Bagel News

Award-winning Starship Bagel to open shop in North Dallas center

Starship Bagel spread

Courtesy photo

Award-winning bagel shop Starship Bagel is rolling out more bagels, with a new location in North Dallas, at 6859 Arapaho Rd. #603.

According to founder Oren Salomon, the shop will open on April 12.

This will be its third location, following the original which opened in Lewisville in 2022, and an outlet in downtown Dallas, which opened next to the iconic Giant Eyeball sculpture in 2023.

Most notably, Starship won a national Best Bagel competition at NY Bagelfest 2023, besting legendary shops such as Utopia Bagels of Queens and St-Viateur Bagels of Montreal, Canada in a blind taste test of plain bagels judged by a national panel of bread experts.

Salomon views bagel making as a craft, and does not view his bagel shop as sandwich shop.

“We serve bagels that we make from scratch every day, boil and bake all morning every morning and out of respect for the hard work that goes into our craft, we insist that the bagel be the highlight of anything we serve," Salomon says in a statement.

Starship Bagel Arapaho Road Starship Bagel location on Arapaho Road will have some in-house seating.Facebook

The primary menu offering is a bagel and schmear ($5). There are also a limited selection of sandwiches including lox, smoked salmon from Acme Smoked Fish Co. flown in from Brooklyn.

Signature sandwiches have a fitting spaceship theme and include:

Millennial Falcon, a flavorful bagel take on avocado toast
Supernova lox, a smoked salmon bagel loaded with capers and the veggie works

Salomon has a special connection to the new location, since he grew up in the neighborhood. The shop will feature two cash registers and multiple lines to accommodate crowds without sacrificing quality or attention to detail. It'll also have seating for dining-in.

Salomon describes the bagel thusly:

"When done right, the bagel can be an intense and deep sensory experience on its own. The first bite should be a forceful crunch followed by a deep warm chew that gives way to an infinite landscape of malty and subtle yeasty complexity. These sensory experiences are perfectly complemented by creamy spreads, salty fish, and fresh cut raw veggies. That’s all a bagel needs and that’s all we’ll ever serve.”

breakfast openings

RIP Al

Beloved Dallas restaurateur Al Biernat dies at 69 after ALS battle

Dallas restaurateur Al Biernat, RIP

Beloved Dallas restaurateur Al Biernat, founder of the acclaimed local steakhouse Al Biernat's, passed away on November 13, following a battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also called ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease; he was 69.

Biernat was one of Dallas' all-time great hospitality figures, dating back to his days at The Palm steakhouse, for whom he worked in Los Angeles, Houston, and Dallas.

Biernat founded his namesake restaurant in 1998 on Oak Lawn Avenue, where his standard of excellence and doting charm made it a destination for special occasions, Park Cities swells, and celebrities in town.

His sense of hospitality had little competition in Dallas. He was a charming and personable host who genuinely liked people, and it didn't matter whether you were Conan O'Brien, David Crosby, or one of the other high-profile diners that visited his restaurants — or else just a regular schlub: He had a knack for making everyone feel special and remembered.

Biernat was born on August 20, 1955 and grew up in Michigan, then lived in Colorado, New York, Los Angeles, and Houston, before moving to Dallas to work at The Palm in the West End, where his dynamic presence gave the restaurant an incomparable vitality; it closed in 2017.

He opened Al Biernat's at 4217 Oak Lawn Ave. in 1998, followed by a second location in North Dallas at 5251 Spring Valley Rd. in 2017.

He began to experience ALS symptoms in May 2023, was diagnosed in December, and revealed his condition in February 2024. The revelation was met with an outpouring of sympathy and well wishes from the hospitality industry — a sign of the high regard in which he was held.

The average life expectancy for people with ALS is two to five years after diagnosis. Symptoms can begin in the muscles that control speech and swallowing, or in the hands, arms, legs, or feet. He began to have difficulty communicating in September, and spent his last days in a hospice.

On September 18, he broached the topic of dying, before ending on a note of gratitude to friends and family.

"Having Bulbar ALS I am realistic about my future," he said. "Friends and family have asked me if I’m afraid of dying, and this is what I say to them. Because of the salvation of Jesus, I will be rejoicing in my spirit to see him in all of his glory. Since we are all flesh, soul, and spirit, only my flesh is being left behind. But don’t get me wrong, I have a blessed life in this world, with a loving wife, and a beautiful family and many wonderful and caring friends. I am grateful!"

Both Al Biernat's locations will continue to remain open under the management of Biernat's nephew Brad Fuller, as they have for nearly the past two years.

Biernat is survived by Fuller, as well as his wife Jeannie and three daughters: Angelica Saylor, Kaitlin Biernat Connell, and Jess Biernat and grandchildren. According to family members, details regarding a celebration of his life will be announced soon.

deaths