The chefs of Restaurant Beatrice with chef and founder Michelle Carpenter, center. (Courtesy photo)
Tasty Notes is a roundup of food and restaurant news including specials, local food news, dining events and more around the area.
Restaurant Beatrice to open in March
Michelle Carpenter, chef/owner of Zen Sushi in the Bishop Arts has announced her second concept, Restaurant Beatrice, opening at 1111 N. Beckley Road in North Oak Cliff . The projected opening date is March 2022.
The new concept is rooted in Louisiana cuisine and culture in homage to her Cajun roots through her father. Named after Carpenter’s “Mammaw” or grandmother, Beatrice will include a sampling of contemporary classics that embraces Louisiana hospitality and the Oak Cliff inclusive vibe.
“Everyone knows that special feeling we get seeing the big blue highway sign as we cross the Texas border into swamp country: ‘Bienvenue en Louisiane,’” Carpenter said in a press release. “That welcoming embrace is unique to where I spent a large part of my childhood, and that’s the experience I
want my customers to have. ”
Beatrice leadership includes consulting Executive Chef Terance Jenkins, a New Orleans native who began his career nearly 20 years ago making gumbo at Commander’s Palace.
Carpenter tapped service-industry veteran Tina Bentley as general manager.
Carpenter and Jenkins conceptualized a menu that includes duck and housemade andouille gumbo made with smoked aromatics, her Mammaw’s fried chicken with pepper jelly along with a vegan interpretation of the late, great Leah Chase’s Green Gumbo made with an assortment of leafy greens in an earthy base.
Beatrice service will include a full bar and mixology program along with fun seafood boils on the patio, capturing the spirit of communal eating.
The restaurant is housed in a Craftsman home with a formal interior ambiance and a casual patio setting.
The release also states that the restaurant will give special attention to minimizing food waste. Leadership and staff are collectively working toward implementing operational practices regarding sustainability.
The restaurant will also feature the retail shop Aunt Bea’s Pantry Staples that will sell housemade pickles, jams and rubs for purchase.
The BIPOC and woman-led restaurant is operating as a public benefit corporation and will work to pioneer ways to connect to the community. Carpenter has already partnered with a local farmer for ingredients.
Hattie B’s Hot Chicken to open in Deep Ellum Feb. 23
Hattie B’s Hot Chicken comes to Dallas. (Courtesy photo)
For its opening day, Hattie B’s Hot Chicken will give away housemade chips with dill pickle seasoning. Also, a new food item will debut in the Dallas location — fried dill pickles with Hattie B’s signature hot spices.
Hattie B’s Executive Chef Brian Morris said in a press release, “The magic is in the breading because it stays on the pickles and the pickles stay crunchy even when they cool off. Our Nashville Comeback Sauce is the perfect accompaniment.”
The menu will be the same as other Hattie B’s Hot Chicken locations, but the fast-casual eatery is stepping-up its booze game. The restaurant will offer batch cocktails from taps and frozen-drink cocktails served with rum, vodka and whiskey.
“We’re expanding our draft program at Hattie B’s to include a dynamic selection of Southern cocktails and two rotating white wines. One of these will always be a sparking wine — bubbles and hot chicken go great together,” Morris mentioned. “Our draft cocktails will evolve, but we’ll always feature popular favorites like a Bourbon-laced John Daly; our take on a Ranch Water that we’re calling Shack Water — instead of tequila, ours is made with gin, grapefruit and Topo Chico; a hot chicken-and-dill pickle-infused hot Bloody Mary; and a classic Island Painkiller.”
Hattie B’s Hot Chicken is a family business, founded in 2012 by father-and-son team Nick Bishop, Sr. and junior and is headquartered in Nashville with locations in Atlanta, Birmingham, Memphis and Las Vegas. This will be its first Texas location in Dallas at 3000 Main St. Among its menu favorites include the hot chicken sandwich served with one side, tenders plate with three jumbo tenders served with two sides, bread & pickles and a half-bird plate with breast, thigh, leg and wing served with two sides, bread and pickles. View the entire menu here.
Earl’s Kitchen and Bar to host breast cancer fundraiser
On Feb. 28, Earl’s Kitchen and Bar will host Drink For Pink: Cocktails For A Cause in its fight against breast cancer. The event will feature pink cocktails from 6-8 p.m. with proceeds going toward Women Rock, an area nonprofit creating breast cancer awareness. The event will also feature a silent auction. Tickets are $100. Earl’s is located at Legacy West in Plano.
The season one finale episode of INTERSECTIONS, an Avondale Originals Series and Podcast, is titled “The Heart of Dallas,” and the episode showcases Stephan Pyles, iconic chef, restaurateur, author and philanthropist and WT Greer III, singer/songwriter and musician who, like Avondale’s Founders, both got their start in the Oak Lawn neighborhood of Dallas in the ’80s.
“In the Season 1 Finale of INTERSECTIONS, we share the rich culture of Dallas through the eyes and experiences of our guests. Both Stephan and WT have seen Dallas evolve into the city it was always meant to be, and respectfully helped influence that evolution through their music and cuisine,” Kennedy Gibson, Avondale Vice President of Marketing, said in a press release.
From Avondale:
In the episode, which premiered Feb. 16, Chef Stephan Pyles meets Greer at Fireside Pies, where he has created their new menu, in Grapevine’s Epicenter,. Pyles and Greer are Native Texans and proud Dallasites. They come to learn that each of them got their start at the same time at neighboring venues. For 10 years, Greer, dubbed by Dallas media as “The King of Hearts,” headlined The Library Bar at The Melrose, where his standing-room-only show was the talk of town. Pyles’ first restaurant job, where he got discovered was at The Bronx next door. His very first restaurant, Routh Street Café, earned five stars and it launched Dallas onto the global culinary stage. In a lively conversation surrounded by their passions of food and music, the two discuss their trajectories in Dallas and what the city, its people and its philanthropic spirit have meant to them.
For Pyles, his lifelong commitment has been to eradicate hunger in children as a founding board member of Share Our Strength. He is also a life board member of the North Texas Food Bank and co-founded The Hunger Link, Dallas’ perishable food program. Over the past 13 years, Pyles has raised more than $1,000,000 for Share Our Strength No Kid Hungry.
“This was truly an eye-opening experience from driving my first electric vehicle to sharing my love of Dallas and life lessons with WT. Both WT and I ended up discovering our true passions in the most pleasantly surprising of fashions,” said Pyles. “After being a music major and studying piano in college, I had the opportunity to travel to France where I discovered my true calling. Ironically, I learned WT studied microbiology and then became a pianist and singer. It goes to show, anything is possible in Texas,” said Pyles.
The series name refers to Avondale Group’s heritage, paying homage to the intersection of Oak Lawn and Avondale, where the founders opened their first Mercedes-Benz dealership in 1987. The episode can be viewed here.
Chef Stephan Pyles filming for INTERSECTIONS by Avondale. (Courtesy photo)
Downtown McKinney announces St. Patrick’s Day Beer Walk
The St. Patrick’s Beer Walk throughout downtown McKinney will take place on March 12. Guests will receive a signature taster and map to sip and stroll throughout the area. The event will feature the Lucky Writers’ Tears photo booth, a scavenger hunt and 20 different stops for beers, ciders and seltzers.
Among the partners announced for the walk include Tupps Brewery, Franconia, Austin Eastciders, Community Brewing Co, Luck Springs, Four Corners Brewing Co, Rahr & Sons Brewing Company, Lakewood Brewing, Oak Highland Brewing, Modelo Especial, Union Bear Brewing Co, Guinness and Writers’ Tears Whiskey.
Hug’s Cafe is a beneficiary of the event. The nonprofit provides training and competitively-paid employment for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Tickets are available here.
The Statler is having a Party Gras
The Statler will keep the Mardi Gras celebration going past Fat Tuesday with its “Party Gras” in the hotel’s ballroom on March 4. The evening will feature the band, Party Machine, offering nonstop music with cover tunes from the ’50s through today.
Tickets will include an all-inclusive hosted bar and Mardi Gras-themed light bites by Refined Hospitality Concepts, the company behind spots such as Primo’s MX Kitchen & Lounge, Sfereco, Scout, Waterproof and Overeasy. Additional authentic Cajun food offerings will be available for onsite purchase. A VIP table for four is priced at $199 and includes an all-inclusive hosted bar and the ability to purchase additional bottle service onsite. A $49 VIP Krewe ticket is also available and features an all-inclusive bar.
Click here for information and tickets.
Primo’s MX Kitchen and Lounge and Scout will offer Mardi Gras specials
Primo’s will celebrate Mardi Gras with its crawfish tacos served with remoulade slaw for $15 March 1-4. The offer will be available at all three locations including Uptown, The Statler and in Flower Mound.
Scout, The Statler’s sports bar will offer a crawfish etouffee special beginning Fat Tuesday on March 1 through March 4. The special is $17 and available for dine-in or carry-out.
Meet the Maker series continues at Toro Toro Pan-Latin Restaurant
The restaurant’s series puts you up close with a variety of spirits. This month’s Meet the Maker at Toro Toro will feature Clase Azul Tequila, a luxury sipping tequila known for its sophisticated taste and rich culture. This installment runs from 5-7 p.m. on Feb. 24 at the downtown Fort Worth eatery.
Join in to sample Clase Azul’s renowned range of tequilas and mezcal, craft cocktails, complimentary lounge bites and happy hour pricing while delving into the history of the spirit learning more about this prestigious tequila.
Meet the Maker will feature an in-depth look at Clase Azul Tequila’s 100 percent Blue Agave composition, with each plant matured for six to eight years on one of the highest mountain peaks in the Mexican state of Jalisco. The agave cores undergo a process to develop the unique sweetness and complex aromas and flavors before the agave is twice-distilled into the high-quality tequila.
Its signature decanters are individually sculpted and hand-painted by more than 350 artisans in the small Mexican town of Santa María Canchesda. The skilled workers use the ancient techniques of the Mazahua people to create one-of-a-kind bottles that contain the art and legacy of its ancestors.
No reservations are needed to participate. Toro Toro’s new Thirsty Thursday specials will feature $15 tequila and mezcal flights.
Resource Center announces inaugural Family Chili Cookoff
Resource Center will host a new event on Feb. 26. Its first Family Chili Cookoff invites all LGBTQIA+ families and friends, including chosen families and childless families for food and festivities from 2-4 p.m. This event will be outdoors (for COVID safety) with heaters if needed.
The event will feature a chili contest with prizes, outdoor games, music, and photo ops. Categories for the cook-off include Best Overall, Best Plant-Based, Best Texas-Style (no beans) and Spiciest. The cook-off will be voted on by the community.
To enter the contest, the deadline is Sunday. Registration online is suggested to skip the line on the day of event for quick check-in. Click here for more information and to register.
National Food Days Calendar
National Margarita Day is coming up. Some specials have already been announced but mark your calendar for margarita mayhem on Tuesday. The newest special comes from Lucky’s. The diner celebrates the day with $6 Watermelon ’Rita. The drink features Hornitos Blanco Tequila, Cointreau, fresh watermelon juice and lime juice. The deal is good for dine-in or take-out on Tuesday only. Just know, that to-go beverages must be sold with food items.
Legacy Hall in Plano will host its Shaken n Stirred: National Margarita Day class featuring Milagro Tequila at 6 p.m. Mixologists will teach guests how to make two versions of the cocktail: one jalapeno, the other hibiscus. House margaritas will also be on special for $2.22.
Fish City Grill and Half Shells will celebrate the day with a full lineup of margaritas at discounted prices, including:
Frozen Gold Margaritas, $6 | House recipe with an extra kick of Gran Gala
Prickly Pear Margaritas, $6.50 | Frozen Gold Margarita and 100 percent pure prickly pear purée
Spicy Silver Margaritas, $7 | El Jimador Blanco, house-infused jalapeño Gran Gala, simple syrup and fresh lime juice
Perfect Patrón Margaritas, $9.50 | Patrón Silver, Patrón Citrónge, simple syrup and fresh lime juice
Feb. 25 marks National Clam Chowder Day because why not? Fish City Grill and Half Shells will have its house-made clam chowder available in a cup or a bowl. The restaurants are celebrating a day early by offering each guest a cup of clam chowder for $2 on Thursday, Feb. 24. Limited to one cup per person, this offer is available with dine-in and to-go orders.
— Rich Lopez
