A French restaurant has debuted in an iconic Dallas space: Called Frenchie, it's a new concept from Travis Street Hospitality (Knox Street Bistro, Georgie) now open in the former Corner Bakery space at 8420 Preston Center Plaza.
Corner Bakery opened in June 1998 in the Plaza at Preston Center where it had been for 23 years before closing in 2022.
Frenchie is described as a quintessential French brasserie — a casual, everyday restaurant serving an all-day menu of lunch and dinner (with breakfast launching in the coming weeks). It's a new direction for Travis Hospitality, who are expanding outside of their usual Knox-Henderson neighborhood, with their first venture without white-tablecloth service.
Frenchie is a natural evolution for founders Stephan Courseau and Daniele Garcia and culinary director, Bruno Davaillon, who have built a reputation on French-forward restaurants like Knox Bistro, Georgie, and Le PasSage. Now they are tempering their French-born culinary heritage and fine-dining training with American sensibilities to create a family-friendly concept designed for North Dallas’ premier mixed-use district.
"Frenchie is an American French restaurant made by French guys who are now in the American mainstream,” Courseau says in a release. "Frenchie represents the version of the French people we are today. It’s who we became over the years – authentic to who we are today."
Food and drink
The menu blends classic French comfort food with all-day versatility, featuring crepes, rillettes, quiche, poulet rôti, tartare de boeuf, salade Parisienne, and pâtes au pistou. In the morning, coffee and croissants. At lunch, burgers and onion soup. At dinner, steak frites and profiteroles.
The wine list will feature small French wineries, while cocktails will include a "freezer martini" — custom bottled and pre-chilled by Travis Street Hospitality’s Executive Mixologist, Mario Martinez, exclusively for Frenchie.
Frenchie dining roomFrenchie
Decor
The 4,000-square-foot restaurant features seating for 150 in the dining room and bar, and a 1,200-square-foot covered patio with an indoor-outdoor bar.
Decor is grounded in the fundamentals of classic French bistros, with design details such as pewter bar tops, patinaed mirrors, brass sconces, rattan chairs, and rows of banquettes.
Audience
The goal will be to become an everyday destination for families, parents, office workers, and shoppers at the Preston Plaza Center.
Founded by Stephan Courseau and Daniele Garcia, Travis Hospitality has been on the dining scene since 2013 with the debut of Le Bilboquet. This was followed by the opening of Knox Bistro; Georgie and The Georgie Butcher Shop in 2019; and Rose Café at Le PasSage and Le PasSage in 2024.
