What's Brewing

Smash burger favorite Shady's brews up new location on Lake Lewisville

A guac-and-bacon topped burger at Shady's.

Photo courtesy of Shady's Burgers and Brewhaha

Shady’s Burgers and Brewhaha, the Richardson-born brewpub known for its signature onion-grilled smash burgers, will soon make a splash with its third Dallas-area location, in Frisco, on Lake Lewisville.

The restaurant will take over a lakeside space at Hidden Cove Marina, 20400 Hackberry Creek Rd. in Frisco, later this spring. It joins the Richardson original, which opened in 2013, and a Lake Highlands restaurant that opened in 2016.

Shady’s is from Greg Cooney, Don Bouvier, Anthony Bolner, Dave Swiney, and Steve Gumbert, a group of Richardson friends who came together to create a restaurant with a laid-back vibe.

That restaurant grew into the High Five Hospitality group, which now operates The Fifth Fireside Patio and Bar, Pineda’s Mexican Cuisine, and a “full-service catering” business across DFW in addition to the mini burger chain. Shady’s is in growth mode, too — in addition to the new Lake Lewisville location, a fourth restaurant is set to open in North Dallas later this year.

“We couldn’t be more excited to bring Shady’s to Lake Lewisville,” High Five managing partner Greg Cooney said in a statement.

“Lake season is such a special time in North Texas, and opening at Hidden Cove Marina gives us an incredible opportunity to be part of that experience. We’re ready to serve the lake community with the food people know us for, along with great cocktails, cold beer, live music, and a place where friends and families can gather after a day on the water.”

Thanks to its waterfront locale, burger fans will be able to arrive at Shady’s by car or boat. When they get there, they’ll find the restaurant’s signature double smash burgers, which are smashed with grilled onions and topped with the classic burger accoutrements — American cheese, lettuce, mustard, pickles, and tomato. Tacos, wraps, salads, and other casual fare will be on offer, along with plenty of the aforementioned cold beer and frozen cocktails.

While an official opening date for the Lake Lewisville location has not been set, expect Shady's to debut this spring, just in time for scarfing a smash burger while soaking up the sun.

frisco lake lewisville smashburgers burgers openings

Downtown News

Dallas chef team to close downtown fine-dining restaurant Sauvage

Sauvage

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A downtown Dallas restaurant famous for its multi-course tasting experience is closing: Sauvage, the high-end mom-and-pop restaurant near the Statler Dallas hotel, will close in March.

According to a post from co-owner and chef Casey La Rue, the final day will be March 21.

"We're going to be open weekends until then, on Fridays and Saturdays, and we're going to put out the best food we've done so far," La Rue says.

They're closing due to heart-related health issues that La Rue has experienced, which began to surface in the past five years.

"Over the past few years, I've had some health issues, even going back to Carte Blanche days," La Rue says, referring to the original tasting restaurant that he and his wife Amy La Rue opened on Greenville Avenue in 2020. "I guess running this kind of restaurant, and the all-consuming nature of it, isn't great for you physically."

That's especially true given the couple's DIY ethos: They opened Sauvage six months ago next to the Statler Dallas hotel at 1914 Commerce St., with a renovation that they executed entirely on their own, literally building the place from scratch.

They opened Sauvage as a woodfire concept with 16-18 courses — wild game, seafood, vegetables, and dessert — all cooked via grill and smoker. It was a next-generation concept for the couple following Carte Blanche, where they earned a number of awards including a rare AAA 5-diamond award, before closing in 2024.

But the fine-dining landscape has changed in recent years, with some calling it unsustainable.

At around the same time, the La Rues opened La Rue Doughnuts, a buzzy shop at the Trinity Groves complex in West Dallas, and Casey says that's where they'll place their focus, stating that he's unlikely to do another fine-dining restaurant "in my lifetime." (On a related note, all of the equipment at the restaurant is for sale.)

Doing the math, that means: 10 nights remaining X 2 reservation slots per night X 12 seats at each seating. That comes out to exactly 240 opportunities to get a meal there before they close. Run to the reservation lines!

downtown

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Downtown News

Dallas chef team to close downtown fine-dining restaurant Sauvage