The Spread.

Denton Gets A Service Industry-Inspired Bar and Victory Park Gets Its Own Buzzbrews.

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.

Right on Denton's square, the latest addition to little d's bar and restaurant scene is directly inspired by its owners Matt Slider and JB Paschal's histories in the service industry. Hence its apt name, Service Industry.

“It was a literal translation of how we met,” says Slider about the concept. “That was a big sort of starting point for us: How did we all get to this point in our lives, and what does that say about what we can do for Denton?”

The concept's main focus is to be a comfortable place to get that last cocktail or to satisfy your late-night food cravings, while encompassing influences from throughout the city to brand itself as a truly “Denton” bar. This means cocktails like the Frenchy's 75 (made with Cognac, Mad Dog 20/20 Orange Jubilee with a splash of soda and lemon juice) or The White Squirrel (which combines vodka, hazelnut liqueur, half and half and a splash of Dr. Pepper). The current menu is simple — it's currently still in the soft opening stages — and is split into shared plates, late-night brunch and sides, where options include things like short rib sliders chicken and waffles. You can also order ultimate post-drinking delight — a plate of thick cut bacon, glazed with brown sugar and black pepper. There's also something called a “Cheap Date,” which is a tall boy paired with a shot for $4. College students will especially appreciate this: Nothing on the menu is over $10, and options will expand in the future.

Service Industry accurately fits the definition of hole-in-the-wall, as it takes a little searching to find. (Hint: It's right across the street from Cultivar and Hypnotic Donuts.) Hours during this soft-opening phase are from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Speaking of bacon: Central Market's Bacon Fest is upon us, and you can learn how to make, cure and candy it yourself. The observance takes place from March 4 to 17, with plenty variations of the meat to go around.

Another instructional offer to take advantage of is TJ's Seafood Market's YouTube classes, which teach everything from basic seafood prep to recipe demonstrations.

Meanwhile, spring is bringing forth more Cajun-style seafood boils with the opening of the first stand-alone Tasty Tails near Alamo Drafthouse. The menu capitalizes on buckets of crawfish, but there are plenty of other options, including shrimp, different types of crab and fried catfish.

Over in Plano, the long-awaited dream of a food truck park is now closer to becoming a reality. Hub Street will soon go before the Plano City Council for final approval of the 1.6 acre Truck Yard-like space at the corner of 14th Street and M Avenue. Also coming to Plano is an outpost of Austin-based Torchy Taco's. Look for it to open sometime late April.

Closer to home and fresh off of its opening, Braindead Brewing is wowing people with its cookies and milk offering. A warm chocolate milk with stout beer is paired with fresh cookies made with brewers' oats for an adult take on the nostalgic treat.

Fans of late-night breakfast, on the other hand, can look forward to a new location of Buzzbrews to hit Victory Park this spring. It's just one of the changes recently announced as part of a $100 million Victory Park makeover. With a planned fourth location of the local chain set to open in Lakewood later this year, this Victory Park spot will represent the chain's fifth location.

For all the good notes to report this week, there's also some tremendously sad news: It's with a heavy heart that we pass along the news that East Dallas lost agricultural legend Tom Spicer this week at the age of 58. For 30 years — predating any foodie or farm-to-table trends, mind you — the greenest thumb in town taught Dallas to appreciate locally-sourced produce. He will be severely missed.

Finally, in craft beer news this: Lakewood brewpub On Rotation is celebrating its formal grand opening on Saturday, March 7, where it will be debuting its own beers for the first time in its taproom. Also in the neighborhood, Lakewood Growler continues on with its anniversary week by hosting a Grapevine Brewing La Saison de Festivals glass night on Wednesday, March 4, at 6 p.m. Following that is a Saint Arnold Brewing Texas Independence glass night on Thursday, March 5, at 5 p.m. and Martin House Brewing's Salty Lady cask on Friday, March 6, at 5 p.m. Also? Out in Fort Worth, T & P Tavern is hosting is Beer Loves Cheese event Thursday, March 5, from 7 to 10 p.m., where beers from Revolver Brewing and more will be paired with artisan cheeses.

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