Bread crumbs
Taco tales, burger boom and more big restaurant news in Dallas
New eateries, more coffee shops, chef moves — don't restaurants around Dallas-Fort Worth know that you're supposed to lay low in December? There's so much going on that it's hard to keep up. But we've gathered all the tidbits in one tidy story just for you.
Mas tacos. The second branch of Meso Maya opens December 10, along with a companion taqueria. Called La Ventana, it will have a walk-up window on Caroline Street with a menu of "everyday Mexican street food," including tacos on house-made white corn tortillas.
Mas tacos II. Famed Dallas gas station taqueria Fuel City will open a second location in Lufkin in January. It'll be three times as big, with not just tacos but also a Denny's and the Original Fried Pie Shop. The tacos were named "Best Tacos in Texas" by Texas Monthly and have been written about in The Wall Street Journal and Chicago Tribune.
Jumping java. Memoria MiNi Cafe is a coffee shop/office space at 3001 Knox St. with cakes, arepas, flatbreads, Colombian coffee and a private-label energy drink. Memoria doesn't take cash, so bring plastic. There is a grand-opening launch party December 8, 7-10 pm.
Meanwhile burgers. In Fort Worth, Sam Wynne — spawn of Meddlesome Moth/Flying Saucer owner Shannon Wynne — opened a burger joint/ice house in the West Seventh area called Rodeo Goat. It has a Hopdoddy-like menu of 14 burgers such as the "sugar burger" with bacon, peaches, arugula, onion and jalapeño jam.
And more burgers. Chef Kenny Mills will open a steakhouse near his Chop House Burgers called Chop House Steaks & Seafood. It will open on West Park Row Drive in the former Blue Danube space, where it will serve mesquite-grilled choice steaks, priced from $20-$25. Mills also will open a second branch of his burger place in Pantego.
Don't tell Louie's. A second branch of Addison pizzeria Pastazios opened near Dalat and Strangeways at 2519 Fitzhugh Ave.
Dish on fish.Bonefish Grill, a Florida-based chain run by the owners of Outback, opened a branch in Southlake at 1201 E. Southlake Blvd. The menu is fishy-fishy with sea bass, trout, grouper and shrimp tacos.
You sweet thing. Dude Sweet Chocolate opened a temporary store in Preston Center and, if it goes well, will stay open longer. Owner Katherine Clapner is also opening a store on Fort Worth on 2925 Crockett St. in the West Seventh district.
But no bowling?Sunset Lounge, at 3030 Ross Ave., reopens as a neighborhood bar-restaurant from FreeRange Concepts, which owns Bowl & Barrel. Eater says that Sunset is doing cocktails and jerk chicken tacos.
We hardly knew ye. Chef Ross Demers is out at Ocho Kitchen + Cocktails, after only two months; menu creator Eric DiStefano is now running the kitchen as executive chef, which seems like it will be a tough commute, because he ordinarily lives in Santa Fe.
Nancy knows.D Magazineannounced its 10 Best Restaurants for 2012. The list includes Oak, Off-Site Kitchen, Boulevardier, Driftwood, Mr. Mesero, Urban Rio, Sissy’s Southern Kitchen, Woodshed, Mi Dia and Zio Cecio.
Holiday freeze. Blue Bell Ice Cream has a new seasonal flavor called Gingerbread House, with cinnamon ice cream, chunks of gingerbread cookies, miniature marshmallows, bits of green and red candy, and vanilla icing swirl. LDD does a Blue Bell homage.
Tacos, the sequel.Velvet Taco is featured in a web-only series called "Fast Casual Nation," in an episode titled "Fresh Mex With A Twist." Is that really what Velvet Taco does? Aside from the flawed premise, the episode is a beatdown. The interview with corporate chef John Franke takes place during a rush and and is inaudible due to the insane background noise.