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Nov 05, 2023

Pizza and pumpkins preside over this roundup of Dallas restaurant news

News You Can Eat Loaded nacho cheeseburger and queso fries. This roundup of dining news around Dallas is fun because there's such a variety. It has restaurant openings, renovations, relocations, chef

News You Can Eat

Loaded nacho cheeseburger and queso fries.

This roundup of dining news around Dallas is fun because there's such a variety. It has restaurant openings, renovations, relocations, chef hires, tea service, and one concept's major investment in noodles. There are all kinds of new dishes and limited-edition items, including a big surge in pumpkin, because it's that time of year.

Here's what's happening in Dallas restaurant news:

Bad Chicken, a fast casual chicken concept, is relocating from their test kitchen in Preston Center where they've been since November 2022 to a permanent spot with a drive-thru at 5014 Ross Ave. The space will feature a large patio, digital game boards in the dining room, a revamped menu, and a drive-thru.

Grimaldi’s Pizzeria, the Brooklyn style pizzeria chain, has opened a location at The Realm at Castle Hills in Lewisville, at 4440 State Highway 121. It has 3,500 square feet of indoor and outdoor space including a covered patio overlooking a water fountain at the shopping center. The menu consists of coal fired brick-oven pizza and calzones, salads, starters, desserts, and a full bar with cocktails, beer, and wine including Grimaldi’s own bottlings of Mille Gradi wines. Grimaldi’s entered Dallas in 2007, and has 40-plus locations in 11 states including 20 in Texas.

Marco’s Pizza has opened a location in Cedar Hill at 425 E. Pleasant Run Rd. Hoogland Restaurant Group, Marco’s Pizza’s largest franchisee that owns and operates more than 100 locations, is spearheading the opening. The menu features specialty pizzas including the White Cheezy, Deluxe, All Meat, or Build-Your-Own Pizza, plus Pizza Bowls, a crustless pizza baked in a bowl, subs, salads, desserts, breadsticks, wings, and boneless wings.

Golden Chick opened a location in Cedar Hill at 528 E. Belt Line Rd. Joseph Omobogie, franchisee to 13 other locations across the Texas, will own and operate the location. This is the 10th location to open in 2023.

Malai Kitchen has invested heavily in its noodle program with a custom noodle machine from a Vietnamese machinist shop. Resembling a conveyor belt, the machine transforms rice-flour batter into noodle strands via steaming and cutting. The small Vietnamese chain is now producing 200-300 pounds of fresh noodles daily, including a special Pho noodle and wide-flat rice noodles used in signature dishes at all four locations. They've also imported 40,000 high-protein rice flour from Vietnam which provides the ideal flavor and consistency.

Moxies in Dallas at the Crescent has begun a renovation to bring the design up to the standards of newer locations across Texas, Arizona, and Florida. The lounge and bar will be closed through September, but the dining room is still open, and not to worry, it has two 75-inch TVs, as well as the three patios and patio bar with two 65-inch TVs. They've got the TVs covered. They will also continue happy hour Monday-Friday from 3-6 pm, weekend brunch, and half price wine bottles on Wednesday. While the bar and lounge are closed, you can enter through the main front entry doors facing Crescent Ct. and Maple Ave. Once that renovation is done, they will temporarily close the dining room for phase two. They will re-open the bar & lounge with an updated beverage program offering new cocktails and new wines. This was the first Moxies in the US, opening in November 2016.

Quarter Acre the Greenville Avenue restaurant from chef Toby Archibald has new limited-time appetizers and snacks including Chicken-Fried Quail with mushrooms, blueberries, and PB&J; Smoked Tomato Plate with ricotta, ketchup, rosemary, and nori; the Watermelon Bite with compressed melon and hibiscus foam; and a drink with 42 Below Vodka, Suze, and anise hyssop.

Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux has introduced bone-in wings to its menu for the first time, for a limited time in flavors including Buffalo, Sweet Chili, and Lemon Pepper Dry Rub, plus a special flavor exclusively to the Arlington and The Colony restaurant locations called the "Louisiana Kick, crafted in collaboration with franchisee and Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, featuring the bold and zesty essence of Louisiana cuisine with the fiery spirit of Texan culinary passion.

The Taschen Library at The Joule, the bookshop on the lobby level, has revived its fall tea service served on Sundays from 11 am-3 pm, featuring savory tea fare, pastries, desserts, tea, and bubbly. The menu includes Pumpkin Spiced Egg Custard, Potato Croquette, Beef Cured Salmon, Smoked Turkey Tartine, Beef Latke, Smoked White Fish, BLT with confit pork belly, Avocado Toast, Rosemary Pear Sandwich Cookie, Caramel Apple, Hazelnut Financier with poached pear, Orange Cranberry Scone, Pumpkin Spice Macaron, Tea Pairings, and NV Côté Mas Cremant de Limoux Brut. Seating is communal at shared tables. The $125 price includes tax, gratuity, complimentary valet at The Joule, and a copy of a selected Taschen book.

Maple Leaf Diner has a new menu item: the Buffalo Chicken Ranch Pita - consisting of buffalo chicken, pita bread, ranch, lettuce and cheddar cheese.

Dough Bro’s, an Italian kitchen with locations in Dallas, Plano, and Bedford, has added six new menu items including three new starters: Bruschetta, with tomato, basil, and buffalo mozzarella; Pepperoni Rolls with marinara dipping sauce; and brilliant Pizza Fries, house fries topped with mozzarella cheese, marinara sauce, and choice of various meat things. Three new pizzas include Supreme, with pepperoni, Italian sausage, bell pepper, onion, mushroom, and black olive; BBQ Chicken; and Hawaiian.

Fish City Grill and Half Shells have four new menu items: A new sampler with calamari, fried pickles, and shrimp-crab queso; Super Greens Salmon Salad with kale and shaved Brussels sprouts; Shrimp & Chicken Penne; and a Chocolate Addiction dessert with chocolate cream, chocolate drops, nuts, almond toffee crunch, and a cookie crumb crust.

Scout, the sports bar inside The Statler in downtown Dallas, has a limited-time State Fair menu with Cornflakes Battered Sausage on a stick, Brisket Sliders, Texas Twinkies (pulled pork and cream cheese-stuffed jalapeños wrapped in bacon and topped with BBQ sauce), Funnel Cake Fries, and Fried Oreos, available starting September 5 and running through Fair season October 22.

Elm & Good inside The Kimpton Pittman Hotel in Deep Ellum has appointed Chad Starling as Executive Chef. Most recently, Starling was executive chef of Barcelona Wine Bar before transitioning to a private chef position. He's created some small plates such as Hamachi Crudo, Squid Ink Campanelle, and oysters plus Pork Belly with bourbon-maple gastrique, Sheeps Cheese with peaches, BBQ Heirloom Carrots with carrot top pesto, and A Bar N Ranch Bavette Steak.

Oak'd BBQ has launched a new carryout Monday Family Meal Deal that feeds four for $25, with a smoked chicken, two sides, brioche rolls, pickles, and onions. That perfectly cooked bird is broken down into eight pieces, so there’s enough chicken for everyone. Side options include red skin potato salad, BBQ beans, three cheese mac, greens, cauliflower, baked potato, fries, coleslaw, Brussels sprouts, or orzo cucumber salad. Available at both locations on Greenville Avenue in Dallas and Belt Line Road in Addison from 4-8 pm or until sold out.

Urban Rio has a special for September: Two tamales filled with corn and Rio cheese and topped with Hatch sauce.

Urban Crust has a Hatch Pizza for September, featuring Hatch chiles, sirloin, pepper jack cheese, tobacco fried onions, cilantro, and queso fresco.

Tacodeli has a new permanent dessert: a Brown Butter & Bourbon Blondie, sourced from The Bearded Baking Company in Bastrop, like a butterscotch version of a brownie.

Tommy Bahama Restaurant & Bar has new tequila cocktails, entrees, tacos, Lobster Flautas, Blackened Shrimp Chili Rellenos, Sea Bass with Israeli couscous, and Pork Chop garnished with d’anjou pears, with a sweet potato tamale filled with sweet corn fondue.

BoomerJacks has brought back the Beer Cheese Burger, Jumbo Pretzel with beer cheese, and debuted a new Watermelon Margarita, and a new Fried Oreo dessert.

Carrabba’s Italian Grill has new seasonal specials including Pork Chop with Bacon and Fig Jam, wings in a spicy Calabrian chile butter, Chicken and Shrimp Carbonara, Pumpkin Spice Bread Pudding, and the returning Blood Orange Margarita with Sauza Gold Tequila, Disaronno Amaretto, and blood orange sour.

Wendy's has new Made to Crave menu additions: The Loaded Nacho Cheeseburger or the Loaded Nacho Shicken Sandwich, both served on a jalapeño cheddar bun, and Queso Fries with roasted poblano queso and shredded cheddar.

Birdcall in Carrollton has a new chicken sandwich featuring Mike’s Hot Honey, romaine, Calabrian chili aioli, and pickled banana peppers. Mike's Hot Honey sauce can also be ordered as an extra drizzle on any sandwich for $1 and as a sauce on the side for $1.50.

Taco Cabana is launching all-new Frito’s Pie Quesadilla, Hatch Chile Smoked Pulled Pork Street Tacos, a Triple Chocolate Cookie, and the TC 45 Vodkarita with Tito’s Handmade Vodka sold in a commemorative 24-ounce yard cup.

Cici's is offering Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls, a pumpkin spice version of their regular cinnamon rolls but with pumpkin-spicy icing featuring cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg.

Smoothie King has brought back pumpkin smoothies, made with organic pumpkin and packed with 10+ grams of protein, in five options including Pumpkin Power Meal with almonds and dates; the Pumpkin Slim-N-Trim; and Pumpkin Vegan.

SusieCakes has a new limited-time Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcake with a pumpkin cupcake, coffee buttercream, and cinnamon sugar, available September 5 through October 1 $4.75 each.

La Madeleine has a festive menu with limited-time items including Pumpkin Spice Latte, Pumpkin Streusel Muffin with cinnamon-sugar streusel, Turtle Cheesecake with caramel and chocolate drizzle and candied pecans, Caramel Apple Danish, and Carrot Cake.