What you need to know about Trinity Groves, Dallas’ hottest foodie destination
ARNOLD WAYNE JONES | Executive Editor
When the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge was being erected, critics dismissed it as an expensive “bridge to nowhere.” But nobody’s saying that now. In addition to providing an alternate route to West Dallas and Oak Cliff, the Trinity Groves project is anchoring the kind of traffic people like — the kind that comes to stay.
A strip mall-ish development at the western foot of the bridge, Trinity Groves was a warehouse-y stretch of empty shells when it started, but the space is filling in nicely — not with clothing stores or department stores or jewelry stores, but with restaurants. Dallas-based restaurateur Phil Romano gets credit for the idea, intended as a testing ground for new cooking concepts. (Most of the interiors have similar set-ups, allowing some unique décor but with limits on creating one-of-a-kind atmospheres, but they still can make their mark in design and food.) It’s Thunderdome with spatulas.
Since the first concepts opened their doors last fall, the attraction of the space has grown, with genuine acclaim being visited on many of the concepts (some gay-owned or run). Sucking up most of the oxygen has been Casa Rubia, chef Omar Flores’ Spanish tapas gem. But Casa Rubia is only open for dinner, while many of its neighbors offer lunch options as well. Here’s a rundown of what to expect from the other restaurants.
3011 Gulden Lane. TrinityGroves.com.
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Souk. A Moroccan style bistro, it’s the brainchild of Yaser Khalef, who has plumbed Middle Eastern cuisine at Baboush in the West Village, as well as pizza at Farnachi and burgers at Ketchup.
Luck. An abbreviation for Local Urban Craft Kitchen, Luck’s name omits its biggest draw: Its tap wall. The casual dining grill offers 40 beers on tap, all sourced within 75 miles of Dallas. If you have a taste for microbrews, there’s no better place to forage than here.
Chino Chinatown. The name conjures both China and Mexican slang, and that’s what Chef Uno delivers, a fusion of Latin with Asian cooking and décor that mixes Peking Opera with quinceanera.
Kitchen LTO. The “LTO” is short for “Limited Time Only” at creator Casie Caldwell’s “permanent pop-up,” which swaps out chefs three or four times a year, meaning each time you go there is the potential for something different. (The current chef is Brooks Egger.)
Resto Gastro Bistro. An eclectic menu from chef DJ Quintanilla offers a twist on the trendy gastropub, where food, wine and cocktails occupy equal value for the food lover’s palate.
Potato Flats. The restaurants on the front of the building were mostly developed first, but the back row is coming online too, with this gourmet potato bar opening just this week. (They smash the potatoes to make them flat, hence the name.)
Amberjax. For fish lovers, Amberjax is the principal seafood option at the development, with a blackboard that changes with the tides.
Other concepts are also in development, including a new sweets shop from Kate Weiser of Chocolate Secrets on Oak Lawn, and the upcoming Japanese restaurant Sushi Bayashi.
The restaurants at Trinity Groves aren’t the only attraction of the neighborhood, either. Across the street are more eateries, including Hofmann Hots, and next door is Five Corners Brewing Company, which brews some of North Texas’ best beers.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition July 4, 2014.