Mudsmith and Cane Rosso Announce Expansions and The Sriracha-To-Denton Dream Refuses To Die.
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.
If you've ever spent even a little time at Mudsmith on Greenville Avenue, you've probably noticed: The place is rarely empty.
Droves of people frequently pack the shop to caffeinate themselves for the day. Others relax with a few beers. Many just camp out, setting up shop with their laptops.
Point is, business appears to be good.
And now it seems that we have proof of that: Earlier this week, owner Brooke Humphries — owner of a number of noted Dallas establishments, among them Beauty Bar, It'll Do Club and Barcadia, as well as the recently shuttered Acme F&B — announced plans to open two new Mudsmith locations — one in Downtown Dallas and another in Frisco.
Per reports, the lease for the downtown spot is signed, but the Frisco location is still in letter-of-intent mode. We repeatedly attempted to get a quote from Humphries and/or anyone Mudsmith about the new locations, but got no response.
Still, we're guessing we can probably expect the same hunting lodge decor and hipster baristas that have become synonymous with the Greenville Avenue outpost at future locations.
Likewise, Cane Rosso has announced that it too is expanding north — in this case to Fairview. The newest location will be Neapolitan-style pizza joint's fourth, and, notably, its first outside of urban limits. (The first three locations can be found in Dallas' Deep Ellum and Lakewood districts, as well as Fort Worth's Near Southside neighborhood.) But owner Jay Jerrier has pressed on all the same, officially signing a lease for a property at the excessively named The Village at Fairview and The Village at Allen shopping center, with hopes of a July opening. As with previous Cane Rosso locations, the Fairview shop will have a signature pizza called “The Bruno,” which will be topped with house-made mozzarella, ricotta, Bolognese sauce and wood-fired mushrooms. The new location will also have some culinary concepts from sister pizzeria Zoli’s NY Pizza Tavern weaved into the menu, including Zoli's-style pies and garlic knots, as well as Roman-style pizzas suited for larger groups.
In other expansion news, the owners of Jonathon’s Oak Cliff have also announced an addition to the family called Kessler Park Eating House. We already told you about that, of course. But it's worth noting that the new spot, located in the old Mamma Connie’s home, will feature pepperoni rolls in addition to vegetarian-friendly option and, yes, boozed-up malts.
Meanwhile, up in Denton, after months of back and forth about the fate of the Sriracha factory in Irwindale, California, it seems as if Huy Fong Foods owner David Tran is actually seriously considering moving his plant out of the state. He even went so far as to invite noted hipster Denton City Council member Kevin Roden and a few other government representatives to California to explore the factoryand discuss possible relocation or expansion opportunities.
So far, nothing is set in stone, and Tran has previously expressed no desire to move the plant or its 200 workers that would have to be relocated or replaced. Plus, there's the fact that Sriracha-makers would have to find another pepper grower for its recipe, which could alter the taste of the legendary bright red sauce. But, in the meantime, Roden has put out a call to creative types in the region to cultivate ideas and strategies to really sell Denton as the new home for the factory.
Speaking of new deals: Restaurateur Shannon Wynne inked a deal with the Dallas Farmers Market to open a new restaurant called Mudhen. The venture will be similar to Wynne's already-in-place Meddlesome Moth concept, and come as part of the Dallas Farmers Market redevelopment project. Wynne expects the restaurant will have a healthy, chef-driven menu, with craft beers from around the world. Currently, Mudhen is scheduled for a March 2015 opening.
Of course, you won't have to wait nearly so long to satisfy your taco curiosities. On May 8, from 6 to 9 p.m., Four Corners Brewing Co. and Slow Food Dallas will host Taco Talk, where noted area taco expert Jose R. Ralat will be discuss the history of the taco and its place in Dallas food culture today. For $15, you get admission and two tacos, with beer for sale before, during and after the presentation.
Speaking of beer: Deep Ellum Brewing Co. will host its fourth annual Brew B-Q on May 25 from 5 to 10 p.m. The event will feature live music from Shane Smith & the Saints and Sugarfoote & Co., with barbecue from an award-winning Whole Foods pitmaster. If you order tickets before May 11, they'll even knock $10 off the price, so act fast.
And, in other craft beer news, Rabbit Hole Brewing is readying the release of its first seasonal beer, Wonderlust, for the beginning of June. The story behind the saison ale is that it commermorates Rabbit Hole season — or, as the brewers put it, “The Season of Virtue.”
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