School's Out

Restaurant with cute school theme at Dallas' West Village closes after 7 years

Public School cheese plate and beer sampler

They were champions of craft beer just as the craft beer trend was emerging.

Photo courtesy of Public School

School's out at the West Village in Uptown Dallas with the sad closure of PS 214, the catchy school-themed restaurant located in the 3700M building at 3700 McKinney Ave.

Also known as Public School 214, the restaurant, which opened in early 2015 during the then-emerging craft beer trend, closed in late November, after seven years in the space. A spokesperson for Grill Concepts, the parent company, said that they were unable to come to an agreement on the lease, which was up for renewal.

Originating from Southern California, Public School 214 was part of the Grill Concepts family, which owns the Daily Grill and Grill on the Alley chains. It was a big proponent of craft beer with gastropub-style food, plus a scholastic theme manifested in elements such as the black-&-white composition notebook menus, featuring trendy dishes such as bacon cheddar tots with Sriracha ketchup, and shrimp & cheddar grits.

But the company hit a rocky patch during its time in Dallas.

Things started to take a turn when Grill Concepts' dynamic director Bob Spivak, who was still at the helm when Uptown opened, retired a year later, taking some of the driving energy with him.

Grill Concepts also got hit hard by the pandemic and was forced into a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in April 2021.

In 2017, a second DFW Public School was announced for Addison, called PS 972. But costly construction issues delayed its opening by two years, and they finally pulled the plug on that location in 2021. (It's now home to TK's Place, a comedy club.)

In addition to Public School, Grill Concepts also had another presence in Dallas: a location of its high-end Beverly Hills restaurant Grill on the Alley at Galleria Dallas, which closed in the 2021 bankruptcy fallout, after 15 years.

Darin Botelho, president of McLemmon Group, which manages the property at 3700 McKinney Ave. where PS 214 was located, says that its departure is unfortunate, but they are already in talks with a few operators.

"We're hoping to replace it with another American tavern concept," Botelho says. "It's sad because they tried to keep it open, but had so many challenges."

uptown closings

Cocktail Time

Where to drink in Dallas: 7 holiday drink specials for December

Courtesy photo

Festive drinking at the Miracle Bar.

Dallas in December is brimming with holiday festivities, and that includes cocktails: from over-the-top pop-up bars to extravagantly priced cocktails to drinks with a festive Christmas theme.

We're covering all that and more in this edition of Where to Drink, our monthly column recommending the best places to have to drink in Dallas:

The Charlotte
American bistro and bar recently opened on Henderson Avenue has three specialty holiday cocktails starting at $14. There's a butterscotch espresso martini with Revel Stoke Butterscotch, Baileys Espresso Cream, and espresso; cranberry paloma, with Don Julio tequila, grapefruit, cranberry, and a splash of Squirt; and a twist on hot chocolate. Called The Charlotte's hot chocolate, it features house-made cocoa with red wine and Mozart Dark Chocolate liqueur. The space has also been decorated with red hanging ornaments and wreaths and bows on the walls to enhance the holiday vibe.

The Mansion Bar
Don't come to this swanky bar inside the Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek if you're looking for a happy hour. For holiday high-rollers they have a crazy special “Elf on the Top Shelf” menu of four cocktails priced at $75 each — not kidding. There's the Evergreen Elixir with Macklowe Gold Whiskey, L.N.Mattei Cap Corse Rouge Quinquina, and Fot-Li Vermut; the Midwinter Manhattan with High West A Midwinter Night's Dram Rye Whiskey, Alessio Vermouth di Torino Rosso, and Angostura Bitters; the Golden Hearth with Casa Del Sol Angel’s Reserve Añejo Tequila, prickly pear cordial, lime, orange bitters; and the Shiver & Shine with Belvedere 10 Organic Vodka, Mulassano Vermouth di Torino Bianco, and orange bitters.

Miracle at Aussie Grind
Australian-inspired cafe in Frisco has transformed into a “Miracle” pop up bar with a variety of specialty cocktails including the Christmasaurus, a tropical drink with pineapple rum, mezcal, apricot liquor, coconut milk, and coffee; Rudolph’s Replacement, with vodka, coffee liqueur, orange curacao, chai syrup, almond milk, and aromatic bitters; and hot buttered rum. True to form for a Miracle bar, the drinks come in collector cups like Santa pants and boots that can be purchased. The drinks range from $16-$18.

Omni PGA Frisco
Resort and PGA District has holiday-themed cocktails at six of its dining outlets through December. Trick Rider has a Pecan Manhattan with Brown Butter Woodford Reserve, Carpano Antica, pecan bitter and candied pecan. The Ice House has Bourbon & Bells with Bourbon, apple, cinnamon, and torched rosemary; Lounge By Topgolf has Down the Chimney, with Jameson Irish Whiskey, Baileys Original Irish Cream, vanilla ice cream, and Oreo. The Lookout has a Sugar Plum Sparkler featuring an edible shimmer, Gingerbread Old Fashioned, and Milk & Cookies, with espresso martini mix and Baileys Irish Cream.

Red Lobster
Seafood chain is cutting us a break with a newly launched weekday Happy Hour from 3-6 pm featuring $5 drink specials and $2 off select starters. Drink specials include margarita, Long Island iced tea, Tito's Twisted Strawberry Lemonade, 14-ounce Blue Moon draft, 14-ounce Bud Light draft, 6-ounce Mark West pinot noir, and six-ounce Ecco Domani pinot grigio. Discounted starters include lobster flatbread, seafood-stuffed mushrooms, crab queso, lobster dip, and mozzarella cheese sticks.

Sanjh
Indian restaurant in Irving has four holiday drinks with wonderfully exotic flavors: The Autumn Old Fashioned has Bulleit bourbon, amaretto, maple syrup, and almond flakes; Golden Glow has turmeric-infused Ketel One vodka, velvet falernum, and orange bitters; Harvest Spritz has Tanqueray gin, spiced cranberry syrup, lime, and cranberry dust; and the Negroni Royal has jasmine tea-infused Tanqueray, saffron-infused Campari and rose petal-kissed sweet vermouth. Cocktails are $16.

Very Merry Village at The Village Dallas
Mixed-use community in East Dallas is hosting a pop-up on the second floor of The Village Country Club Wednesday-Sunday until December 29, all decked out with Christmas trees. The menu has seven festive cocktails, including Mrs. Claus’ cranberry spritz, with La Marca Prosecco, cranberry juice, and ginger beer; Santarita, with Patron Reposado, Raspberry Liqueur, Cointreau, Agave, Lime; and a salted caramel espresso martini. There’s also a selection of draft and canned beers, wine, and champagne. Drinks range from $12-$14. Entry is free.

cocktails holidays where-drink