Pop-up News

Rye restaurant on Greenville Ave Dallas to change into tropical pop-up

Goodbye Rye McKinney, hello Aguasal.

Samantha Marie

A restaurant on Dallas' Greenville Avenue is swapping out its identity for the summer: Rye, the Dallas restaurant and cocktail bar at 1920 Greenville Ave., is closing and will reopen as Aguasal, a Mexican-Caribbean restaurant, on June 18.

The pop-up is a preview of a restaurant called Aguasal which is set to open in McKinney at 214 E. Louisiana St. later in 2024, from Walkabout Hospitality, which owns Rye, Apothecary, and the Barley food truck in Fort Worth.

Doing a pop-up will give them a chance to test Aguasal for the summer, a spokesperson says, including seasonal drinks and dishes that will eventually be served at Aguasal in McKinney.

Walkabout CEO and creative director Tanner Agar says in a statement that they felt like summer was "the perfect time to change things up."

"We wanted to have some fun this summer while getting feedback from our valued guests who have helped Rye become what it is," Agar says. "We hope everyone enjoys the trip, and Rye will be back to serve you in the fall!"

The Aguasal menu includes coconut fried shrimp, mojo pork belly lettuce wraps, Jamaican beef stew, family-style arepjitas, Cuban-style pressed sandwich, a smashburger with Guyanese pepperpot glaze, Key lime cheesecake, and an ice cream dessert with a cone turned upside down onto a bed of rum cake and edible sand and rocks.

They'll be open for dinner Tuesday-Sunday, and weekend brunch which will be all-you-can-eat.

Rye opened on Greenville Avenue in 2021, a spinoff of its original location in McKinney, which closed in 2022 after a fire. The Rye in McKinney hosted a temporary pop-up during the 2023 Christmas holiday — they like them some pop-ups. A video on their website claims that the McKinney location of Rye will reopen in 2024.

greenville-avenue openings

Opening News

Dallas diner & music venue will open in former Ferris Wheeler space

Courtesy

Pancakes

A new restaurant has been unveiled that will take over the former Ferris Wheeler space near Dallas' Design District at 1950 Market Center Blvd.: Called AM/FM, it'll be an all-day diner and lounge with a big backyard and a stage for live music, and it's from Spune Productions, the music and event production company.

According to a release, it'll open in early January initially with evening hours, cocktails, and a few afternoon soccer matches. Music acts are already booked beginning January 8. More hours will be added down the road.

Ferris Wheelers BBQ, which was also a restaurant with a big backyard and a stage for live music, closed in November after eight years. Spune had already been involved since 2023 to help ramp up the live music side. Now they'll take it over with a fresh new personality and long hours.

They were famous for having a Ferris wheel on-site; an inquiry on its status went unanswered.

The diner will open daily at 7 am, serving "musicians coming off late nights, workers heading into morning shifts, and neighbors who want a place that remembers their name," says the release very poetically.

They've redecorated the interior with a new bar and banquettes that wrap the room. Alongside the renovations inside, the set-up outdoors will evolve over the coming weeks, with extra care given to the concert experience,

Menu
The food at AM/FM will be rooted in elevated Diner classics, with a menu overseen by chef Anastacia Quinones-Pittman (Oh, Hi! Hospitality) that's influenced by Mexican-American kitchens and Nuevo Southern traditions.

Breakfast offerings include huevos rancheros, breakfast tacos, breakfast empanadas, French toast, avocado toast, pork belly toast, and an intriguing twist on pancakes called masa pancakes, made using masa harina AKA corn flour.

Lunch includes a chicken Milanesa Caesar salad, Sonoran hot dog, fried catfish po'boy, kale salad, Cobb salad, and a Mexican twist on chicken noodle soup with fideo noodles.

Entree plates include pot roast, meatloaf, fried chicken, and a weekly pot pie.

The beverage program will aim for accessibility with coffee, cocktails, and craft beer, says Victor Rojas, Quinones-Pittman's partner at Oh, Hi! Hospitality.

openings