Kimye Hits Mi Cocina, Bonchon Hits Dallas and Urban Taco Hits Its Tamale Stride.
Welcome to The Spread, our weekly feature that aims to share all the area restaurant, food and beverage industry news that's fit to print. Except, this is the Internet, so space isn't a concern. Also: Good thing, because this is Dallas and this town always has breaking restaurant news going down like whoa.
Say what you will about Texas, but the natives here are tenacious when it comes to food.
Despite persisting power outages, traffic jams and many a difficulty at DFW International Airport caused by Icemaggedon '13, many an area restaurant stayed open through all the chaos, simply to satisfy the culinary needs of the masses.
Good to know that even a nationwide ice storm with ongoing effects and damages can't stop the the Dallas food scene, huh?
To that end, undeterred by a little bad recent weather, the much-anticipated opening of the Korean fried chicken chain and sports bar Bonchon is still set to go down on Greenville Avenue today. The South Korean chain already has more than 20 locations across the U.S., the majority of which are on the East Coast, with the Dallas location serving as its first in Texas. Bonchon's team seems to “get” it, too: Its Facebook page apologized for bringing some of the weather with it, then went ahead and hosted a soft opening on Monday and Tuesday of this week, too, in an effort to get some foot traffic going.
Speaking of traffic: If you thought traveling an extra 20 minutes or so for sustenance was a pain in the ass, then give some credit to Kim Kardashian, who, in the face of numerous flight cancellations, still managed to make it through the icy hell to be with Kanye West for his back-to-back shows in Dallas and Houston over the weekend and even found time to joined her rapping beau at Mi Cocina for a little Tex-Mex. Surprising no one, their appearance raised quite the stir on Instagram.
Too bad the average person can't cause that much hoopla just by arriving at a restaurant. Alas, since it is the holiday season, people can still at least bring a little joy into a child's life through Toys for Tots this week. Hacienda on Henderson is holding a Toys for Tequila event on Thursday where guests that bring a new, unwrapped toy for the organization will receive a free shot of tequila (or a free taco).
The Trucks for Tots event, meanwhile, will go down on Saturday at the Shops at Park Lance, with numerous Dallas-area food trucks joining forces for a toy drive. The event was originally supposed to take place on December 7, but was since rescheduled due to the weather weather, giving people an extra chance to find some toys and bring a little joy to someone this Christmas.
Speaking of Christmas: Urban Taco is celebrating the holiday this year with 12 days of tamales. Each day between December 13 and 24 will feature a different tamale at the spot, with ingredients ranging from mole poblano to potato zucchini con queso fresco. Sure, you can get a tamale at almost any time during the year, but it's not the same as upholding the tradition of tamales on Christmas. To add to the festive nature of the season, Urban Taco will also have seasonal cocktails to accompany its corn husk-wrapped presents.
Pat Snuffer and Pat's Burgers and Cheddar Fries, meanwhile, received a different sort of surprise this week, as construction of the new restaurant next to the Granada Theater was suspended after a temporary restraining order was placed by Mike Karns of Firebird Restaurant Group to keep them from doing so. A hearing has been set for December 19 to determine the future of the Snuffer's brand at large.
Speaking of openings — and actual ones, at that — Masala Wok opened its fourth location in Dallas this week with a new spot on Luther Lane, and Barter finally opened in the old Private|Social spot on McKinney.
Lastly, we end this week's column on a bit o a somber note: Starting on December 18, The Libertine Bar on Lower Greenville will no longer serve half-priced food on Tuesdays after seven years of doing so. Sad news, for sure.
But, fortunately, this isn't a citywide trend just yet, as plenty of other places will continue to offer up their own half-priced food deals, Tuesdays or otherwise.
Cover photo via Bonchon's Facebook page. Got a tip for The Spread? Email us!