New touring pop-up bar hitting Dallas will have Peter Pan pirate theme

Pop-Up News

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Ahoy matey, who remembers pop-up bars? There's a new one coming to Dallas with a Peter Pan theme. Called Neverland, it'll open on an undisclosed location on Knox Street for two weeks in September.

That may seem like a long way off, but it's never too soon to start buying tickets, which will be $47 per person, and they're on sale now.

Neverland is a national touring concept from Viral Ventures, an event management company based in Sydney, Australia, with themed pop-up experience: Prior tours include The Alice Cocktail Experience and The Wizard's Den.

It will be an "immersive" experience, IE Instagrammable, summoning the characters and milieu of Peter Pan, the century-old fable about a boy who never grows up. Roomlets will include:

the Blue Lagoon
the Jolly Roger
the Lost Boys Hideout
the bedroom of Wendy, John, & Michael
the Island of Neverland

There will also be sports: hook toss, archery, walking the plank to collect gold coins, and saving Tinkerbell.

You can stand in front of neon wings and take your picture; pose with guys in costumes; raise a toast to guys in swashbuckling shirts; or sit in a hanging basket chair and pray that the combined weight of you and your beloved does not exceed its legal capacity.

A Tiki Bar will serve themed drinks including pixie dust shots and Mai Tais.

Dallas is but the latest city for the tour, which has previously hit towns such as Atlanta, Vancouver, Denver, San Francisco, and Columbus, Ohio.

The Dallas run will extend from September 6-17. It's a 90-minute experience and the $47 cover includes one welcome drink and two cocktails. Saving Tinkerbell is free.

Organizers aren't divulging the exact address other than Knox Street, stating that "we're unable to release the venue name yet." Such intrigue, where could it be? Maybe the Z Gallerie space, though technically that is on McKinney Avenue. Maybe the La Duni space but that's listed for rent. Maybe the little Highland Park Pharmacy building but that would surely be sacrilege.

Neverland will not be the only campy themed pop-up bar landing in Dallas in September: There's Karen's Diner, a "sassy" diner in which servers give customers lip, also from Australia, quite the coinkydinky, coming to Deep Ellum for two nights, September 16-17.

Tommy Bahama

Where to drink in Dallas right now: Bars with fresh seasonal cocktails

Where to Drink

The May edition of Where to Drink, CultureMap's monthly roundup of suggestions of the alcoholic variety, departs slightly from the usual theme, the usual theme being Happy Hours, IE where to drink on the cheap.

This list does include a new Happy Hour or two. But the prevailing theme is more about "new" rather than "cheap." Also seasonal: Just as restaurant kitchens have seasonal menus of food, these restaurant-based bars are introducing seasonal menus of drinks. One restaurant's patio bar is giving itself over to a summer theme entirely.

Here's where to drink for May:

Al Biernat’s
Steakhouse with two locations has new cocktails for spring through the end of summer. The Oak Lawn location has Paloma, Honey ($17) with Lalo Blanco, honey syrup, grapefruit, & lime; Elite Vesper ($18) with Stoli Elit. Farmers Botanical Gin and Lillet Blanc; and Tequil-A Mockingbird ($18) with Casa Noble Reposado, Licor 43, watermelon puree, lime, and mint. Al Biernat’s North has the Killer Bee ($15) with Siete Misterios Mezcal, honey water, lemon, & grapefruit; Planter’s Punch ($15.50) with Don Papa Rum, OJ, Monin Pomegranate, and Angostura Bitters; The Last Dance ($25), a tequila twist on the espresso martini with Cincoro Anejo Tequila, Espresso, Monin Organic Agave, and a gold rim; and Danae’s Delight ($15.25) with Villa Massa Limoncello, Pama Pomegranate, and Cava Brut.

Bulla Gastrobar
Spanish-style restaurant in Legacy West has launched two new Spring cocktails: The Punch it Up ($13.50) features Flor de Caña rum, Amarena cherry syrup, and other tropical notes; and the Passion Jalapeño Margarita ($13.50) with jalapeño passion syrup, Lunazul Blanco tequila, triple sec, and lime juice.

Elm & Good
American restaurant at the historic Kimpton Pittman Hotel in Deep Ellum now offers happy hour Tuesday-Friday from 4-6 pm with $5 local beers, $6 house red and white wines, and $7 select appetizers.

The Henry
Fox Restaurants Concepts restaurant at the Union building near downtown Dallas has transformed its rooftop bar into a "seaside" getaway through July 2, called Hamptons at The Henry, with cocktails, bites, and an elite party milieu. Drinks include Southampton Sangria ($14), with guava, pineapple, lemon, brandy, and white wine; Hamptons Pool Party ($150, serves 6-8), a large-format drink that's a mashup of margarita-meets-sparkling wine punch; and Sag Harbor Old Fashioned ($17). Beachy snacks include Mini Lobster Rolls ($23) with salt & vinegar chips, Crab Cake ($25) with tarragon remoulade & corn salad, and Seafood Platter ($51) with shrimp, oysters on the shell, spicy tuna, and avocado tartare cocktail sauce.

Monarch
Destination restaurant in Downtown Dallas has a new happy hour menu featuring $10 wines by the glass and cocktails, including favorites such as the refreshing Lemon Drop Martini with a sugar rim, the Vesper Martini with a twist of lemon and the always-in-style Cosmopolitan. Snacks include Island Creek Oysters with cucumber mignonette, the Seafood Tower with oysters, prawns, and crab claws ($35), and Black Truffle Arancini with crispy fried black truffle risotto topped with kaluga caviar ($12).

III Forks
Recently honored for its wine program with a Tastemaker Awards nomination, this Frisco steakhouse has a new "summer of sidecars" cocktail collection for summer, with sparkling mixers complemented by citrusy flavors, available through September 11: The Classic Sidecar with Remy Martin VSOP, Cointreau Orange Liqueur, and lemon juice, $15; Strawberry Rose Sidecar with Remy Martin VSOP, Cointreau Orange Liqueur, Monin Strawberry Rose Syrup, lemon juice, and Lunetta Prosecco, $16; and the Grand Sidecar with Grand Marnier Louis Alexandre, Longbranch Bourbon, lemon juice, and simple syrup, $17.

Tommy Bahama
Restaurant at Legacy West in Plano is always good for summer sipping and for 2023, has introduced seven new cocktails: Espresso Martini ($16) with Vanilla Vodka and Creme De Cocoa; Quiet Gardner ($13.50) with rum, strawberries, grapefruit juice, club soda, and lime; Pine For More ($15.50) with Don Q 7 Year, Giffard Caribbean Pineapple, lime, orgeat, and a pineapple cube; Mango Nada ($15) a spicy fruit-infused drink with Milagro Reposaadoo, Cointreau, mango, and a Tajin rim; and the Zero-Proof Sicilian Peach ($8), an upgraded peach lemonade with real fruit, Fever Tree lemonade, lemon wedges, and a jalapeno.

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10 best bartenders in Dallas serve crafty drinks and warm hospitality

Tastemaker Awards

Our latest chapter in our 2023 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards, honoring the people who make our local restaurant scene soar, covers an irrepressible group: bartenders.

They're one of the categories featured in a special editorial series in which we've elected nominees, and whom we'll celebrate at a party on May 4 at Fashion Industry Gallery (F.I.G.) with tastings and awards to the winners. Tickets are on sale now.

We've already profiled the nominees for Rising Star Chef, Neighborhood Restaurant, Bar of the Year, Brewery of the Year, and Best New Restaurant (don't forget to vote!), and we'll soon be covering Restaurant of the Year, Chef of the Year, Wine Program, and Best Burger.

Bartenders are a creative group possessing a wide range of skills: precision, hospitality, multi-tasking, teamwork, patience, attentiveness, the ability to perform under pressure. It's also a creative job that allows room for personal expression and a large degree of autonomy.

Here are our nominees for best bartenders of 2023 in Dallas:

Christian Rodriguez - Tipsy Alchemist
Rodriguez hails from artsy San Miguel de Allende in Mexico and learned the craft cocktail ropes at The Standard Pour. He's done cocktail pop-ups in San Francisco, Chicago, and New York, donating tips to charities including a dog shelter, Planned Parenthood, and hurricane relief in Puerto Rico. He's been with Tipsy Alchemist for four years, and also helped open Tipsy Alchemist in Austin.

Elizabeth Hooker - Billy Can Can
North Carolina native moved to Dallas for a job with the Dallas Mavericks before changing careers into the food & beverage industry. She's been behind the bar at Armoury DE, Ruins, Nick & Sam’s, Drake’s, and craft cocktail bar The Parliament, and is currently with Billy Can Can in Victory Park, while she pursues certification as a sommelier.

Haley Merritt - Midnight Rambler
Native of El Paso started her craft career at Deep Ellum bars Hide and Ruins as a bartender and manager, before rising to fame when she won The Shake Up, an all-female cocktail competition organized by bartender/advocate Rosey Sullivan. Merritt's been working at Midnight Rambler for two years, and loves a craft cocktail, but hospitality is her first priority. "You can make someone a fancy cocktail, but if they’re having a bad time, that's what they're going to remember," she says.

James Slater - Chimichurri
Slater's a returning nominee who has worked at high-profile spots including IdleRye, Oak, Knife, Spoon, Five Sixty, the Joule, and the Network Bar in Trinity Groves. He's created many noteworthy cocktail menus, including the one at Chimichurri where he also serves as bar manager.

Jermey Elliott - Double D's
Elliott has worked in the industry both in Dallas and Arizona, including Parliament and Milkshake Concepts in Dallas, and at Bitter & Twisted, an acclaimed cocktail lounge in Phoenix. He came back to Dallas in 2021 for the opportunity to develop Double D's, a new bar from This and That Hospitality that opened in spring 2023.

Kelsey Hanshew - Armoury DE
A career bartender since her early '20s, Hanshew started out at corporate restaurants in the Grapevine area, before relocating to Dallas, where she joined the team at Armoury, and also tended bar at the Granada Theater on the side. At the Armoury, she learned the ins and outs of craft cocktails while working her way up to bar manager, and has represented the bar at competitions around the U.S.

Leonard Madison - SER
Madison started his cocktail journey at Great Wolf Lodge where he worked for a decade, then got a huge opportunity at Cowboys Stadium, when he was hired as mixologist at the Cowboys Club, a members-only private social club for the Dallas Cowboys. During COVID, he started a mobile bartending business called Fort Pours, then joined SER as part of their post-COVID reopening team.

Tab Hirschey - Coupes
Since moving to Dallas in 2015, Hirschey has worked at bars at Jose, Bourbon & Banter, and The Standard Pour among others, before joining the NL Group as Beverage Director where he helped reopen Dakota's Steakhouse. He left the NL Group for Coupes, helping design the physical space and menus, then signed on as general manager.

Taylor Witt - The Mitchell
Witt began his DFW career in Fort Worth, starting out in the fine-dining world at restaurants like Truluck’s, Del Frisco's where he was wine director, and Rise Souffle, where he served as wine manager. He switched more intensely into spirits after moving to Dallas, first at Reveler's Hall in Bishop Arts, then at The Mitchell, the craft cocktail nexus in downtown.

Vanessa Chambless - Cock & Bull
Calling Chambless a bartender understates the role she's assumed at most of the bars where she's worked, often serving as a manager, as well. A longtime industry veteran, her career dates to the heyday of Deep Ellum, and she's worked at legendary places such as Club Clearview and the Elbow Room. She's been a fixture and customer draw at Cock & Bull for more than a decade.

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Where to drink in Dallas right now: 5 bars with new happy hour specials

Where to drink

With April already halfway done, we're long overdue for the April edition of Where to Drink, our monthly column focused on bars, happy hours, new cocktails, and other things of a drinky nature.

This month includes new happy hours, a new bar menu, and a new spot with discounts on drinks.

Here is our Where to Drink for April:

Bar Louie
Upbeat pub chain is throwing down happy hour discounts Monday-Friday from 4-7 pm. Beer-wise, they're pouring $4 domestic pints and $5 craft pints. Cocktails start at $6 for single-pour premium call liquor cocktails, and $7 premium cocktails, including margaritas, mojitos, and martinis. All the M drinks! Wines by the glass are $6, and you get half-off on flatbreads, wings, Bavarian pretzel with mustard, spinach artichoke dip with chips, and a chip & dip trio with salsa, queso, and guacamole. Four locations include Shops at Park Lane in Dallas, plus Allen, Arlington, and Las Colinas.

Elm & Good
Restaurant at The Kimpton Pittman Hotel Dallas in Deep Ellum has a new weekday happy hour Tuesday-Friday 4-6 pm at its cool in-house bar with $5 local beers, $6 house red and white wines, and $7 select appetizers. On Tuesdays they stretch it out from 4-10 pm with Texas-themed specials including local beer, local wine, and cocktails made with Texas spirits.

Leela's Pizza & Wine Bar
Lower Greenville wine bar has spawned a spinoff which also includes "pizza" in the name, in Uptown at 2355 Olive St. They're in the old Malibu Poke space, across the street from the Ritz-Carlton, in the same parking-challenged complex as Starbucks and Roti Grill. Their happy hour runs Tuesday-Friday from 4-6 pm and is limited to $7 champagne cocktails and $7 house wines. For what it's worth, they don't take cash.

Oddfellows
Casual comfortable community hub in Bishop Arts is there for your coffee, breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner needs, as well as happy hour, Monday-Friday, 3-6 pm, with a new slate of discounts on wine, beer, and cocktails. More specifically, they have $7 cocktails, $5 draft beer, $6 glasses of wine, plus half-price shared plates including their deviled eggs, white bean hummus, fried Brussels sprouts, and shrimp ceviche.

Villa Azur
Venue at the W Hotel has a new bar menu and, while it's not discounted, it is new, and surely worth a look, maybe even a try. New cocktails include Let’s Get Guava with gin and guava purée; Purple Rain with Avion Reposado, grapefruit juice, lime, and blueberry purée; and Touch of Azur with gin, infused butterfly pea tea, lavender, and prosecco. Bites include crab spinach & artichoke dip with focaccia toast, and flatbreads with toppings such as spicy capicola, eggplant, shiitake mushroom, spinach, and lobster.

Tina's Continental

Teeny new Tina's Continental serves cold martinis in Dallas' Deep Ellum

Car News

A cozy retro-inspired bar with a car theme has opened in a historic building in Deep Ellum Dallas. Called Tina's Continental, it's in the Continental Gin Building at 3309 Elm St. #115, where it's serving martinis and other classic cocktails in a snug 800-square-foot space that seats a mere 43 people.

According to a release, the bar is designed to be a walkable destination in far East Deep Ellum and for workers in the Continental Gin Building.

The menu features six martinis as well as an option for customers to build-their-own. There is also a selection of batched cocktails served straight from the freezer at 15 degrees for a velvety-smooth texture. Those include a Vesper Martini, Manhattan, Old Fashioned, and Negroni.

Other cocktail highlights include:

The Moody Bleu - bleu cheese washed vodka, dry vermouth, olive brine
The Appletini - granny smith infused vodka, apple brandy, lemon, apple cordial, housemade grenadine
Grasshopper - citrus infused vodka, cointreau, cranberry, lime
Guavatina - gin, campari, pamplemousse, guava, pineapple, lime

They also serve beer and wine.

Owners are Elias Pope & Sameer Patel, whose UNCO Management (formerly 8020 Hospitality) includes brands such as Hero by HG, Standard Service, and Leela's Pizza & Wine, and who also just opened a third location of Leela’s Pizza & Wine in Uptown at 2355 Olive St. #145.

Tina's is their homage to the Lincoln Continental Mark V, with a color palette inspired by a 1977 Lincoln Continental special Bill Blass Edition. That is some specific inspiration.

"In the late '70s, the king of the road was the Lincoln Continental Mark V," Pope says. "These luxury cars could be purchased one of two ways — ordered to your spec or designed by the great couture houses of the time such as Givenchy, Cartier, Pucci, and Bill Blass. Tina’s is an homage to these wonderful creations."

Tina's is the third concept of four to open in the Continental Gin Building, joining Fiction Coffee and Tatsu. The fourth will be a steakhouse, also from UNCO Hospitality, that's in the works.

Photo courtesy of Perot Museum

Drinks + dinosaurs mix at return of popular Thursdays on Tap at the Perot Museum

Tap This

One of Dallas' most unique and enjoyable programs is ordering another round. Thursdays on Tap at the Perot Museum of Nature & Science starts up again on April 6 and runs through the end of October (cue rejoicing from the 21-and-up crowd who loves booze and dinosaurs).

This is your chance to tour the entire museum without the daytime crowds or children getting underfoot. You can also purchase drinks from the outdoor bars for only $3-$10 (last call is at 9:45 pm, FYI).

Then purchase tasty treats and delicious bites from the many rotating food trucks and vendors parked outside from 6-10 pm.

The drool-worthy vendors you can expect to see on Thursday nights in April include:

Mi Cocina (April 6 and 20)
Cuates Kitchen (April 6)
Easy Slider (April 6)
Community Beer Co. (April 6, 13, and 20)
Sushi Dojo (April 13)
Cousins Maine Lobster (April 13)
Magdalena's (April 13)
Egg Stand (April 20)
Ruthie's Rolling Cafe (April 20)

Don't forget to play one of the outside games while enjoying live music by local artists. Tauvy Thompson will perform at the first event on April 6, Alex Cantrell on April 13, and Alejandro De La Puente is scheduled for April 20.

Until Labor Day, the museum’s latest traveling exhibition “The Science Behind Pixar,” presented locally by NexPoint, is included in the price of admission.

Though taking public transportation, carpooling, or using a rideshare service is recommended due to the nature of the event, all guests can park for $10 per car (credit card only) in the main parking lot under Woodall Rodgers Freeway on Broom Street, right across from the museum.

Thursdays on Tap is $25 for non-members, and only $5 for members. The program begins April 6 and runs weekly until October 26. More information can be found on the Perot Museum's website.

Photo courtesy of Perot Museum

Thursdays on Tap returns April 6 and runs through October.

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3 Dallas restaurants appoint new chefs, while another chef gets on TV

Chef news

It's a big week for big chef news in the Dallas restaurant world.

Three high-profile restaurants have made major new chef appointments. There's also a celebrity Dallas chef who will appear on TV this week.

Here's all the Dallas chef news you need to know:

Adolphus Hotel
Chef Rolf J. Weithofer has been appointed Executive Chef of culinary operations at the Adolphus Hotel in downtown Dallas, where he'll oversee restaurant, bar, and catering including Rodeo Bar, City Hall Bistro, Otto’s, in-room dining, and banquets. (The hotel's acclaimed French Room has still not fully reopened post-pandemic, although it is open for tea Wednesday-Sunday, 11 am-3 pm.)

Weithofer has 22-plus years of experience, most recently as Executive Chef at Stone Harbor Golf Club in New Jersey, where he led two restaurants and banquets. Prior to that, he worked at restaurants and hotels in New York, Maui, Germany, Japan, Los Angeles, Venezuela, Miami, and Puerto Rico, including Maxim’s de Paris in New York. Weithofer has also racked up awards including a Gold Medal in the Culinary Olympics.

Ocean Prime Dallas
Charlie Tkacik has been appointed Executive Chef at Ocean Prime Dallas, the upscale seafood and steakhouse from Cameron Mitchell Restaurant (CMR) which opened in Uptown in 2009.

Tkacik was born in Rhode Island and the Northeast is his major influence, particularly in preparation of seafood such as the restaurant's Texas redfish. A graduate of Johnson & Wales University in North Miami, he interned at Thomas Keller’s Per Se in New York, and has more than a decade of experience at upscale restaurants across New England, including a four-year stint at the iconic Boston Grill 23 & Bar. He joined Cameron Mitchell Restaurant several years ago and was most recently Executive Sous Chef at Ocean Prime Boston.

Mexican Test Kitchen
Matt McCallister is executive chef at Mexican Test Kitchen, a new pop-up restaurant at the West Village in Dallas from Local Favorite Restaurants, the group from restaurateur Mike Karns that also encompasses El Fenix, Snuffer's, Meso Maya, Taqueria La Ventana, Tulum, Village Burger Bar, Jalisco Norte, and Twisted Root. Mexican Test Kitchen took over the former Honest Taco space and is an interim concept to be replaced by a new restaurant in the fall. McCallister is now working with Local Favorite Restaurants full time.

A native of Scottsdale, Arizona, McCallister began his Dallas career at Stephan Pyles, where he served as executive chef and had his own tasting room. In 2012, he opened FT33 in the Dallas Design District, which earned accolades locally and nationally in magazines such as Bon Appétit and Food & Wine. In 2019, he opened Homewood on Oak Lawn Avenue which had its own on-site garden. The restaurant made Texas Monthly's Best New Restaurant list in 2020, and Best New Restaurant in CultureMap's 2020 Tastemaker Awards.

Fox TV MasterChef
Tiffany Derry joins Fox TV series MasterChef as a guest judge, appearing on an episode on Wednesday, June 14, airing at 8 pm.

Derry, who owns Roots Southern Table, appears on United Tastes of America in an episode called "Regional Auditions - The South." Contestants have 45 minutes to prepare a dish that will secure them one of five remaining spots in the top 20. The show is hosted by Gordon Ramsay, with judges Aarón Sánchez and Joe Bastianich. Derry will be the week's Guest Judge.

Dallas nails ranking as No. 1 U.S. market for new built-to-rent homes in 2022

THE RISE OF THE RENTAL

With the increasing demand for housing and rising popularity of constructing homes for rent, Dallas has topped the charts as the metro area with the highest number of single-family rentals built for all of 2022.

Nearly 2,800 build-to-rent homes were completed in Dallas in 2022, which is a 10-year high, according to a new study by RentCafe.

The study also found the number of rental homes skyrocketed five times higher last year than in 2021, when only 500 rentals were completed and Dallas ranked No. 3 in the nation.

The study analyzed build-to-rent data from RentCafe's sister site, Yardi Matrix, for communities that had at least 50 single-family rental units.

Phoenix (which outpaced Dallas last year) ranked No. 2 in the latest findings with only 1,527 units completed last year. After Phoenix, single-family rentals in other American metro areas only went into the triple digits, with Atlanta, Georgia (No. 3) at 808, Greenville, South Carolina (No. 4) at 584, and Charlotte, North Carolina rounding out the top five with 475 units completed.

Dallas also had the second highest number of single-family rentals completed in the country within the last five years, totaling 3,955 units. The city ranked higher than every other Texas metro area. Phoenix took the No. 1 spot with over 6,000 build-to-rent homes completed in the same time period.

Other Texas metros that appeared in the top 10 with the highest number of build-to-rent units between 2018 to 2022 include Houston (No. 4), Austin (No. 7), and San Antonio (No. 8).

The study's findings support a growing demand for flexibility among renters who may not want the high cost and maintenance associated with home ownership, RentCafe says.

“More and more people are deciding they want the best of both worlds: the flexible lifestyle of the renter, with no maintenance commitments and costs, and the comfort and privacy offered by living in a house,” the study’s author wrote. “In this case, build-to-rent homes check all of the boxes, while high home prices and rising interest rates make them even more appealing.”

The number of single-family rentals is expected to continue rising dramatically in 2023. Currently, 4,350 units are under construction in Dallas, second only to Phoenix (again) which has nearly 5,500 units underway.

Overall, there are 44,700 build-to-rent homes being built this year throughout the nation; three times more than the number of completed homes in all of 2022, the study says.

Top Dallas chef re-emerges at upscale Mexican pop-up at West Village

Chef News

There's culinary action brewing in Dallas' West Village with an award-winning chef turning out some amazing Mexican food. It's a new restaurant pop-up called Mexican Test Kitchen, located at 3699 McKinney Ave. #307, and it stars Matt McCallister, one of Dallas' most high-profile chefs.

Mexican Test Kitchen is the working title for a new concept in the works between McCallister and restaurateur Mike Karns, who recently took ownership of the West Village. It occupies the space that was previously Honest Tacos (and before that, Taco Diner); Honest Taco closed in April.

For now, they are doing a pop-up, with a menu that McCallister has designed, featuring tacos, bowls, and salads, plus inventive margaritas.

"I didn't want to see the West Village get hurt with the closure of a restaurant, so we mobilized our team and opened Mexican Test Kitchen as a pop-up," Karns says.

Their plan is to be open this summer with an interim menu of dishes they are developing, while they reconcept and redesign the space.

"It'll still be Mexican but leaning a little more healthy than Tex-Mex — more like healthy Mex, with a lower price point and a little more casual," Karns says. "We feel like it will bring some energy to West Village."

McCallister is the award-winning chef who at age 31 founded FT33, an acclaimed restaurant in the Design District. It earned numerous accolades both locally and nationally in magazines such as Bon Appétit and Food & Wine. He followed that up with Homewood, a restaurant he opened on Oak Lawn Avenue in 2019, which made Texas Monthly's Best New Restaurant list in 2020, and Best New Restaurant in CultureMap's 2020 Tastemaker Awards.

McCallister is now working with Karns' Local Favorite Restaurants group (El Fenix, Snuffer's, Meso Maya, Taqueria La Ventana, Tulum, Village Burger Bar, Jalisco Norte, Twisted Root) full time. He joined following the untimely closure of Homewood in February.

"When Homewood closed, I reached out to Matt," Karns says. "He works with us now as well as Alex Urrunaga (Plan B Group, Reach Restaurants)."

That team will help create their fun new concept. Karns says they'll close the pop-up in late August, then re-open in September after the remodel is complete.

"Mike is a super cool guy, it's kinda crazy I get to work for him," McCallister says. "At the end of the day I just want to contribute my slice of the pie to Mike's vision for the company."

Those craving McCallister flavors can meanwhile enjoy the current pop-up menu featuring:

Citrus pig with citrus-braised carnitas, griddled onions, pineapple, cotija cheese, & mint
Brisket, barbacoa style with rajas, blistered corn, & chipotle mayo
Asada Steak with cilantro, caramelized onion, peanut salsa macha
Grilled chicken with smoky chipotle marinade, chiles toreados
Habanero lime shrimp with pickled red onion & watermelon radish
Tempura cod with Mexican tartar sauce, & green cabbage crunch
Griddled Camote (sweet potato) with goat cheese, toasted pepita sprinkle, charred green onions
Mexican mushroom with caramelized creminis, maitakes, trumpets, & oyster mushrooms, griddled onion, cilantro, & watermelon radish

Chips & queso feature a pale whipped queso fresco with peanut salsa macha and pumpkin seed crunch. Guacamole comes topped with pomegranate and toasted pistachio.

Salads and bowls include a beautiful ensalada rossa with wild arugula & matchstick beets; a “shades of green” salad with hearty greens, spinach, tri-color quinoa, crispy chickpeas, avocado, roasted corn, dried cranberries, & green Carognola olives; and a Ranchero bowl with black beans, white rice, sweet potato, marinated beets, crispy Brussels sprouts, Mexican kimchee, hearty greens, & mojo.

If all that's not enough, everything's crazy-cheap: Tacos come in at $4-5, and salads and bowls at $12.

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