Downtown News

Downtown Dallas restaurant-bar reopens with food and beverage flourish

Woolworth food & drink

Kathy Tran

A downtown Dallas restaurant and bar is reopening with a big ta-da. The Woolworth, which has been open in the thick of things at 1520 Elm St. #201 for a decade, is back after a round of renovations and a menu revamp.

The Woolworth is a survivor, having endured the sometimes-temperamental downtown landscape, destructive protests in 2020, and the pandemic.

Woolworth is part of HattenLuke Hospitality Group (Smithy on Henderson, Uno Mas), headed by partners Brandon Luke and Ronald Von Hatten. Luke says in a release that it's a new chapter.

“Our intention with the new updates is to return to the roots of what made us thrive when we first opened in 2013, while continuing to elevate our menu to push the boundaries on what our guests have come to know and love about us over the past 10 years," he says.

Food
Part of that is beefing up the dining experience, says chef Ronald Von Hatten.

"The Woolworth has always been a great place to grab cocktails with friends over shared bites, but with the revitalized space we wanted to offer a more robust menu where our guests could enjoy a full dinner featuring internationally inspired fare," he says.

That includes some new presentations and flavor profiles, including salmon crudo, lobster "Rangoon" spring roll, Italian flatbread, coffee-rubbed lamb pops, pork belly crackling, and the Duck Duck Tot, a truffle tater tot with cheese curds, duck confit, duck gravy, and a sunny-side-up duck egg.

New entrees include veal saltimbocca; halibut with wild rice pilaf, roasted red pepper coulis, and pea-shoot pesto; airline chicken with Oregon morel mushrooms; and the "lazy man's" cioppino with tomato broth, mussels, clams, scallops, calamari, market fish, crab, prawns, and French bread; and Linz Heritage Angus Reserve beef.

There's a bigger steak program with cuts like hanger, filet mignon, ribeye, and dry-aged porterhouse (45-day aged), featuring finishing touches such as a Blue Cheese Crust or Oscar Style with asparagus, crab, and Hollandaise. Sides include lobster mac & cheese, crispy Brussels sprouts, rosemary garlic fries, or white truffle cheddar polenta.

Cocktails
The Woolworth welcomes Christian Rodriguez as Lead Bar Chef, joining the team from Tipsy Alchemist to spearhead the cocktail program, with drinks such as Monkey Business with applejack brandy, banana honey, vanilla almond cream, Angostura, and espresso foam; and The Geisha with Suntory Toki, Chai Blanc Vermouth, cardamom-dandelion, fennel and orange bitters.

There are also zero-proof cocktails such as Strawberry Fields Forever, with Ritual Gin, strawberry mint, citrus, and ginger beer.

Location
This address was once home to a F.W. Woolworth Five and Dime Store, and the Woolworth pays homage to its heritage while offering a modern and upscale experience. They've expanded the private dining room to accommodate groups of up to 50, and added valet directly underneath The Woolworth building signage.

cocktails downtown

Tex Mex News

New restaurant Mero Mero Tex Mex fixes Frisco up with fajitas

There's a new Mexican restaurant with fajitas and house-made tortillas now open in Frisco: Called Mero Mero Tex Mex, it's a fancy Tex-Mex place that debuted in mid-September at 9179 Dallas Pkwy. #170, in a former Rockfish Seafood & Grill.

It joins an area off the Tollway near Main Street that's rife with restaurants, including Tex Mex names such as Blue Goose Cantina, almost directly across the Tollway, as well as Salsa Tex Mex and Anaya's Seafood a few blocks west.

Mero Mero is from Sanjay Regmi, who previously worked for Big-Dill Hospitality (Muchacho Tex-Mex, Casa Brasa, Even Coast, Maroma). He describes Mero Mero as "not your average Tex-Mex spot," with a full bar and a more aspirational atmosphere than the concepts nearby.

Not unlike Muchacho, Mero Mero's menu offers fajitas in four varieties: chicken, shrimp, Wagyu sirloin flap, or mixed. They come with guacamole, grilled onions, bell peppers in all the colors, borracho beans, rice, and tortillas. Prices range from $25 to $36.

Tacos include ribeye, blackened sole, al pastor with pineapple, and still-trendy birria with consommé. A unique taco is their Gobernador, a taco invented in Mexico’s northwest state of Sinaloa in the '80s, filled with shrimp and cheese. There are also enchiladas in choice of chicken, cheese, or seafood with lobster, crab, and shrimp. Tacos and enchiladas are $18 to $24.

Their tortilla chips come with a fun trio of bowls: red salsa, black bean puree, and avocado salsa. They have queso, guacamole with fried chicharrons, and flautitas filled with chorizo mashed potatoes. Plus three seafood items: shrimp aguachile, hamachi, and tuna on tostadas.

Fancier entrees include branzino; lamb barbacoa; cochinita pibil (pork shank in banana leaf); airline chicken with mole oaxaqueño; chile relleno stuffed with beef picadillo; and Wagyu New York strip, their most expensive dish at $79, served with papas bravas.

Cocktails are $15 across the board and comprise an eclectic selection with margaritas, mai tais, and an espresso martini. The bar runs along one wall of the dining room, good for dining solo or a drink, with handsome padded stools and discreetly spaced TVs.

An outdoor patio, fringed by landscaping, has been installed to the right of the entrance with seating for about 65. Inside, the 4,568-square space reveals a makeover with circular booths upholstered in maroon velvet, chandelier-style lighting, and moody Western paintings. A de rigeur neon sign depicts a longhorn with a cowboy hat and this enigmatic piece of advice: "Tex your Mex, not your ex."

tex-mex openings