Duffer News

Ice House beer garden and golf lounge swing into PGA Frisco Resort

Drizzle that sauce on your BBQ at PGA Frisco.

Kathy Tran

PGA Frisco, the golf-themed entertainment district located in, yes, Frisco, is welcoming two new dining concepts, including a buzzy Austin-style beer garden and a lounge.

Located at 3255 PGA Pkwy., they offer a casual, indoor/outdoor venue, to as well as indoor space featuring simulated golf.

PGA Frisco is the public/private partnership between the PGA of America, Omni Hotels & Resorts, the City of Frisco, and the Frisco Independent School District. The campus includes golf courses, Omni hotel, and the Monument Realty PGA District, an entertainment and retail zone.

On to the new venues!

Ice House
Ice House is a casual indoor/outdoor beer garden open for lunch and dinner daily with frozen drinks, draft beers, BBQ, and burgers.

Monument Realty PGA District executive chef Adam Solowitz describes it as "a space meant for families and friends to kick back and relax, play games, sip on cold drinks and enjoy delicious food meant to be shared."

They have an in-house pitmaster, along with frozen margaritas, spiked iced tea, and lemonade. Menu highlights include

Smoked meat plate - half pound of smoked ribs, sausage, brisket, or chicken
Smothered fries with choice of smoked meat, brazos gouda, fennel slaw, sour pickle, chipotle-pineapple kewpie
Pitmaster Burger with slaw, bacon jam, fried onion, pepper jack, kewpie, on brioche bun

Chopped Salad contains iceberg, Romaine, avocado, river whey bleu, cherry tomato, pickled onion, charred corn, and blackberry vinaigrette. Dessert is a Peanut Butter Ice Cream Sandwich.

"Texas-sized" frozen drinks include the Frozen Transfusion with Tito's Handmade Vodka, Owen's Transfusion mix, and concord grape juice; and the Frozen Palmer with Deep Eddy Lemon Vodka and Kelvin Slush Citrus plus tea mix.

Regular cocktails include the Dirty Shirley with Tito's Handmade Vodka, Liber & Co. grenadine syrup, lemon-lime soda, and cherry popsicle.

There's seating for 300 inside and outside, overlooking the Toptracer driving ranch and The Swing short course; yard games including cornhole and connect four; and six hitting bays with Toptracer technology and stunning views.

Lounge by Topgolf
The Lounge by Topgolf is an indoor elevated sports bar equipped with Topgolf Swing Suite technology and a library of virtual games. The menu includes craft cocktails, chef-driven fare, in a atmosphere designed to be fun for golfers and non-golfers alike.

The menu features salads, pizzas, local draft beer, and elevated cocktails. According to chef Solowitz, they pulled inspiration for the menu from popular foods where golf courses are located around the world.

Standouts include:

Deviled Eggs with pickled beets, pork belly and harissa remoulade
Queso Fundido - chorizo, heirloom tomato, pickled onion, pepitas
Green Pea Hummus - labneh, spring vegetables, dukkha, served with grilled naan
Smokehouse Pizza - house BBQ sauce, brisket, brazos smoked gouda, escabeche
SmashBurger - brazos cheddar, LTO, pub sauce, on a brioche bun
Salmon - served with couscous, pea puree, vadouvan, tzatziki

Cocktails include the Rabbit Hole in One, with Rabbit Hole Boxer Grail Rye, Amaro Montenegro, Liber & Co. Caramelized Fig Syrup, black walnut bitters, and Filthy Black Cherry.

Games offered include hockey, golf, and bowling with simulation bays for small gatherings with friends and family.

The space seats 200 people and features modern interpretations of traditional golf elements. It's also open daily for lunch and dinner.

PGA Frisco
The restaurants are part of PGA Frisco's 660-acre campus, combining playability, practice, and fun programming, centered on The Home of the PGA, and which includes:

Fields Ranch, with two 18-hole championship golf courses and a state-of-the-art clubhouse
Omni PGA Frisco Resort, with 500 guest rooms, suites, 10 four-bedroom villa-style Ranch Houses, three pools, a spa, and a meeting/event space
Monument Realty PGA District, which features The Swing, a lighted 10-hole short course; The Dance Floor, a lighted 2-acre putting course; and a retail and entertainment district, including outdoor area for concerts and events.
The Jerry J. Ransom Northern Texas PGA Golf House.

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 with TV star ties 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 reflects their hometown roots: Called the Trash Plate, it's inspired by the Garbage Plate, a sloppy comfort food dish that's the unofficial signature dish of the city of Rochester.

Big Mike's version combines macaroni salad, home fries, and choice of hot dogs from Rochester-based Zweigle’s (which they fly in from New York), or two smash burger patties with hot sauce, mustard, and onions.

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

Big Mike's family: Mike and Jennie Marie and their four sons.Big 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."

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