Working Holiday News

Dallas restaurants are turning Labor Day into a 3-day weekend

Fun people having brunch at Haywire

Haywire

Labor Day is the federal holiday honoring American working stiffs — a holiday one used to celebrate at a backyard barbecue or picnic. There are surely plenty who take that route. But for others, every holiday is an excuse for brunch and/or cocktails, and/or both, and that's what this list is about.

Here are restaurants and some hotels doing their best to turn Labor Day into a three-day weekend.

Cantina Laredo
Tex-Mex chain will bring back its USA ’Rita, a patriotic twist on the restaurant’s signature Casa ’Rita — a colorfully layered red, white and blue frozen margarita with flavors of blue Curaҫao and strawberry puree. The USA ‘Rita will be available from Friday August 29-Monday, September 1 at the locations in Addison (4546 Belt Line Rd.) and Frisco (1125 Legacy Dr.)

The Charlotte
Henderson Avenue spot will host an All-Day Happy Hour on Monday, September 1, featuring favorites such as the Smash Burger or Wagyu Glizzy, alongside cocktails like the Margarita, Espresso Martini, frozen Peach Bellini, and Ranch Water, all for $9.

City Works Eatery & Pour House
Fort Worth is the only Texas location of this Chicago-based chain with chef-driven food and craft beer on tap, and they'll be open for brunch on Labor Day, Monday — the one day of year you can celebrate a Monday off with brunch. The menu will include a breakfast burger (with egg, candied bacon, arugula, cheddar, and fries); bananas Foster pancakes with rum caramel & spiced walnuts; brunch shots like Cinnamon Toast with Fireball and rumChata; and a Mini Espresso Martini with Absolut, Kahlua, and Owen’s nitro-infused espresso.

Del Frisco’s Double Eagle
Steakhouse is hosting a shareable feast for two, from August 28-September 1, featuring a 32-oz Prime Porterhouse + sides, plus salad, plus dessert for $155.

Del Frisco's Grille
The upscale American grill chain will offer a Labor Day special, extending from August 28-September 1, featuring a half rack of ribs glazed in BBQ sauce, served with potato salad and street corn for $25. At all three locations: Plano (7200 Bishop Rd. #D9), Southlake (1200 E. Southlake Blvd.), and Fort Worth (154 East 3rd St.).

Fish City Grill
Fish City Grill locations will be offering a Cajun shrimp boil special with Gulf shrimp, Andouille sausage, corn, potato, and a toasted baguette for $19. Select oysters are $2, and they also have drink specials: rose bottles half off, margaritas for $5, and mystic mermaids for $2. Available August 30-September 1 at Burleson, Mansfield, Richardson, Flower Mound, Lake Highlands, Preston-Royal, Prosper, and Watters Creek in Allen, plus Half Shells at Plano Legacy and Dallas Snider Plaza.

The Hampton Social
Downtown brunch spot is adding an extra day of brunching, beyond its usual Saturday-Sunday, on Labor Day Monday, from 10 am–3 pm with dishes like wild berry French toast, lobster rolls, and steak & eggs, plus cocktails such as the signature Hampton frosé and espresso martinis.

Haywire
Enjoy Hill Country-inspired brunch from Wagyu pastrami hash to cinnamon-orange pancakes to barbacoa chilaquiles: Saturday August 30–Monday, September 1, when they'll be open until 3 pm.

The Henry
Uptown-adjacent restaurant and bar that's part of Fox Restaurants Concepts (Flower Child, Culinary Dropout) will extend its inordinately popular Saturday-and-Sunday weekend brunch to Labor Day, with the same menu of dishes such as egg white turkey omelet, harvest bowl, honey hot fried chicken sandwich, and avocado toast.

Ida Claire
Southern restaurant will host a three-day Labor Day weekend brunch, with pull-apart blueberry biscuits, fried chicken, creme brulee French toast, lemon-poppyseed pancakes, mimosas, and more. Saturday-Sunday August 30-31, 9 am-4 pm, Monday September 1 from 11 am-4 pm, and they'll also host a regular breakfast on Labor Day from 8-11 am.

JOA Grill
Korean BBQ spot is usually closed on Mondays, but it will open on Monday, September 1 for dinner, with a variety of menu items from their “Taste of JOA” including meats to grill at the table, pork kimchi stew, and tofu steak. Sounds intriguing!

Santa Cabana Weekend at Hotel Anatole with Santa and Mrs. Claus in their summer togs.Hotel Anatole

Mexican Sugar
Latin-inspired brunch with vanilla cinnamon pancakes, steak & eggs, and cocktails. Saturday, August 30–Monday, September 1 from 11 am–3 pm.

North Italia
Italian restaurant is sending off summer with a celebratory and discounted toast: From Saturday, August 30-Monday, September 1, they'll offer their limited-edition $15 Summer Sips cocktails — Watermelon Sugar, Pink Pony, Strawberry Blush, Maneater — for $10. That's $5 off each drink — one third off.

Sixty Vines
Escape to wine country with vineyard-style dining and shared plates including orange morning bread, tuna crudo, or Spanish-style albondigas, with a BYO Mimosa Bar featuring fruits and juices. Brunch is served all three days: August 30-September 1 from 11 am-3 pm.

Whiskey Cake
Local American chain is rolling out a new brunch menu and they're debuting it on Labor Day weekend, when brunch will run for three days straight — Saturday-Monday. New dishes and cocktails include the B.L.T. Toast with candied bacon, steak hash with grilled flat iron and avocado hollandaise, and deviled eggs with a Bloody Mary twist.

HOTELS

Hilton Anatole Santa Cabana Weekend
Four-day event from August 29-September 1brings Santa and Ms. Claus to the Hilton Anatole's JadeWaters Resort Pool Complex for poolside family-friendly activities and a sneak peek of the hotel’s signature Christmas at the Anatole programming, including holiday crafts and photo ops with a giant polar bear, train rides, foam parties, themed food & beverage offerings like Christmas cookies and snow cones. If you're not staying at the hotel, you can join the fun with a day pass via ResortPass.

Virgin Hotels Dallas Celebrate Labor Day Weekend
Expect fun all weekend long at the Design District hotel, from August 29-September1, with rooftop pool parties, pilates & Patrón, drag brunch, and sunset swims. Book a room at Virgin Hotels Dallas for suite accommodations and pool access, or reserve a VIP table at The Pool Club for spritzes, margaritas, and frozen specialties. [Note: Non-hotel guests must purchase a $25 day pass or VIP reservation for pool entry.]

brunch holidays

Burger News

Fun family-owned Big Mike's Bar and Grill from TV star debuts in Plano

Tommy LeBeouf

Big burger from Big Mike's in Plano

A charming family-owned restaurant from a TV star has debuted in Plano. Called Big Mike’s Bar and Grill, it's an elevated sports bar that just opened at 3200 Alma Dr., in a former Pancho's Mexican Buffet where it's serving tasty Angus burgers and beer-battered onion rings, hand-battered in-house.

Big Mike's is from husband-and-wife Mike Cancelmi and Jennie Marie; she gained fame as the star of the 2018 TLC show Mama Medium. The couple is from Rochester, New York, but fell in love with the Dallas area with their four sons after visiting a friend in 2021.

Their signature Big Mike's burger is a biggie: a half-pound patty with cheddar, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and a fried egg on a brioche bun, served with choice of hand-cut fries, tater tots, or sweet potato fries, for $18.

They bring their Northeast influence with dishes such as a Reuben sandwich with corned beef on marble rye, and their own version of poutine, the Canadian specialty, which they make with fries, cheese curds, brown gravy, and thick-cut crumbled bacon.

One dish reflect their hometown pride: Called the Trash Plate, it's inspired by the Garbage Plate, a sloppy comfort food dish created in 1918 at Rochester restaurant Nick Tahou Hots which has become the unofficial signature dish of the city of Rochester.

The traditional Garbage Plate consists of a choice of burger or hot dog from Rochester-based Zweigle’s, Italian sausage, chicken, or grilled cheese, served on top of any combination of starchy items like home fries, french fries, baked beans, or macaroni salad.

Big Mike's Trash Plate features macaroni salad, home fries, and choice of two Zweigle’s hot dogs which they fly from New York, or two smash patties with hot sauce, mustard, and onions.

They also do a few entree items like a NY strip steak, their priciest item at $35, served with garlic mashed potatoes and Brussels sprouts; and a chicken-fried steak with mashed potatoes and green beans for $24. Portions are abundant.

Big Mike'sBig Mike's

“I created the menu based on things I like to eat," Mike says. "Everything we make is made from scratch, the way I would do it if I was cooking for my friends."

They host weekend brunch on Saturday and Sunday until 2 pm with a cinnamon roll skillet, frittatas, avocado toast, and a hash version of the Garbage Plate with home fries, mac salad, onions, diced Zweigle's hot dogs, eggs, and meat hot sauce. There are mimosas — they have a full bar — and they also do a daily happy hour from 3-6 pm with appetizer specials and domestic beers for $3.50.

Mike's background as a former contractor can be seen in the restaurant's spiffy remodel. The space sits 270, with enough room to host events that include karaoke every Wednesday, live music during brunch, and a ticketed group psychic event where Jennie Marie draws from her TV show days, performing readings and mediumship, with food and drink.

The restaurant has a wonderful family-oriented atmosphere. Many of their employees are friends of their sons from school or ice hockey, giving the restaurant a comfortable, homey vibe.

“We try to visit every table — that personal touch is important to us," Jennie Marie says. "We want that hometown feel, get people what they want so they come back."

openings burgers