The Spread.

Smoke and DaLat Head To Plano and Absolut's Got a New Texas Vodka.

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.

In an ever-growing food and drink town, sometimes it's nice to be able to slow down and get back to basics. Innovation and creativity are great for trying something different, sure. But it's always nice to see a restaurant or a bar with those few classic elements that can make a good bar great.

To that end, Henderson Tap House is bringing some classic bar elements to the neighborhood by serving customers tall boys in paper bags. Sure, you may be thinking that you can get your own tall boy in a paper bag on a regular gas station run. But Henderson Tap House takes that simple, understated part of the drinking experience and adds it to a list of options that includes more than two dozen whiskey and 75-plus beer choices. Plus, where else can you get a tall boy in a paper bag while also being served prime rib, calamari or lobster?

The tap house will celebrate its grand opening starting March 6 and running through March 8, from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. each day. The celebration will feature giveaways, guest hosts and DJs. Space is limited, so RSVP if you would like to attend.

Meanwhile, here's some good news for those in Plano: DaLat and Smoke will each be opening up second locations in the city in the near future. Both restaurants have secured spaces in Plano already, and they plan to bring similar elements from the flagship stores to the suburb sooner than later. DaLat hopes to open within the next two months, and Smoke is aiming for the late summer or early fall.

Craft beer is having a pretty good news week, too: Rabbit Hole Brewing's 561 beer got a nice shout-out during a recent Dallas Stars game. It helps, of course, that the beer is named after Mike Modano and the number of goals he scored in his career. In the below video, Stars analyst Craig Ludwig asked Modano possibility of it being in the locker room during the hometown team's upcoming alumni game on March 22.

Perhaps the best news for the area craft beer scene came yesterday, though, when Don Huffines won the seat for Texas Senate in a margin of less than 1 percent. Huffines is one of the primary supporters for reform in Texas brewing laws and has received a lot of support from Deep Ellum Brewing Company, in particular. Although there’s a long way to go in beer reform, yesterday's election very well could bring about some great changes for beer in the coming months.

Oh, and speaking of booze news, we'd be remiss not to mention the fact that Absolut Vodka has a new Texas-flavored blend set to hit markets soon. Absolut Texas is vodka flavored with cucumber and serran chili, which sounds a little Texas, we guess, but definitely delicious.

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