Opening news

Dallas restaurant honcho debuts new Maguire's spinoff at Preston-Forest

Tuna with colorful veggies at Maguire's.

dallas.culturemap.com

A powerhouse Dallas restaurateur has quietly opened not one but two restaurants: Mark Maguire, owner of the acclaimed Maguire's Regional Cuisine, which prospered at 17552 N. Dallas Pkwy. at Trinity Mills Road for 24 years, just opened Renny's, a Maguire's Bar & Grill, at 11661 Preston Rd. #135, in Dallas, at the southwest corner of Forest Lane, where he's doing a spinoff of Maguire's, featuring American dishes with adventurous twists.

Located in the former Slater's 50/50 (and onetime Rockfish Grill), Renny's opened softly on June 23.

"I wanted to update and get out of the white-tablecloth clubby-steakhouse feel into something more fresh and contemporary," Maguire says. "Renny’s space is a lot smaller with room for 125, versus the 220 we had at Maguire's. There are still regulars who will come looking for signature dishes like the meatloaf and Thai beef salad. I loved the opportunity with a smaller space but still find a way to connect it to Maguire's."

Maguire opened Maguire's in 1999, his first solo venture after working for companies like Disney World, Carlson Restaurants, and Unique Restaurant Concepts in Florida. His vision for Maguire's was ahead of its time: a relaxed, inviting restaurant with an interesting menu, a chef-driven place with reasonable prices. It just closed in December 2022 after the property was acquired by another operator.

A leader in the Dallas restaurant community, Maguire sits on the Board of Directors of the Texas Restaurant Association, served as President of the Greater Dallas Restaurant Association in 2004–2005, and President of the Texas Restaurant Association from 2009-2010. He also co-founded souffle restaurant Rise No. 1.

Renny's menu
At Renny's, the menu features appetizers like spicy Korean meatballs, PEI mussels, calamari, and tomato & feta dip with a focaccia skillet.

Salads include Maguire's house salad with greens, blue cheese, pecans, & apples; Thai beef salad with udon noodles; tuna with soba noodles & Asian slaw; and a southwest chicken Cobb with black beans, corn, tomato, avocado, & tortilla chips.

Entree type items range from steak frites to tacos, including:

half-pound Angus burger with American cheese
blackened shrimp tacos
sweet & spicy fried chicken sandwich with pickles & jalapeno slaw on a brioche bun
green chili lasagna
trout Amandine
steak frites with a pepper-crusted 6-ounce tenderloin and crispy fries
maple-ginger salmon with shrimp-crab-fried rice & steamed broccoli
Maguire's meatloaf, with ground veal & pork, bourbon-espresso BBQ glaze, and bacon-cheddar-scallion mashed potatoes
airline chicken breast with jasmine rice, green beans, and pan sauce
Texas redfish in coconut curry with udon noodles

Desserts include lava cake, creme brulee, and a Key lime pie variation called the green dream, with a crushed pecan crust, avocado-Key lime custard, and rum mascarpone cream.

"It's a scaled-down menu but with a diverse offering, with something in every category, from appetizers to salads to entrees to sandwiches," he says. "I'm not trying to win any James beard awards. My intention is to provide a menu that's appealing to adventurous without intimidating the traditional."

"Renny" is his father.

"He was named 'Clarence Bonaventure Maguire' after my grandfather, but he was called 'Renny' his whole life," Maguire says. "I was excited to be able to honor my dad, who lives here in Dallas."

Maguire's Bistro & Bar
Prior to opening Renny's, Maguire opened another smaller restaurant called Maguire's Bistro & Bar at 14551 Dallas Pkwy. #100, at the Fourteen5 office building, in a former location of Ascension Coffee.

The Bistro is like a mini-Maguire's, on a smaller scale with a smaller kitchen. Maguire opened it at the behest of the building owner, who needed an eatery on the premises.

"We originally opened that as a weekday breakfast and lunch deal for the tenants in the building," Maguire says. "But it's such a neat space with a beautiful courtyard, and we decided to try offering dinner."

Like Renny's, the Bistro has a full bar with great wines, beer, and cocktails.

"It turned out that there are a whole bunch of Maguire's regulars who live north in Plano and Frisco, and who liked the idea of having something closer to drive to than Preston Forest," he says. "So that’s what ended up happening. It turned out to be a great thing, a more casual version of what Maguire’s was."

openings

There Goes the Biscuits

Mom-and-pop restaurant chain Biscuit Bar closes all Dallas locations

Photo courtesy of Biscuit Bar

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A Dallas-Fort Worth restaurant chain dedicated to biscuits is shutting down: The Biscuit Bar, a chain with six locations including five in the Dallas area, is closing them all. According to the owners, the closures are effective immediately.

Owners Jake and Janie Burkett say they were poised to sell off the chain to keep it afloat, but the sale fell through at the last minute — forcing them to shutter the business entirely.

The chain has five locations in the DFW area and one in Abilene. All locations are closed including these five in DFW:

Deep Ellum, at The Epic, the mixed-use project at 2550 Pacific Ave.
Plano, at The Boardwalk in Granite Park, at 5880 TX-121 #102B
Arlington, at Champions Park, at 1707 N. Collins St.
Fort Worth Stockyards, at Mule Alley, at 122 E. Exchange Ave.
Coppell, at 104 S Denton Tap Rd. #102

The couple blamed a variety of factors, including "rising costs, supply chain instability, and a commercial environment increasingly shaped by large institutional interests" which "created pressures no small business was prepared to endure."

The concept made its debut in April 2018 at The Boardwalk in Granite Park in Plano, before expanding in 2019 with a bang, targeting five locations all at once — a bold move for a new concept, especially one dedicated entirely to one food group. (They also opened a short-lived location on Hillcrest near SMU which is now home to D.L. Mack's.)

They were open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner seven days a week, offering biscuits, tots, and beer on tap — very ambitious — with a menu featuring both savory and sweet biscuit sandwiches made in house; tots, which could be customized; plus a bar with cocktails, local beer, cold brew coffee, and kombucha, all offered on tap.

Its most popular menu item, The Hoss, featured Southern fried chicken, bacon, Jack cheese, sausage gravy, and honey butter.

Their post says that by early 2025, they entered Chapter 11 — "not to walk away but to rebuild and secure a future for our employees," they say. "And for a time, it looked like that future was within reach. A respect restaurant group stepped forward, committed to acquiring and growing Biscuit Bar. The sale was structured, terms were agreed upon, and the closing was set for December."

Unfortunately, not everyone was on board.

"While many partners supported a workable plan, several key financial stakeholders did not," their post says. "This included a few landlords whose participation was essential. Their refusal to compromise or support a path forward ultimately made the sale impossible, leaving us with no legal or financil ability continue operating. And so just days before Christmas, we were forced into the most painful decision of our lives."

They've launched a GoFundMe for their employees and are encouraging their fans to contribute.

"If The Biscuit Bar ever served you a meal, became part of your routine, or gave you a place to gather with family and friends, we humbly ask you to consider donating or sharing this campaign," they say.

closings