Closure News

Top Dallas restaurant Homewood closes following death of co-owner

Homewood's Parker House rolls were a signature item.

Photo by Brad Murano

One of Dallas' most acclaimed restaurants has closed: Homewood, the restaurant led by creative and award-getting chef Matt McCallister, closed on February 14.

The closure followed the death of its co-owner Michael Barnett, 39, who died on February 13, confirmed by the Dallas County Medical Examiner's office, who stated that the cause of death is still pending, and the results of a toxicology test would take 8 to 10 weeks.

UPDATE 2-18-2023: A service was held for Barnett on February 18. In addition to Homewood, he also co-founded a second restaurant, Odelay, in April 2022. He's survived by his wife Jessica Dunn, three children, parents Mike and Susie Barnett, plus siblings, nieces, and nephews.

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Homewood posted the news of its sudden closure on its Instagram page, but without reference to Barnett's passing:

"It’s with a heavy heart that we are announcing Homewood will be closed effective immediately due to unforeseen circumstances," the post said. "We’re devastated that so many of you who have been supporting us for nearly four years will not get to come back one more time and have a last meal with us."

"Homewood was more than just a restaurant for us. It was our second home; a community where we could all be creative and explore our love of food and wine. It was a space we could share our passion with the Dallas community. It’s not something that can easily be replicated. It’s a heartbreaking day for the entire Homewood team. This was more than just a job for us. This was our family."

"It was an absolute honor to serve the Dallas community and we encourage you to continue the conversation about food and wine beyond our walls."

Homewood opened on Oak Lawn Avenue in 2019, a partnership between McCallister and Barnett, whose father Mike Barnett is chairman of Benchmark Bank.

It represented a comeback for McCallister after he closed his Design District restaurant FT33 in 2018. Homewood was more rustic, with pastas, intriguing vegetable treatments, in-house pickling, and use of local produce, including a garden on-site.

It quickly earned nods including Texas Monthly's Best New Restaurants for 2020, and Best New Restaurant in CultureMap's 2020 Tastemaker Awards. It received a nomination for 2022 Tastemaker Best Restaurant and Best Wine Program.

McCallister was a James Beard semifinalist in 2022, and a nominee for Tastemaker Chef of the Year in 2020.

The Instagram post announcing the closure was met with a chorus of laments such as "Very heartbreaking news! This was by far one of the best restaurants Dallas has ever seen."

Fans called "one of the most well executed restaurants in town," "a huge loss for the Dallas restaurant and dining community," with "some of the best meals we've ever eaten and always huge supporters of local farms and ranches."

A few commenters were taken aback by the abrupt closure, which contradicted local media reports stating the restaurant would be closing on February 19.

"Whaaaat!? this is seriously heartbreaking. we had a res for Friday to get in one more time," said one, followed by another that said, "So so sad, this was me and my husband’s special occasion go to spot and we had dinner booked for the 19th..Y’all will be missed!"

But most expressed gratitude, with one saying, "Thanks for everything you’ve done for us by setting the scene for great food, conversation, and vibes," offering acknowledgements to the restaurant's superior wine program "and most of all thanks for the killer food."

"Thank you for making the dining scene in Dallas better for 4 years," said one fan. "You will be missed but your impact will continue."

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Pizza News

Yonx Pizza seduces north Dallas suburbs with New York-style pies

Yonx

Yonx Pizza, by the slice.

A pizzeria with a dedicated following has debuted in Melissa: Yonx Pizza Bar & Co., an indie spot that does New York-style pizzas as well as pizza by the slice, has opened a location at 1521 McKinney St. #700 — an address that had pizza history as it was home for nearly a decade to a Palio's Pizza, which closed in 2025.

Yonx is from Robert Hede, a restaurant veteran who was previously involved with the Village Burger Bar chain, where he was a partner. He switched from burgers to pizza in 2022 when he connected with NY Pizza and Pints, a small local pizzeria chain, opening a location in Wylie at 1125 FM 544 #800. After two years, he broke off from the chain to found Yonx at the same address.

Yonx does the kind of New York-style thin-crust pizza that Dallas-Fort Worth loves, in a standard 14-inch, as well as a massive 24-inch "Kong" size. They also do slices, which can be ordered as a lunch with a Caesar salad for $9.99.

Varieties include familiar favorites like pepperoni, as well as slightly gourmet options with New York-inspired names such as:

Balsamic on Bleeker St., with garlic sauce, mushrooms, shaved ribeye, mozzarella cheese, arugula, and balsamic drizzle
Bronx Bomb, with Sicilian marinara, mozzarella, meatballs, mushrooms, and ricotta cheese
Brooklyn, basically a meat-lovers with Sicilian marinara, mozzarella, sliced ham, chopped meatball, beef, & pepperoni
Greenwich Garden, a vegetarian with Sicilian marinara, mozzarella, red & green bell peppers, white onions, mushrooms, spinach, & black olives

Prices range from $16 for a 14-inch cheese pizza to $46 for a NY Giant Supreme Soho with Sicilian marinara, mozzarella, pepperoni, sausage, beef, red & green bell peppers, white onions, sliced mushrooms, & black olives.

Yonx Pizza soup in a bread bowl.Photo courtesy of Yonx

There are also sandwiches on house-made toasted focaccia such as the Italian tower with melted provolone cheese, sliced ham, salami, lettuce, red onion, pepperoncinis, & sundried tomato aioli.

Appetizers include comforting soups served in a bread bowl including tomato basil and jalapeno cream soup with charred jalapenos. Plus wings, garlic knots, and "Brooklyn Ballers" — their signature meatballs in marinara, made in-house. topped with whipped ricotta and Parmesan, served with pesto and focaccia ends.

A full bar features frozen margaritas and frozen mojitos made with agave gold tequila. The best day to order those is "Frozen Fridays" from 11 am-10:30 pm when the blueberry mojitos are $6 and the margaritas are $5.

The Melissa location opened in January, with the same menu as the Wylie original, and has been met with an unprecedented wave of positive reviews on Facebook: one comment after another raving over how great the pizza is, and what a godsend it is — positive reviews that began to stack up even before the place had officially opened, the likes of which have been rarely seen.

This location boasts almost double the size of the original in Wylie, with a covered patio where they'll host live music on the weekends outside.

Hede, who has been hands-on at the Melissa location since it opened, says he's all-in on these northernmost suburbs of Dallas.

"I like this area — I feel like all the growth is heading out in this direction, there's just a lot of activity up here," he says.

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