BBQ News
Shoals Smokehouse brings Texas and Alabama BBQ to Las Colinas
BBQ spread from Shoals Smokehouse
There's a buzzy new BBQ restaurant now open at the Toyota Music Factory in Las Colinas: Called Shoals Smokehouse, it’s at 340 Las Colinas Blvd. #120, in the space that used to be Mama Tried, where it opened in January.
The restaurant comes from Hospitality Alliance, the company that previously ran the food program at the AT&T Discovery District in downtown Dallas. Hospitality director of operations Dustin Marshall says the inspiration for the restaurant — and its name — is Muscle Shoals, the famed recording studio in Alabama, paying tribute to music greats such as Aretha Franklin, Rolling Stones, and Lynyrd Skynyrd.
“Our slogan is legendary vibes, soulful bites,” Marshall says. “Our goal is to mash Southern blues and rock with BBQ and an environment with good BBQ and great restaurant service without having to walk through a line.”
The concept combines Texas-style BBQ with Alabama white BBQ sauce, made from mayonnaise and vinegar — a style not commonly found around DFW.
The menu has your BBQ basics including smoked sausage, brisket, ribs, and smoked bologna by the pound; but there are also unique dishes, some with a chef twist. Smokehouse rellenos are an amped-up version of Texas Twinkies with pulled pork, burnt ends, and cream cheese stuffed in a jalapeño. There are burgers, an appetizer of smoked nuts, and a smoked tri-tip muffaletta sandwich. Prices range from $8 for beef jerky to $40 for a beef rib.
Leading the culinary team is Hospitality Alliance’s director of culinary operations and executive chef Andrew Dilda. He owned the Asian-inspired Eazy Monkey and previously worked for concepts such as chef Tim Love’s Love Management and Reata, the upscale Texan restaurant in Fort Worth.
There's a full bar with music-inspired drinks such as the Jackson Highway with bourbon and peach ginger tea, as well wine and draft beer. The atmosphere features vinyl albums and old concert pictures lining brick walls, table and bar seating, and a patio on the pavilion.
According to Marshall, Shoals had been in the works for a year and was funded by the City of Irving. It’s part of an effort to revitalize Toyota Music Factory with two other Hospitality Alliance concepts: Jaxon and Pistil Cocktail Lounge.
“We’re one of the anchor tenants that’s activating the plaza,” Marshall says. “Mama Tried wasn’t really utilizing the kitchen when they were there since they were more of a dive bar, so we opened up the walls to the kitchen.”
