Restaurant closure

Arlington restaurant highlighted on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives to close

A Taste of Europe savory pancakes.

Photo courtesy of A Taste of Europe

A longtime Arlington restaurant that appeared on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives is closing: A Taste of Europe, the beloved family-run, European-inspired restaurant at 1901 W. Pioneer Pkwy., will close its doors for good at the end of July.

The owners posted the announcement to Facebook on Wednesday, July 8. It reads: "To our valued customers and community, it is with a heavy heart that we announce the upcoming closure of our restaurant. Our final day of service will be at the end of July. We are incredibly grateful for the support, loyalty, and wonderful memories you've shared with us. It has been our pleasure serving you. Thank you for being a part of our journey."

Co-owner Alexandre Tsalko told CultureMap they are closing due to customer slowdown: "No business. Too slow," he messaged shortly after the announcement was posted.

If this seems like deja vu, it's because the restaurant announced a closure two years ago, in the summer of 2024. At the time, they said that while business was steady, it hadn’t been enough to keep the restaurant going.

“One of the main reasons we’ve decided to not continue is inflation and how expensive everything has become over the past few years,” chef and co-owner Daniel Tsalko said in 2024. “The economy is crazy right now. We’ve been steady but some days are better than others. It’s not as profitable as it once was.”

The family's commute from their home in Rowlett to Arlington was another factor for their closure then, they said.

After receiving an outpouring of support from local diners, the owners decided to keep the restaurant alive. It closed briefly so repairs could be made to the building, and reopened in November 2024.

Customers returned, and they even earned a nomination for Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year in the 2025 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards.

Here in 2026, they're back to rough times.

The restaurant was opened more than 20 years ago by Alexandre Tsalko's father, Mikhail Frumkin, who emigrated from the Eastern European country of Belarus to the North Texas area.

After opening a European-inspired gift shop and bakery at the Galleria mall in Dallas, he expanded the concept, opening A Taste of Europe in 2002 in west Arlington, where he offered an expansive menu of authentic European cuisine. Dishes include beef stroganoff, chicken kiev, red beet soup, potato pancakes, cabbage rolls, pirogues, and sweet and savory crepes.

Mirroring Frumkin’s original concept, the restaurant also housed a gift shop and small grocery area with items imported from various regions of Europe.

A Taste of Europe got a major boost in popularity in 2012 when it was featured on a season 14 episode of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.

In the episode, Frumkin and his wife Irina showed host Guy Fieri how to make the restaurant’s signature dish, kolduny - thick, grilled pancakes stuffed with beef and chicken.

After Frumkin retired, he passed the restaurant onto his son Alexandre, who now runs it with his son Daniel.

When the 2024 closure was announced, the family teased that they were considering opening a new restaurant closer to their home in Rowlett.

Could it happen in now?

"No plans yet," Alexandre Tsalko said.

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Malcolm Mayhew contributed to this story.

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family business

Oak Cliff favorite Encina debuts sister restaurant in Duncanville

Photo courtesy of Isabella restaurant

Isabella, by the owners of Encina, is in downtown Duncanville.

For six years, chef Matt Balke and Corey McCombs have built a following at their Oak Cliff restaurant Encina. Now, the married couple and business partners are bringing their New American cooking to Duncanville with Isbella, which opened in mid-October at 200 N. Main St.

When the couple first told CultureMap about plans for Isbella, McCombs said opening a second restaurant "seemed like the logical next step." Many Encina customers come from Duncanville and surrounding cities, she said, so they were excited the restaurant would be closer to home.

Isbella occupies a repurposed midcentury building that once served as a volunteer fire station. Like Encina, it serves New American cuisine with Southern influences, an emphasis on seasonal ingredients, and what McCombs describes as "approachable, comforting food" that's also "elevated."

Isbella's menu includes starters such as Wagyu beef cheek pastrami with sharp cheddar pimento cheese, warm crab dip with sea salt potato chips, ad Granny Isbella's Skillet Cornbread with whipped honey brown cutter and pepper jelly — all priced $12-$18.

Sharables for the table, at $12 a platter, include bacon and tomato braised collard greens, crispy shoestring fries, sweet corn elotes, chile braised black eyed peas, and an avocado and grapefruit salad.

Salads include caprese panzanella and roasted beet. Sandwiches range from chopped steak to a warmed muffuletta with provolone and pepperoni and fried catfish with cabbage.

Entrees include Berkshire pork chop, blackened redfish, roasted jalapeño chicken thighs, and Southern-style barbecue shrimp and grits. Desserts include strawberry goat cheese cheesecake and chocolate pot de crème.

The beverage menu includes wines, local and international ciders and beer, cocktails, and a creative menu of mocktails including one called The Placebo Effect, $10, made with zero-proof Ritual Rum, pineapple, orange, coconut, and cinnamon, and described as "tropical, creamy, and bright."

When Encina opened on Davis Street in Oak Cliff, it took the place of Bolsa — a farm-to-table restaurant where Balke was the chef. When Bolsa closed in 2020, Balke and McCombs took it over and transformed it into Encina.

Isbella is named for Balke's mother and was designed with family ancestry in mind, which shows in small details. The restaurant's handwritten logo, for example, on the signage out front, was inspired by the signature of Balke's grandfather. The owners say they're aiming to foster the same sense of community with Isbella in Duncanville that they've had with Encina.

Isbella is open for dinner Tuesday-Saturday, 5-9 pm, with plans to expand hours and to add Saturday and Sunday brunch soon, they say.

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family business

Oak Cliff favorite Encina debuts sister restaurant in Duncanville