This year's hottest headlines

The 10 most-devoured restaurant and bar headlines of 2022 in Dallas

Editor's note: As the year comes to a close, we look back at the 10 most-read restaurant and bar stories of 2022. The list features a couple of sad closures, but also long-awaited supermarket news, and some fun expansions and new concepts coming to town - including one inside a Dallas landmark. These are the dining stories that Dallas readers devoured most, all from CultureMap dining editor Teresa Gubbins.

1. Longtime Mexican restaurant in Deep Ellum closes, breastaurant on the way. A longtime Mexican restaurant in Deep Ellum closed in late November: Maracas Cocina Mexicana, which had been in business at 2914 Main St. in one form or another since 1992, closed on November 25, to be replaced with another concept whose identity was still to be (officially) announced.

Photo courtesy of Blue Sunshine

A Grand Prairie marina got a new seafood restaurant.

2. Newest 7-Eleven store in Dallas comes with unheard-of amenity: a patio. Convenience store king 7-Eleven in June opened a new store in Dallas with a previously unheard-of offering at a 7-Eleven store: a patio. Located at 13635 Preston Rd. at the corner of Alpha Road, this was one of the chain's "Evolution Stores," a concept that strives to upgrade the convenience store model, serving as a testing ground featuring their latest products and innovations.

3. Seafood restaurant with incredible patio opens at Grand Prairie marina. A location with one of the best patios in Dallas-Fort Worth is now home to a new restaurant: Called Blue Sunshine Patio Bar & Grill, it's a seafood-driven restaurant opened in Grand Prairie at 5700 Lake Ridge Pkwy. off Texas 360, in the space that was previously The Oasis at Joe Pool Lake.

4. Where to eat on Thanksgiving at Dallas restaurants: 2022 edition. One minute it was January. The next minute, we were thinking about the holidays. It's never too soon to start dreaming about pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes, and stuffing fragrant with sage and thyme. In October, we rounded up the best restaurants to get Thanksgiving 2022 feasts in Dallas.

5. Dallas hot rodder Richard Rawlings to open mega-restaurant-bar in Lewisville. There was a double dose of news about Dallas hot rodder Richard Rawlings one week in August. First came news that the Fast N' Loud reality show star and owner of Gas Monkey Garage was selling off a slew of classic cars — nearly his entire collection. Then came word that he's gearing up to open another bar-restaurant mega-venue in Dallas-Fort Worth.

6. Portillo's deploys food truck to Dallas to preview its famed Chicago hot dog. Chicago-style hot dogs popped up over the summer via Portillo's, the fast-casual restaurant concept known for its Chicago-style street food. Portillo's brought its Beef Bus food truck to tour Texas from July 11-23, offering a preview of its menu ahead of the first restaurant opening in Texas. The Beef Bus then came back in September.

7. H-E-B sets opening date for first supermarket in Dallas-Fort Worth. In early September, H-E-B fans could mark it on their calendars in red: The Texas supermarket chain had finally set a date for the opening of its new store in Frisco, which would also be the first H-E-B location in the Dallas area. It would be opening on Wednesday, September 21 at 6 am.

8. Old school club in Dallas' Deep Ellum shuts down after a decade. A Dallas bar closed after a decade in Deep Ellum: Wits End, an old-school hangout in the epicenter of the neighborhood at 2724 Elm St., closed its doors on June 26. The bar was one of the last with a throwback vibe that hearkened to the Deep Ellum of old, with band stickers, graffiti, and slight medal edge — reminiscent of when Deep Ellum was a music-driven neighborhood.

9. New steakhouse from Las Vegas team coming to Dallas' landmark Reunion Tower. Reunion Tower, the blinking ball on the skyline of downtown Dallas, announced in October it finally has a new tenant: Called Crown Block, it's a steak and seafood restaurant from Las Vegas group Blau + Associates, set to open in spring 2023.

10. Dallas' legendary Mike's Chicken expands from original laundromat location. A family run fried-chicken restaurant in Dallas that has earned national acclaim said in January it was expanding: Mike's Chicken, which has been serving great fried chicken made to order at 4234 Maple Ave. for more than six years, would be opening a second location at 7752 Forest Ln., in the little strip center at US-75, across from Medical City, in the former Taco Y Mas space.

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Sushi News

Fun conveyor-belt sushi restaurant debuts at McKinney mixed-use

Photo by Jakob Layman for Kura Sushi

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A Japanese-inspired restaurant that brings you sushi on a conveyor belt is now open in McKinney: Called Kura Revolving Sushi, it’s located at 8585 W. University Dr. #150 in the West Grove mixed-use development, where it debuts on April 25, with an opening party taking place all weekend from April 25-27.

"We are thrilled to open our sixth DFW location in McKinney, which is one of the fastest growing cities in the country with a population that's increasingly diverse and open to new culinary experiences," says Chief Development Officer Robert Kluger in a statement. "We believe the West Grove shopping center is the perfect place to share our authentic Japanese dining experience with this growing community."

Kura Sushi USA was established in 2008 and has grown to be the largest revolving sushi chain: Small plates of sushi and sides are placed on a conveyor belt that snakes around the restaurant, allowing customers to grab items as they pass by.

They have more than 100 menu items, including sushi, ramen, and popular Asian starters like edamame and wontons. Each item is charged separately starting at $3.45 a plate.

There are two conveyors as follows:

Revolving Sushi Bar. The primary belt that snakes through the dining area, with plates of sushi that are protected by the chain's Mr. Fresh ventilated sushi lid. They say it limits airborne exposure and has plate-tracking technology that monitors how long the item has been circulating, ensuring food remains fresh.
Express Belt. Referred to as the "sushi highway," the express belt is positioned above the primary belt and is used to deliver special orders.

Bikkura Pon Prizes
An integral part of Kura Sushi USA’s tech interactive dining experience, Bikkura Pon is a machine that dispenses prizes after customers dispose of their plates properly. A touch panel registers the number of sushi plates dispensed into the plate disposal slot. After five plates, a short animation plays; after every fifteen plates, a prize such as a keychain or phone mount pops out.

Kura has more than 550 locations in Japan, U.S., and Taiwan. There are 70 locations in 20 states and Washington D.C. McKinney is the sixth location to open in DFW; other locations include Carrollton, Euless, Plano, Frisco, and Fort Worth.

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