer service perspective and from a revenue stream perspective."

For now the food is prepared off-site and brought in. Sandwiches are all $6 and include Waldorf chicken, tuna and turkey. There's half a dozen smoothies, plus fruit cups and granola parfaits.

"We’re a popular wedding venue, and we have a lady who helps us rent our venue for weddings and other special events," Davis says. "She is connected with well-known caterers who provide food for our special events. She also has her own kitchen. During the fair, we're buying our fresh food from her. And then we've partnered with Smoothie Factory and Community Coffee to feature their products during the fair."

"We're pretty happy with the business so far," Davis says. "Many people come here to the Butterfly House. That’s how we got the name, Madam Butterfly's Garden Cafe."

Texas Discovery Gardens is a year-round, 8-acre organic public garden that's home to Rosine Smith Sammons Butterfly House — a massive butterfly display that includes daily talks on butterflies. "Pupae (chrysalises) are shipped in weekly from local farms in the U.S., El Salvador, Colombia, the Philippines and Malaysia," reads the website. Oh dear. And the facility just added a new Snakesss of Texasss exhibit. The topic: snakes.

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Matcha News

Calif bakery-cafe with creative drinks and snacks makes Dallas debut

Smoking Tiger

Garlic cheese bread and matcha latte from Smoking Tiger

A buzzy coffee shop and cafe from Southern California has made its Texas debut: Called Smoking Tiger, it opened in June in Carrollton, at The Great Oasis plaza at 2225 Old Denton Rd. #100, where it's serving Korean pastries, breads, coffee, and beverages.

Adored by Korean-Americans and possibly everyone on Instagram, the cafe is part of a chain founded in 2020 in Buena Vista, California, that encompasses both coffee shops as well as bakeries. The Carrollton location — full name "The Smoking Tiger Bread Factory" — is one of their most expansive, offering coffee, pastries, breads, and sandwiches.

Carrollton will be the first in the DFW area, but a spokesperson says it won't be the only, although they do not have specifics on other locations or timetable for opening.

Drinks
Their beverage menu is notably rich and creative, leading with the Tiger Latte, their signature brown sugar latte with caramel and frothed oat milk. The Smokin Spaniard is a twist on latte combining espresso, condensed milk, hazelnut, and cinnamon.

Other options summon favorite Korean flavors such as

banana milk latte
honey bori latte with barley milk and salted honey cold foam
sweet corn latte, with sweet corn milk and corn cold foam
chai latte
misugaru — a roasted rice latte served slightly sweetened over choice of milk

… plus matcha lattes including strawberry matcha latte; jeju matcha latte sweetened with maple syrup; hojicha latte, featuring jeju green tea — a green tea grown in South Korea — sweetened with vanilla.

Latte prices average about $6.50.

Other irresistible-sounding drinks include the Pineapple Express, featuring jasmine tea and pineapple concentrate, shaken with ice for a smooth texture; and "YSL" — Yuzu Sparkling Lemonade, featuring yuzu syrup, sparkling water, and lemon.

Garlic cheese bread at Smoking TigerSmoking Tiger

Food
Food options are equally as creative, led by three signature goodies:

Cream Cheese Garlic Bread — a large round roll with a heavy dose of garlic and cream cheese baked inside
Original Salt Bread — sort of like a cross between a roll and an everything bagel
Kimchi Musubi Croissant, featuring a croissant filled with a slice of Spam and kim chi, with a sheet of seaweed baked onto the top of the croissant

Plus "sconkies" — a cross between a scone and a cookie — in flavors such as Oreo or lemon earl grey. For Texas only, they also introduced a special menu of breakfast sandwiches such as a slider with scrambled egg, cheese, and habanero aioli on grilled King's Hawaiian rolls.

According to marketing director Andy Lee, part of its appeal is the way it channels similar cafes in South Korea offering both bread and coffee.

"We wanted to essentially create a space where people could experience modern Korean culture in a very authentic and approachable way," Lee told The Dallas Morning News.

That extends to the decor: They've outfitted the Carrollton location with vertical mahogany wood panels, often seen in cafes in South Korea and traditional Korean houses called hanoks.

coffee openings