Several years ago, Steve Hartnett (Cool River, Fox & Hound, Flip’s, Bob’s Steak & Chop House in Grapevine), bought a pad of land at the corner of Main Street and Highway 114. His dream was to open a small community of art-filled restaurants connected by a landscaped walkways. Currently half of his dream is up and running: Bob’s Steak & Chop House and Fireside Pies are open. Sometime in mid-July, his two restaurants, Mi Dia and Winewood Grill, will be completed.
I stopped by the construction site the other day and got a feel for what the finished project will look like. The chef at Mi Dia is Gabriel DeLeon, the former chef/owner of Masaryk Modern Mexican Kitchen in Addison. “The menu will be part Tex-Mex, Mexican, and Santa Fe,” says Hartnett. “DeLeon will be doing a lot of dishes with chiles from New Mexico.” Hartnett, who designs the interior of all his restaurants, has purchased “a bunch” of vivid over-sized oil paintings of fruit by artist Dennis Wojtkiewicz to hang on the walls at Mi Dia. The back wall of glass will overlook the courtyard where another stunning piece of art: The Pastoral Dreamer, a bronze sculpture by artist David L. Phelps, centers the space.
Next to Bob’s is Winewood Grill, an 8,800-square foot upscale American grill cheffed by Brent Hines, former executive chef at Sky Creek Ranch and sous chef at Hickory House at the Gaylord Texan. Details on the finish-out and menu are still in the works.
“Business at Bob’s and Fireside is great,” says Hartnett. “We are really excited to get these next two restaurants open.” At the rate he’s going, he will soon be able to charge admission to view his art collection.
