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."