The Spread.

FireWheel Rolls Out Root Beer, TnT Pours Over 100 Tequilas and The Slip Inn Returns (Kinda).

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.

You can pretty much always count on a local brewery to have some sort of hook meant to draw people in. It's kind of a necessity these days if you want to compete in such a rapidly growing market. But while many ploys aimed at attracting customers tend to center around awkwardly catchy titles and weird flavors, it's refreshing to find a brewery that's doing something a little different.

Take FireWheel Brewing Co., for example. After two and a half years of slinging beer throughout North Texas, owners say they're planning on opening a new brewery in Rowlett — one where they'll be making root beer in addition to the alcoholic stuff.

“It was a bet between me and my now assistant brewer, Nate Brietzman — a friendly competition to see who could make a better non-alcoholic root beer,” says FireWheel founder Brad Perkinson. “I won the initial bet. But we are both winners, I guess, because the sodas we make now are fantastic.”

Various flavors of root beer such as chocolate coconut and maple are just a small part of FireWheel's new digs. The facility will also feature a 15-BBL brewhouse and a full taproom bar, which finds the brewery expanding to 24 taps instead of its current six. Brews available include an imperial black ale called Midnight Ninja, and a strawberry IPA coined as the StrIPA. Unfortunately, growlers won't be available at the site, but Perkinson says the company has plans in the works to can its brews by the middle of next year. In the meantime, you'll be able to enjoy the release of several new beers, as well as live music and food trucks during the grand opening on Saturday, December 6, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Sticking on the beer front, Uptown hot spot Malai Kitchen released its newest house brew, the Viet Coffee Stout. The imperial-style stout combines Vietnamese cold brew coffee with chocolate malt, and is available on draft and by the growler.

Over in the Quadrangle, TnT Tacos and Tequila is officially open. The menu is separated by your choice of protein or veggie that can be done up taco, burrito, skewer or salad style. You can also choose from desserts like doughnut holes and tres flans (honey, pumpkin and cheesecake), or just skip straight to the selection of more than 100 tequilas. Saturdays and Sundays are when you can make your dollars count, though, with the all-you-can-eat brunch buffet from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Hours are Monday through Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Thursday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

In Oak Lawn, Scotch and Sausage is already undergoing changes, with a new chef and revamped menu. Some of the changes include the addition of chef Patrick Stark (Sundown at Granada) in the kitchen, and sausages sourced from Colorado.

And, now, depending on where you live, you can get food from these and other restaurants delivered right to your door. With the Favor app, you can have food from just about anywhere brought to your doorstep with a small fee and a few clicks, taking convenience to another level. The only downside is, the company doesn't deliver alcohol. But that's where Minibar picks up the slack.

Meanwhile, lovers of fast-casual dining at places other than their own home can look forward to the opening of Tokyo Joe's in Frisco and Richardson. The Denver-based chain specializes in made-to-order rice and noodle bowls, plus sushi and salads. Expect these openings to come sometime in spring of 2015.

Trinity Groves is also getting another addition to its growing restaurant list with the opening of DiDi's Tamales. As the name suggests, you can choose from a selection of Mexican and Central American tamales, as well as tamale Fritos pie and dessert tamales. There's also a selection of tortas, tequila and coffee drinks. It's open Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

And, out in Fort Worth, a West Texas cantina called Thurber Mingus is opening early next year. Expect it to be “West Texas meets East Texas” with a rotating menu of tacos, burgers and local beer.

Finally this week, some good drinking news that comes a little closer to home as a couple of adored, much-missed spots are coming back into sight. Over the weekend, The Loon resurfaced under a different name and in a new home: Now called Cliff's Bar & Grill, the establishment, which comes from the same ownership group, is taking over the old House 34 on the same McKinney Avenue stretch that also includes the Quarter Bar and So & So's And speaking of So & So's: News finally broke this week that the team behind that spot is also the group behind the eventual re-opening of The Slip Inn just off of Henderson Avenue. No date is yet determined for the opening — and no name yet, either, although its temporarily being called The Whippersnapper. Expect much more news on that spot as its opening date comes into focus.

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