Opening News

Immersive arts venture Meow Wolf signs on 15 Dallas-area food vendors

Meow Wolf is coming to DFW this summer.

Rendering courtesy of Meow Wolf

The popular immersive arts venture Meow Wolf, slated to open a new "portal" in Grapevine this summer, will be joined by an accompanying slate of food and beverage vendors, ranging from empanadas to nitrogen ice cream to craft beer to pies.

Meow Wolf is the Santa Fe-based art collective turned national psychedelic sensation, which has multiple portals (locations is too boring a word) open to the public in Denver, Las Vegas, and Santa Fe, with two new portals coming to Texas: Grapevine in 2023, and Houston in 2024.

These vendors were selected for their creativity, impact on their communities, and their ability to not just feed visitors, but contribute to the kaleidoscopic experience for which Meow Wolf is known.

“Our cafe is an extension of the immersive art world that is Meow Wolf Grapevine,” says Meow Wolf Director of Operations Mandy Cooper in a statment. "As a certified B-Corporation, our goal is to provide economic opportunity that supports local, women, and minority-owned small businesses."

The other benefit, she notes, is that "if you taste something you like, you can visit and support these businesses right here in the Dallas-Fort Worth area."

They've partnered with more than 15 local food and beverage artists, as follows, in alphabetical order:

All Y'alls Food. Plant-based jerkies and bits
Blended Family Foods. Salsas and sauces
Buzzed Bull Creamery. Liquid nitrogen ice cream
Celestial Beerworks. Dallas craft beer brewery
Celzo Co. Agua fresca, lightly carbonated vitamin-infused refreshment with exotic flavors
Del Campo Empanadas. Handmade baked empanadas and artisanal Argentinian pastries
GNS Foods. Family-run woman-owned nut business in Arlington
Hive Bakery. One-of-a-kind pastries, with an authentic voice
HTeaO Grapevine. Texas tea
Judy Pie. Sweet and savory pies just like Grandma used to make
JuiceLand. Juices and smoothies, with locations in Austin, Houston, and Dallas
Mac and Cream. Modern French macaron bakery, inspired by French and Asian cultures
Melt Ice Cream. Ice creams made with high percentage of butterfat
Nikki's Popcorn Company. Unique and interesting popcorn flavors
Noble Coyote Coffee Roasters. High-quality sustainability coffee company in Dallas' Expo Park
Peaberry Coffee. Oak Cliff craft coffee shop with the first and only canned iced coffee
Purpose Tea. Healthy brewed tea made from the purple tea leaf

food-trucks openings

Chicken News

New concept crossing hot chicken and wing joint pops up in Plano

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It's famous, it's fried, it's chicken, it's Sammy's.

In the Russian dolls version of fried chicken restaurants, there's a new fried chicken concept that's popping-up inside another fried chicken concept: Called Sammy's Famous Chicken, it's opening inside Hot Chicks Chicken, the Nashville-style hot chicken restaurant at 1885 Dallas Pkwy. in Plano.

It'll open on June 9 with a menu of tenders, sliders, wings, and rice bowls. Its point of distinction, the thing that makes it a standout in the hot-fried-chicken realm, is that it has 25 flavor options and 10 dipping sauces, similar to a wing joint.

This differentiates it from most Nashville-style hot chicken places, including its host Hot Chicks, that generally feature four heat levels. So it's like a combination of a hot chicken concept and a wing joint.

Founder Sam Sameni says that the menu takes its inspiration from global flavors: Mexican elote, Indian tikkia masala, Israeli shawarma, Chinese orange chicken, and Japanese wasabi.

They also do classics like original Buffalo, lemon pepper, and hot honey. And they'll rotate in limited-time flavors such as Italian pizza and Argentinian chimichurri.

Dipping sauces are unique with options such as Dr Pepper BBQ and Buffalo Ranch.

Sameni is a chicken fanatic who's been developing these flavors and sauces since 1997. The partnership with Hot Chicks Chicken Plano provides an opportunity for him to expand Sammy's Famous Chicken to a wider audience.

And here's a treat: On opening day, anyone who gives the cashier a high-five gets six free wings.

"We are excited to bring Sammy's Famous Chicken to Plano and offer our unique chicken creations to the local community," Sameni says.

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