Author News

Dallas restaurant honcho to do book signing for his dishy new tell-all tome

Restaurant industr veteran Mark Brezinski has written a dishy new book.

mma.prnewswire.com

A Dallas-based restaurant industry honcho has written a dishy new book: Called ForkFight! Whisks, Risks, and Conflicts Behind the Restaurant Curtain, it's by Mark Brezinski, a 45-year food & beverage pro famous for creating or co-creating some of the industry's biggest game-changing concepts.

Heralded by Simon & Schuster as "the most compelling, insightful, and white-knuckled journey behind the restaurant curtain since Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential," the 225-page hardcover book, published by Post Hill Press, chronicles Brezinski's colorful career, spanning the globe in search of culinary discoveries and inspirations with industry icons like the late Norman Brinker, Paul Fleming, Phil Romano, and chefs Michael Mina and Mark Miller.

If you love hot gossip about restaurant industry bigwigs, this book is a must-read.

Brezinski will be doing a book signing of ForkFight! on Saturday, April 22 from 1-3 pm at Bizzy Burger Merchants, his latest concept, located at 13251 Montfort Dr., Dallas.

A graduate of the famed School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University, Brezinski has had a hand in creating multiple nationally acclaimed restaurant companies, from Pei Wei to Velvet Taco to Tin Star to Trinity Groves.

In a statement, Brezinski says that he uses the book to open up about his successes and failures in the restaurant world, wherein he worked alongside some "dynamic" personalities, dynamic, that's a nice word.

"This is certainly a no-holds-barred look inside this consistently challenging industry that keeps me coming back for more," he says.

Former associates and collaborators such as Christophe Poirier, Chief Brand Officer, New Business Development, at Pizza Hut Global, offer high praise.

"Many creative guys are working on renovation, they take something that exists, polish it, and make it look new," Poirier says. "Not Mark. He has the capability to create a new blue ocean."

Lane Cardwell, former CEO of Boston Market, former President of P.F. Chang's China Bistro, and former CEO of Eatzi's Market & Bakery, notes that despite all his achievements, Brezinski retains an almost-surprising humility.

"I have lived in this industry for decades and learned something new about it in every chapter of the book," Cardwell says. "Informative, entertaining, and filled with life lessons, ForkFight! should yield this humble individual the credit he so rightfully deserves for his contributions to the industry."

Brezinski's creations have won many a "Hot Concept" award, and he was recently named one of "Nation's Restaurant News Most Influential Restaurant CEOs." D Magazine hailed him as "the father of Dallas' fast casual food scene" and in 2020, he was named one of North Texas Top 500 CEOs by the D CEO Magazine.

His travels have taken him from Tokyo to Tuscany, from San Francisco to Shanghai, and from Mumbai to Maui. And while his concept have comprised a wide range of cuisines, including Indian, Italian, French, and Vietnamese, Brezinski says he has always had a soft spot for Asian food - in concepts he consulted on such as Marugame Udon, and in restaurants he founded, such as Bengal Coast, the Asian-fusion restaurant he founded in the Centrum Building on Oak Lawn Avenue, now closed.

Dallas has been the lucky recipient of many of his innovative ideas and concepts including

Banh Shop, the fast-casual banh mi concept he helped Yum! Brands launch in 2014
Food halls: Brezinski was well ahead of the curve when he co-founded Uptown Urban Market, a food hall in the Gables building in Uptown Dallas in 2014
Bizzy Burger Merchants, his newest concept that reimagines a better version of fast food, featuring petite burgers made from HeartBrand Premium Akaushi Beef served on cult favorite King's Hawaiian buns

"I hope that this book takes readers to all of these places and more while telling behind-the-scenes stories — sometimes funny, often heartbreaking, and never without lessons learned," Brezinski says. "I believe that the journey is a remarkable tag-along to the highs and lows of being an entrepreneur and the self-discovery that comes with each stop."

books celebrities chefs

New sushi spot

Kichi Bar rolls out sushi and late-night happy hour in Carrollton

Photo courtesy of Kichi Bar

A spread at Kichi Bar.

A hidden-gem Japanese restaurant and bar is serving late-night happy hour in Carrollton’s Koreatown neighborhood: Called Kichi Bar, the restaurant showcases elevated sushi, sashimi, hand rolls, and seasonal cocktails.

Located at 2630 Old Denton Rd. #130, in Carrollton’s lively Asian dining, retail and entertainment hub, Kichi offers a modern atmosphere for social and shareable dining. Chef-owner Chris Han says it starts with strong technique in the kitchen and focusing on quality guest experience.

“From the beginning, our goal was to create a place people could come to often, not just for special occasions,” Han, a first-time restaurateur, says in a release. “We focus on consistency, quality, and making sure guests feel comfortable every time they walk in.”

Since Kichi Bar opened in August 2025, the restaurant has garnered praise online from patrons and local food social media influencers for its artistic plates and happy hour deals.

The chef at work.Photo courtesy of Kichi Bar

Sushi and sashimi menu items start at $4 and $10, or diners can opt for shareable set menus, such as the $69 Kichi sashimi set, which comes with miso soup, salad, maitake or chicken, and sashimi for two.

In addition to a range of sushi and sashimi, Kichi's menu features savory dishes such as $12 creamy uni pasta and $28 chopped lamb with truffle soy tomatoes. Han recommends their nigiris and the black cod dish.

“We go through an aging process for all our fish anywhere from 24 hours to 72 days,” Han says. Aging fish is a technique that enhances the umami flavor fundamental to Japanese cuisine.

For something sweet, Kichi serves ice cream flavors including coffee, cinnamon, and ube. And the drink lineup includes a sake martini, seasonal cocktails, and a variety of alcohol-free options such as a pineapple mint cooler.

Han began his culinary journey in college working as a server in a Japanese restaurant. At the encouragement of the owner, Han began training in the kitchen, working his way from dishwasher to learning how to make tempura and perfecting sushi rice. Since then, he’s worked at other Japanese restaurants in Dallas-Fort Worth including Bluefish, Edoko, and Uchi.

Han says he appreciates Japanese cuisine for its simple flavors that allow quality ingredients to shine. His culinary philosophy, which is “guests eat with their eyes first,” informs the techniques and aesthetics at Kichi.

“My focus is to make sure to do the basics. Clean plates, clean presentation,” Han says.

Late-night happy hour starts at 9 pm, Sunday-Thursday.Photo courtesy of Kichi Bar

Kichi serves dinner seven days a week. Late-night happy hour, when select drinks start at $4 and kitchen menu items start at $5, is on tap Sunday through Thursday from 9 pm to close. Reservations are encouraged on weekends and holidays.

“We try to make our restaurant more guest focused, being near the Asian community where everything is fast paced can be a bit complicated concept for some,” Han says. “But I hope that when people dine [at Kichi Bar], they take their time to enjoy their meal. We don't push out all our food at once … we want them to enjoy their time here.”

Kichi is open for dinner service 5-11 pm Sunday through Thursday, and 5 pm-midnight Friday and Saturday.

carrollton carrolltons koreatown happy hour japanese restaurant sushi