Each week, SideDish will dispatch a round-up of need-to-know News Bites, from quiet closures to opening updates and everything in between.
Mezcaleria Mainstay Makes a Comeback
My introduction to Dallas’ bar scene began at Las Almas Rotas, and I have been thinking about the fathoms-deep agave spirit list ever since. The care with which the Exposition Park’s team curates its mezcal seems unmatched; it’s what makes its comeback feel like a sigh of relief. Las Almas temporarily closed for the last five days when it was flooded with old stormwater, and it will reopen on January 21. (Hey, for some small businesses such an unexpected ordeal is lethal.) Without skipping a beat, the bar’s hosting a free event tonight at 7; expect equal parts education and tasting, specifically artisanal mezcals from Oaxaca and Jalisco.
Bye Bye, Bruno
One of downtown’s stalwarts of fine dining has announced some big news: Bullion founding chef Bruno Davaillon will step away from day-to-day operations as the kitchen’s leader. According to a news release, the Michelin star-studded executive chef will serve as the restaurant’s creative advisor. The Dallas Morning News reports the new role “could involve creating new restaurant concepts….facilitating off-site events, and mentoring” Bullion’s culinary team. Here’s the latest news on Davaillon’s shift change.
Corny Dogs, But Totally, Legally Not
When Jace Fletcher Christensen and her mother Victoria Fletcher opened Corndog With No Name last week, they did so amid a lawsuit from Fletcher’s Corny Dogs, a longstanding State Fair of Texas staple—one that her grandfather Skip Fletcher ran for decades. But Christensen’s pop-up-turned-restaurant, which also serves corn dogs (hold the “y”) with a decidedly gourmet bent, is called Fletch, her nickname and also an infringement of Fletcher’s Corny Dogs copyright. Today, says Eater Dallas, a judge issued an order that permanently bans Christensen from using “Fletch” or other like names for her business. And Fletcher’s recently sent out a statement that outlines how the trademarked company—before going the litigious route—requested Christensen rename her business. So how do these as-yet-unnamed corn dogs compare? We’ll report back on that.
Casa Komali Has Closed
The Uptown restaurant quietly shuttered last week after nearly a decade of serving up contemporary Mexican cuisine, per the Dallas Observer. But, it seems, Komali went from “fresh and exciting” to slightly underwhelming under new ownership, according to D Magazine’s Eve Hill-Agnus back in her 2016 review. “I remember when Komali was fresh and exciting, its decor sleek and contemporary, its modern Mexican menu vibrant. The goat’s-milk cajeta gilding crêpes came from a local dairy. Brunch was splashy and fun. Now, five years later, with a recent change in ownership and even as regional Mexican cuisine has soared, Komali is only feeling more safe, stodgy, and tame.”
Pour One Out for an Underrated Beer Bar
The Common Table in Uptown will issue its last beer on January 26 according to a Facebook post its owner shared, explaining that the bar had reached the end of its lease in a space “in need of significant repairs.” Culture Map Dallas reports that they’re searching for a new Dallas location, but in the meantime the Frisco outpost is going strong.
Meanwhile, on SideDish
Lunar New Year isn’t merely one evening, no. The parties must go on, and we’ve rounded up a few ways to celebrate the holiday.(Dumplings are definitely involved.)
Dude, Sweet Chocolate’s downtown pop-up runs through the end of March, but chef-owner Katherine Clapner wants to stay for the long haul. A look at the future of this Dallas chocolate mainstay.
In case you missed it: The Grape’s gone, but locals remember the fond memories they forged at the Lower Greenville restaurant.
Last week’s News Bites, in which we covered hot chicken and hand-pulled noodles.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated on January 22 with a beer-related addendum.
