Raising the bar

Cane Rosso owners debut intimate cocktail lounge at The Star in Frisco

The menu by executive chef Mat Urban will feature shareable plates.

Photo by Jeff Amador

The hospitality group behind some of Dallas’ most popular pizzerias is giving the bar business a whirl: The PILF Restaurant Group debuted The Imperial Room cocktail lounge Friday, October 16 at The Star in Frisco.

First announced in July, the bar officially opened at 3685 The Star Blvd., Ste. 200, former home of PILF's Tipping Cow Creamery and next door to its Cane Rosso. PILF also owns Zoli’s Pizza and Thunderbird Pies.

“We’ve wanted to open a cocktail lounge for a long time, and The Imperial Room gave us the opportunity to do something completely different,” says Jay Jerrier, founder of PILF Restaurant Group, in a release.

Jerrier says he drew inspiration from New York cocktail bars such as Juniper Bar in Manhattan, a multi-level restaurant and sports bar located near Penn Station and Madison Square Garden.

“We wanted to create a place that feels special without feeling stuffy, he says. "Whether you’re stopping in before an event at The Star, meeting someone for a drink, or making us the destination for the night, we want this to feel like Frisco’s neighborhood cocktail bar.”

The 600-square-foot bar seats just 25 to 30 people, and will be available for private parties and special events. Guests can expect olive and navy tones, cozy booths, warm lighting, with a "classic cocktail lounge atmosphere."

Imperial Room The menu features cocktails by acclaimed mixologist Gabe Sanchez.Photo courtesy of PILF

Acclaimed Dallas bartender Gabe Sanchez, whose work has helped shape cocktail programs at some of the city's most respected bars, including Black Swan Saloon and Midnight Rambler, created an original menu that includes inventive cocktails, such as:

The Calaboose Old Fashioned, made with a house Woodford Reserve rye and bourbon blend, gomme syrup, Fiore di Sicilia, and bitters
Clear Skies, featuring Buffalo Trace bourbon, fresh grapefruit, honey, and mint oil
Smoky Sunset, combining cantaloupe-infused La Pulga mezcal with cantaloupe cordial, habanero tincture and a hibiscus mist

The bar will also serve freezer martinis, a Japanese whisky highball, the Big Boy Margarita, Imperial Room Ranch Water, and mini margaritas and martinis for guests who want to keep it lighter.

The menu by PILF executive chef Mat Urban will feature shareable plates such as focaccia, Caesar salad, and n’duja toast. Larger entrées include Supplì di Telefono with pepperoni, mozzarella, and pomodoro; fritto misto with calamari and pickled jalapeño; and agnolotti with vodka sauce, ricotta, and Italian sausage.

Dessert choices are a lemon olive oil cake or a Chocolate Caramel Tart featuring dark chocolate, a layer of salted caramel, and a scoop of brown butter mascarpone.

"Unlike the group’s pizza-driven concepts, The Imperial Room puts cocktails at the center of the experience while giving the culinary team room to explore a different style of food and hospitality," the owners say in the release.

On opening weekend, the bar will be open from 5 pm-midnight Friday-Saturday, and closed Sunday, October 18.

Beginning October 21, hours will be 5-10 pm Wednesday-Thursday, 5 pm-midnight Friday-Saturday, and 5-9 pm Sunday.

lounge bar the star frisco cane rosso pilf group gabe sanchez mat urban the imperial room

Sweet life

Dessert and wine pair up at new Bordeaux & Creme lounge coming to Plano

Photo by Sobremesa Studios

Bordeaux & Crème's Pistachio Romance features a Sicilian pistachio macaron layered with raspberry confit, pistachio ganache, fresh raspberry, and rose sugar.

A unique new lounge that gives wine and dessert equal billing is coming to Plano: Called Bordeaux & Creme, it will open this fall in The Shops at Legacy North, 5840 Legacy Circ., Ste. D165, joining notable neighbors including The Capital Grille and Seasons 52.

Noting that traditional wine bars often treat dessert as an afterthought, founder Shanice Williams says Bordeaux & Crème is designed around the pairing experience.

"Wine and dessert are often treated separately, but they're capable of creating something truly memorable when they're thoughtfully paired," Williams says in a release.

Her wine and dessert lounge will offer "curated wine flights, house-made desserts, table-side experiences, and an atmosphere designed for everything from date nights to celebrations with friends," she says. "Some of life's best conversations happen after dinner and there should be a space worthy of them."

The intimate, 1,426-square-foot lounge will seat about 40 guests. It will debut with approximately 30 wines by the glass and bottle, with plans to expand more selections. Williams says sparkling, white, rosé, and red wines, alongside curated wine flights, will encourage guests to discover and explore.

Desserts will be made in-house, seasonal, and created specifically with pairing in mind, she says. Among the offerings will be a brûlée cheesecake: a vanilla bean crème fraîche cheesecake layered atop a brown butter sablé and finished with a brûléed sugar crust and transparent sugar dome. It will be paired with a sweet wine, whose honeyed notes complement its rich, caramelized finish, the release says.

Another standout, the owner says, will be the Pistachio Romance: a Sicilian pistachio macaron layered with raspberry confit, pistachio ganache, fresh raspberry, and rose sugar. The dessert will be paired with a sparkling rosé wine, balancing fruit, texture, and freshness in a single experience.

“A glass of wine, something sweet, and music that sets the mood is an evening experience I always wanted but could never quite find," Williams says.

They're aiming for mid-November opening; updates will be posted on their Instagram page. Hours will be 4-10 pm Tuesday-Thursday and Sunday, and 4 pm-midnight Friday-Saturday. The lounge will be closed Mondays.

bordeaux dessert lounge plano shops at legacy wine bar wine pairings bordeaux & creme