Latest news with #EaterDallas
Eater
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Eater
Dubai Chocolate Is Already the Big Winner at the State Fair of Texas
It's almost that time of year again when the new foods at the State Fair of Texas become a full-time obsession. The Fair dropped a long list of semi-finalists today, and we went through it to pick out the items Eater Dallas thinks will and should make it to the finals, based on the description alone. This year, the list has the usual Fair foods, loaded with bacon, brisket, chocolate, and tacos. There are not one but three Dubai chocolate items, loads of takes on Mexican food, and more than the typical number of drinks, with a whopping seven making it to the semifinals (dear lord, do not let the Red Bull margarita make it past this point). But there is one item we're immediately kicking out of the running for best in show based on the name alone: Texas Water. It sounds like pineapple- or lime-flavored Crystal Light that is meant to be added to water and pale ale beers, which is unnecessary. These are the 10 items we predict will make it to the finals for 2025 (or that will be devastatingly overlooked). It doesn't take a genius to see that mashing up a classic fair food like funnel cake with Dubai chocolate flavors would be a smash hit. This dish reconfigures the funnel cake into strips, coats them with melting Belgian chocolate, and then tops them with pistachio cream and ribbons of kanafeh pastry. It is a simple and elegant way to take the essence of Dubai chocolate and slap it on top of the State Fair staple. We do hope they add some powdered sugar to the final product, however. This is obviously fair bait, and we're taking it. Someone decided to make a cannoli and stuff it with bacon jam, which is our kryptonite, that is slow-cooked in brown sugar, maple syrup, and spices. That gets layered in with ricotta cheese and chunks of milk chocolate. The shell is drizzled with warm Belgian chocolate on top. Dream food. It is way past time someone brought the Vietnamese corn dog to the fair. This version of it finds the corn dog prepared as usual, with the outer batter coated in Panko and bánh mì crumbs before being fried. Add some Sriracha mayo and consume with bright pops of acidity from the pickled vegetables served alongside. Chosen entirely because we love coconut. To create this drink, a coconut is filled with coconut-flavored slushie and topped with coconut-flavored soft serve and a sprinkle of coconut flakes. It's obviously perfect, but if it makes the finals, it is going to come down to personal opinions. (We're hoping the gauntlet of judges also loves coconut.) Chosen entirely because of our devotion to Key lime pie in all of its forms. This iteration builds on a crust of crushed graham crackers and Nilla Wafters, which is a fun twist. What's the deal with the 'bomb' part? That's where the Key lime pie mix and crust dust are rolled up into bite-sized bits, then topped with pancake batter and fried. The final step is a squirt of Chantilly cream, a shake of powdered sugar, and a lime-jelly candy on top. This feels like a no-brainer for the fair. Brisket gets mixed into silky beer cheese made from sharp cheddar and an unnamed heavy beer, wrapped in pretzel dough, sprinkled with sea salt, and baked. Unless the beer cheese is really bad, this will be a solid bite with some spicy mustard. Ube makes it to the State Fair in this dish, which combines ube-flavored ice cream with puffed rice and a finishing dollop of Cool Whip and a cherry. This is a simple Filipino ice cream dish with refreshing flavors that deserves a chance on the stage at the fair. This dish sounds like it could be great, if executed well. Tex-Mex-style chicken spaghetti gets loaded down with Hatch chiles, queso, and shredded Monterey Jack. That's all stuffed into a garlic and parmesan-covered bread cone. Then, it is unnecessarily topped with pico, sour cream, and avocado, but we'll take the reprieve from the chiles. Just give us this one, okay? We need a cocktail rimmed with Pop Rocks. Smartly, this is a frozen margarita, which we also need (deserve?) to decompress after making our way around the fairgrounds to eat all this food. There's nothing particularly Texan about this, but it's a cute name. The dish's description claims to combine 'two Italian classics: tiramisu and espresso,' but that means nothing because tiramisu already has espresso in it. Whatever, it's tiramisu with an added layer of Quadratini wafer cookies that get topped with something called 'cremespresso' and whipped cream. We want it, and a lot of Lactaid.
Eater
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Eater
Most Exciting Dallas-Fort Worth Restaurant Openings, Summer 2025
Skip to main content Current eater city: Dallas Summer days are here, and the living is easy in the Metroplex. This season will bring some big, exciting restaurants to life, from well-known and deeply respected hospitality groups, including new projects from the owners of Namo and James Beard-nominated Bar Collette, Duro Hospitality, an outpost of an Eater Award-winning Dallas restaurant in Fort Worth, and a famous New York eatery coming to our suburbs. On top of that, we'll get a fine dining Mediterranean restaurant, which will be peerless in the city. Here's what is coming to Dallas this summer. This fine dining restaurant from Namo and Bar Colette owners Brandon and Henry Cohanim, in collaboration with chef Christophe De Lellis of the Michelin-starred Joël Robuchon in Las Vegas, will open at the increasingly popular Uptown building, the Quad. The menu will feature a French style with a touch of Italian influence. The collaboration is arguably the most anticipated opening for Dallas of the entire year and was expected to open at the end of May. Construction delays have pushed it to the end of June or early July. After opening Chumley House in Fort Worth at the end of 2024, Duro Hospitality Group's Chas Martin assured Eater Dallas that its next project, which will open in the former Homewood space on Oak Lawn Avenue, would not be a rush job. It turns out they've needed less time than even Martin imagined, and the group will open a Japanese-influenced restaurant in mid- to late summer. Duro was not ready to share the name yet, but we do know the menu will feature sushi, among other dishes. The top Palestinian restaurant in New York City will open an outpost in Richardson sometime this summer. Owner Abdul Elenani told Eater Dallas he came to the suburban city to help a friend open a restaurant, saw a piece of real estate he liked, and snapped it up. His plans should have Ayat's Texas location open by August, where it will serve dishes like msakhan (fresh taboon bread with sauteed onions, sumac, pine nuts, and a half chicken), fattat jaj (six-layer dish with roasted chicken, rice, chickpeas, mint yogurt, crispy pita, garlic sauce, and slivered almonds), Mansaf (bone-in lamb chunks in a stew with fermented yogurt sauce served over a bed of fresh sajj bread and rice), and more. Restaurateur Yaser Khalaf, known for Darna in Legacy West and Baboush in West Village, and his son, Mak, are teaming up to open a fine dining Mediterranean restaurant in Far North Dallas. Zon Zon is a nickname for Khalaf's youngest daughter, Zaina. A press agent tells Eater Dallas to expect an intimate space with an open kitchen, with a menu offering refined Mediterranean dishes. In Fort Worth, Headington Companies will open an outpost of Mirador, a 2024 Eater Awards Winner in Dallas for Best Tea Service, as Café Mirador inside a new Forty Five Ten boutique, mirroring the Downtown Dallas setup. It will be smaller, at 1,000 square feet — that's one-third the size of the already intimate Dallas space. It will serve some guest favorites from Dallas, including ahi tuna cornettes, a lobster roll, farro bowl, and chicken bites, along with weekend brunch when the menu swings to dishes like salmon gravlax with caviar, quiche Florentine, and eggs Benny. Executive chef Travis Wyatt will oversee the menu at both locations. Another note of interest: this location will feature artwork by German fashion photographer Juergen Teller. See More: Dallas Restaurant News Dallas Restaurant Openings
Eater
09-06-2025
- Business
- Eater
Cafe Momentum Founder Chad Houser Cried and Laughed About Being the James Beard Humanitarian of the Year
Chad Houser opened Cafe Momentum in Downtown Dallas in 2015 with an impactful mission: to 'spark positive change' in people's lives by employing formerly incarcerated youth in the juvenile justice system and teaching them important life skills such as basic needs and resource navigation, conflict management, and financial literacy. To date, more than 1,000 kids have been involved in the program as paid interns, gaining an education in hospitality and discovering a career path through the employment opportunities provided by Cafe Momentum in Dallas, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, and Denver. This year, Houser is the recipient of the James Beard Award for Humanitarian of the Year. Eater Dallas caught up with Houser ahead of the ceremony, held this year on Monday, June 16, to discuss how he heard he would be receiving the award — and how it feels to break the city's 31-year losing streak at the Beards. He also discussed what's next for Cafe Momentum. Eater: How did you hear that you were getting this award? Chad Houser: I knew several months back that I was nominated, which I thought was cute and harmless. Several weeks before the announcement, I got an update that I was one of the five finalists. I thought I must be the 'common guy' finalist among four Jose Andrés equivalents. After that, two colleagues reached out to me within 30 seconds of each other, saying Dawn Padmore from the James Beard Foundation is trying to get hold of you. Our Dallas executive director, Margaret Reid Windham, said, 'You won! You had to have won!' I was like, 'Tap the brakes, friend. I'm sure it's a courtesy call to say, 'You were one of the finalists. Congratulations, you should be really proud.'' I would be exorbitantly proud. The fact that people at the James Beard Foundation know my name is beyond an honor. While I'm talking to Margaret, Dawn is calling me. When I answered, she said, 'It is my honor to call you and tell you that you are the 2025 James Beard Humanitarian of the Year.' I started bawling like a crybaby. I was driving north on Interstate 75 out of Downtown to go to the Communities Foundation of Texas to record a video, because we were the $500,000 grant recipients for the new flagship that we're building. So, I'm crying like a baby, and she's laughing. Dawn said, 'I'm sorry. Laughing is probably not the appropriate response.' I said, 'No ma'am, it's fine. I'm laughing, too. I'm crying and laughing.' Being emotional feels like the right response. I've been thinking a lot about it. Why was I so emotional? Some of it is because I miss my mom, who died in 2019, and she was my favorite human. Every day, I try to be half the person she was. As for me, I went into the Dallas County Juvenile Department in 2008 to visit and later volunteer, and it sent me on a journey. In 2010, I heard somebody say, 'What are you going to do when the kids stab each other in the kitchen?' I would hear people say, 'Those kids don't want to work. They just want to collect a check.' Or, 'Those kids have never been to a nice restaurant. They can't cook your food.' We did 41 pop-up dinners from June 2011 to December 2014 at the best restaurants in Dallas. Our kids pulled off synchronized service at places like FT33. And yet, when we opened, people were shocked to find the food was good. I remember a guy sending me a friend request on Facebook several months after we opened, and he posted a picture of a steak knife down by his calf that he captioned, 'Shiv, just in case. Dining at Cafe Momentum.' I thought, Fuck you! I'm not going to be your friend . So, part of feeling emotional about this is that, for maybe the first time since I started working with kids 17 years ago, the narrative around them is changing. Acknowledgement from the James Beard Foundation is a sign that the country is, at a minimum, open to a new conversation about these young people, and, at a maximum, is ready to acknowledge that these are incredible people who deserve what they've been given. There has also been a conversation about race that has opened up since 2020, which impacts this issue, as well as the ongoing problem of recidivism. I think people believe in an idea that produces results, and your idea has proven itself. I think the community has proven it. Our kids at Cafe Momentum don't leave their neighborhoods. When they come to Cafe Momentum, they're surrounded by people from all over the city, the Metroplex, and the state. For a population of young people who have been marginalized, stereotyped, and labeled for generations in the most egregious ways — to come here and feel loved, supported, included, and wanted might be the most empowering thing that happens in their lives. It's palpable; it's not data on a piece of paper. You watch a young person first working in the dining room, and they're looking down; they don't want to make eye contact. They have zero trust for anyone in the dining room — and they shouldn't. That trust is earned over time. Then, you see them grow. Their back is straight, their chest is up, and they're talking to people at the tables. That is special. I think more than just studying recidivism or data, you're watching it happen, and that's the way it needs to be. Dallas is still segregated in a lot of ways. We were one of the last major Southern cities to desegregate schools, and there are still physical barriers between neighborhoods. It's smart that you created this Downtown, because it isn't too far for them to travel, and it doesn't have a specific identity, unlike the Park Cities. That is part of the conversation that happens at Cafe Momentum's tables. People who live north of Downtown have absolutely no clue what exists south of Downtown. My dad lived with my wife and me for five years, and he was born in 1944 and graduated from a segregated school in Florida. I asked him, 'Hey Dad, how many grocery stores do you think there are south of I-30 in Dallas?' And he said, 'Maybe 100?' There are two. He couldn't believe it. That is part of the learning that happens here. A byproduct of the restaurant is building proximity between communities and a safe space for our kids, which is important as well. I knew that we had to be more than a restaurant. Being just a restaurant was like putting a Band-Aid on a waterfall. What is the future for Cafe Momentum? The idea of expanding Cafe Momentum was first entertained in 2018 or 2019, when we began hosting pop-up dinners around the country. When we launched a national team, I wanted one of our capabilities to be storytelling. I want our kids' voices to be heard, and if they want to speak, we need to give them the platform. So, we built the marketing and communications capability from the get-go, and interestingly enough, that propelled us during the pandemic. We now have these relationships with the NFL, the Players' Coalition, and so forth. Because we couldn't go around the country doing pop-up dinners during COVID, we did them on Zoom with players from Women's Professional Fastpitch softball, the WNBA, Major League Soccer, Major League Lacrosse, the NFL, and more. We would DoorDash our kids' food, and the kids would talk about what they were eating and why, and it would turn into an open conversation. It showed the value of connectivity through storytelling. Coming out of the pandemic, we leaned into it, which is why we've served food at five of the last six Super Bowls. Our kids deserve to be heard, and they deserve a call to action to change the system that has impacted them. Our expansion isn't just building new physical locations; it's also having a conversation around changing the models for juvenile justice in our country. The dream was to have other people copy our model and replicate it, whether that be a juvenile justice department, a restaurant, or whatever. It is working. For the last three years, we've had two to three groups a month come and study our model. What can you share about your new flagship that is being built in Dallas? In Dallas, Cafe Momentum is in a former burger joint that we retrofitted into a program that also runs a restaurant. We've taken our learnings from Dallas and applied them to designs in Pittsburgh, Atlanta, and Denver, so we need to be thoughtful around the design of this place. While we were considering that, Peter Miller from the Meadows Foundation approached us and offered us the land. We have spent months working with architects and designers, thinking through human-centered and trauma-informed design. We were asking, how do we build a space that can welcome people from around the country to steal our model? To me, that's the most effective way of scaling. You are also breaking a streak in Dallas with this award. It will be the first Beard Award the city has won in 31 years, since Dean Fearing won the last one. How do you feel about that? You're joking. Nope, totally serious. I don't know. The word I keep defaulting to is surreal. I feel not worthy. Overwhelmed. I thank the chefs and restaurants that graciously opened their doors to us on a Sunday night, the chefs who came in with their full staffs when their restaurants were closed to work alongside eight young men who were formerly incarcerated to execute a dinner that showed the city what our kids are capable of when allowed to walk in their greatness. I think those chefs own this award. I think over 1,300 children own this award. While I know I'm biased, I don't know that we could have launched this anywhere other than Dallas. The way the city embraced Cafe Momentum is special, so I want to congratulate Dallas as a community. The first award we get in 31 years is one we can own as a city. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Sign up for our newsletter.
Eater
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Eater
Inside Evelyn, Dallas's New Steakhouse With ‘Feminine Energy,' Old Hollywood Vibes, and Plenty of Selfies
Welcome to the Scene Report, a column in which Eater captures the vibe of a notable Texas restaurant at a specific moment in time. Before Evelyn debuted in late March, it was one of the most hyped restaurant openings of the year, especially among the young and social set. That's partly due to mounds of media coverage and glitzy social media posts that showcased attractive people in a visually appealing space, promising to bring diners back to Hollywood's golden age. In a city as steak-heavy as Dallas, there's plenty of room to color outside the usual red-meat-and-mahogany box, and the team behind Evelyn didn't want to create another stuffy steakhouse, ICRAVE design manager Lisa Johnson tells Eater Dallas. Instead, they wanted a restaurant that exuded 'striking feminine energy,' offering a vibey dining experience with good music and space to dance. So Dallas-based Reach Hospitality, the group behind the Mexican, Black Tap, and Pie Tap, hired ICRAVE, the firm responsible for big-name restaurants including Catch and STK, to rethink the classic steakhouse experience. In this case, that translated into a lot of soft upholstery, blush tones, and artwork featuring women — some portraits depicting faces, others snapshots of clothed bodies dancing, clinking glasses, and crossing their legs. The goal for the menu was to capture the essence of classic Hollywood steakhouses, with steaks, seafood, martinis, and wine. But how does Evelyn's substance stack up to its style? Eater Dallas paid the Design District restaurant a visit to find out. The Vibe Evelyn is more than just the name; it's an homage to a fictional Hollywood starlet, Johnson says. 'We developed the persona around Evelyn,' she explains. 'You're never fully exposed to her identity, but you get hints of her throughout the space,' which features three separate rooms and a choose-your-own-adventure feel. Enter through the Ruby Room, a red and gold bar area that welcomes diners with tables flanking an oval-shaped bar. The Piano Room, a more subdued dining area featuring an actual piano, welcomes diners with inviting rose-colored banquettes and soft music playing on the sound system. Photographs line the walls depicting a coquettish Evelyn, or parts of her — a leg in one shot, lips in another. Room Seven, the most high-energy space, features a dining area with a separate bar, a massive disco ball hanging overhead, and room for people to drink, mingle, and dance. From its multi-room setup to the music and design, Evelyn is built for fun and photos. When my wife and I visited at 8 p.m. for dinner on a Friday around six weeks after its opening, the bar buzzed with people, and nearly every table was full. Women noticeably outnumbered men, with several groups seemingly there to celebrate bachelorette parties or birthdays. Others seemed to be there to simply enjoy the ambiance as they sipped cocktails, dined on oysters and steak, and snapped photos. Some, however, looked lost. At one point, three men in polos wandered up to the bar, ordered beers, and exchanged confused glances, perhaps realizing this wasn't the scene they imagined. They slipped out after one drink. A return visit a couple of weeks later with some friends on a Saturday night found a similar crowd. The restaurant was full from end to end, and as the night drew on, more people made their way onto the dance floor, swaying their bodies to the loud but not conversation-killing combination of '70s and '80s beats. The Food Given the notably untraditional vibes, Evelyn feels more like a restaurant with a lot of steak than an actual steakhouse. We started with a half-dozen fresh and briny oysters paired with a trio of sauces: Champagne mignonette, cocktail sauce, and sinus-clearing horseradish. Next up were the wagyu cheesesteak bites. Evelyn's playful take on a Philly cheesesteak was topped with melty Provolone Mornay, caramelized onions, and black truffle shavings and served with a side of pickled peppers that brightened the rich flavors. Though the cheesesteak bites were a hit, the dish was so filling that splitting the two mini sandwiches and still ordering steaks afterwards might have been too ambitious. The BLT wedge salad was crisp and comforting — exactly what you want when ordering a salad that barely qualifies as a vegetable. For entrees, our waiter suggested the spinalis (rib-eye cap), a cut that rarely appears on Dallas menus. Cooked to our preferred medium rare, the steak was tender and juicy. We paired it with the prawn primavera, a pasta dotted with olives, tomatoes, capers, and artichokes. The menu didn't mention the buttery sauce, so it was richer than expected, but the linguine and prawns were cooked just right. Not everything was a winner. Despite my high threshold for salt, our side of asparagus was so coated in seasoning that we had to scrape it off to eat it. The Chocolate Decadence dessert, studded with crunchy chocolate pearls, was gorgeous when it hit the table, but once the server broke it open with a knife and drizzled chocolate sauce on top, it lost its visual appeal, looking less like a dessert and more like a mound of dirt. The flavor was chocolatey and decadent as described, but that was the only note it hit. The Drinks Martinis are a hallmark of the drinks menu, which includes a Vesper, an espresso martini, and a signature house martini. This cold, clean, and well-balanced sip features a combination of gin, vermouth, and a complementing dash of white balsamic vinegar. During my visit, it was presented on a tray with an empty glass, an ice bowl with a mini carafe nestled inside, and two garnishes — lemon peel and olives. In a show of unexpected hospitality, the bartender replaced my glass with fresh ice-cold stemware when I was halfway through with my drink, ensuring the last few sips were as frosty as the first. If you want to splurge, the Price of Fame is the most indulgent martini on the menu. Made with saffron-infused Nolet's Reserve gin, dry vermouth, black truffle bitters, and caviar-stuffed olives, this cocktail costs a cool $150, reasonable considering the pricey gin and accoutrements. It's still an exercise of excess, of course, but arguably more fun and interesting than paying $150 for a glass of wine or scotch. Diners can also expect riffs on original cocktails, including the margarita and Old Fashioned, plus around 20 wines by the glass, plenty more in bottles, and a few beers. The Verdict Evelyn's is by no means a cheap night out, but apart from obvious splurges like caviar and that extra-fancy martini, the costs are in line with other upscale restaurants and steakhouses in Dallas. While the restaurant's particular brand of energy might not be for everyone, it's an undeniably fun place to celebrate. If you enjoy glamorous crowds, high-end vibes, and you don't mind a few selfies around your steak, Evelyn belongs on your list. Sign up for our newsletter.
Eater
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Eater
The Biggest Dallas Restaurant News This Month, May 2025
Catch up on the most exciting food and dining news of each month in Eater Dallas's newest column. The most popular news stories this month: 5. A Tale of Three Tasting Menus at Michelin-Recognized Restaurants in DFW Tasting menus are so hot right now, and three that Eater Dallas is particularly interested in, either for their Michelin recognition or their Beard awards, have launched new options this year. The chefs at Quarter Acre, Monarch, and the Heritage Table shared with us the details on what's on the menu, why they're offering it, and how Michelin influences their choices. 4. Where Do You Think Tom Cruise Should Eat Barbecue in Dallas? We asked, and you answered. Our inbox was full of suggestions, most of which Cruise did not opt for, but they certainly prompted us to add some bookmarks to our Google Maps list of places to go. Here were a few of the suggestions, in case you'd like to make a list yourself: Mike Anderson's Barbecue House, Kafi BBQ in Irving, Slow Bone BBQ, Records Barbecue, Marty B's in Bartonville, and Meshack's Bar-B-Que in Garland. 3. Tom Cruise Went to Pecan Lodge and All We Got Was a Confounding Instagram Post Talk about a media clusterfuck. Tom Cruise visited Pecan Lodge on Thursday, and no one shared any details about his visit with the media, such as what he ate, until late Friday afternoon. In fact, the only way we were able to confirm it was with a random Instagram post from one of the owners of Tribal All Day Cafe in the Bishop Arts. Anyway, here's a photo of Cruise at Pecan Lodge without his sunglasses on but absolutely not eating. 2. Where to Take Your Dallas Parent for Mother's Day Based on What Kind of Mom They Are A whole lot of y'all needed help figuring out Mother's Day this year, it would seem. Thank god that's over, right? Hope we helped. The Michelin-Recognized Birria Joint That Used to Be a Hidden Gem Very happy to find out that so many of you were also curious about what made this particular spot Michelin-worthy. In case you missed it: Tiffany Derry Spills the Tea on Her First Season as a 'MasterChef' Judge This much-lauded Dallas chef became the first Black woman to serve as a judge on MasterChef on Fox. We talked to her about how that happened and how she broke the news to her mentor Bobby Flay that she wasn't going to be on Triple Threat anymore. The Coolest Underground Dinner Party Series in Dallas Is in a Ceramics Showroom We got the chance to attend one of these last summer, when RJ Yoakum from Georgie hosted, and it was a blast. The folks at Marcello Andres have only amped up the talent they're working with for one-of-a-kind Kiln to Table dinner since. The Best Restaurants in Bishop Arts Our most popular map this month? Of course, it was an update to the Bishop Arts guide. There are so many new and interesting places down there. Have you been to Pillar? Maybe Little Blue Bistro? How about Michelin-recommended Stock & Barrel? Well, what are you waiting for? Sign up for our newsletter.
