Remarkable news just hit my inbox. Sylvan | Thirty, the West Dallas mixed-use development that finally broke ground on March 21, is getting a new restaurant tenant. It’s going to be called The Trough.
I know what you all are thinking, because it’s exactly what I’m thinking. “Trough? What the heck is a trough?! Why would someone ever name their restaurant after an animal feeder?”
Good 2 Go Tacos and ACME F&B owners, Colleen O’Hare and Jeana Johnson, are all about sourcing from local farms, whole animal allocation, and bringing simple and fresh ingredients to the table. “We want our guests to experience how ‘real food’ is supposed to taste like, but we want to do it with a funky twist,” says Johnson. They plan to open a restaurant that has two full-service bars with several intimate dining rooms and seating options. Plan B Design group will be creating imaginative rooms that range from the upscale to rustic. “Basically, we want everybody to feel comfortable. We want everyone to feel at home, no matter if they’re wearing jeans or a designer dress that costs $500.”
Sharon Hage and Tiffany Derry will be consulting on the menu, which will feature dishes served in handcrafted wooden troughs. The owners will encourage patrons to dine sans utensils, putting their faces right down into the dishes for a more immersive experience. “What better way to honor and appreciate the sources of our food than to remain conscious of our own animal natures at the dinner table?” Hage says. (But don’t worry, knives and forks will still be available upon request.) Jason Kosmas has already been hired to work on the cocktail menu.
“We’re going for a lot of earthy undertones. Ever since we’ve read recent studies about how soil is good for your heart, we’ve been thinking about putting totally clean and sanitized dirt in some of the cocktails. It’s taken a lot of collaboration with Jason, but we have a feeling it’s going to win over some Dallas skeptics once they taste these cocktails,” says Johnson. “They’re that good.”
Local beers will also be available on tap if cocktails aren’t your thing. The owners plan to have brews from Deep Ellum Brewing Co., Four Corners Brewing Co., and Community Beer Company.
In addition to the all-star cast that’s working on The Trough, Tre Wilcox (who recently left the Village Marquee to spend more time with his daughter) will also be teaching a weekly yoga class in one of the rooms. It turns out that he’s been working on getting his yoga-teaching certificate during his time off.
Update: Happy April Fool’s, everybody.
