Welcome to SideDish’s weekly dispatch of need-to-know News Bites, from quiet closures to opening updates and everything in between.
Loro’s Dallas Outpost Will Debut on July 5
The Hai Hospitality restaurant from barbecue whiz Aaron Franklin and Uchi’s Tyson Cole has finally announced an opening date. (The aforementioned July 5). Next month, explore some of the Asian smokehouse favorites that Loro is known for, like smoked and sous vide cooked bavette with shishito salsa verde. The menu will also contain plenty Dallas exclusives (fish and chips; French onion brisket melt on toasted rye). To drink: batch cocktails, wine and sake on tap, local beers, and boozy slushees—the frozen gin and tonic is a stunner.
N’Awlin’s Seafood and Sports Bar Brings Cajun Flavor to the Design District
Ready thyself for a trule-blue ode to New Orleans culture. N’Awlin’s promises a “Mardi Gras wonderland” atmosphere and NOLA-famous food like jambalaya, oysters, crawfish etoufee, gumbo, and beignets. It opens on Saturday, June 19, on Juneteenth, which honors the day that news about the abolition of slavery reached Texas. It’s an intentional, celebratory choice for the Black restaurant owners. Things kick off at 11 a.m. at 1400 Hi Line Drive, Suite 116.
Julian Barsotti Plots Two New Restaurants
Interestingly, the chef-restaurateur with a firm stronghold on some of the city’s best Italian is stepping away, if ever-so-briefly, from his native cuisine and dipping into Tex-Mex. The Dallas Morning News reports that Barsotti—of Nonna, Sprezza, Carbone, and Fachini fame—will open Odelay, an ode to Dallas Tex-Mex (and, apparently, the Beck album) this fall. He’s partnering with Mike Kerr on Odelay, which will take over the old Cafe Express space on Lovers Lane.
ICYMI: Revolver Taco Lounge Is in Expansion Mode
One of Dallas’ very best restaurants and taquerias, Revolver Taco Lounge, has sprouted two more outposts this week. The first expansion opened in The Exchange Hall, the food hall wing of AT&T Discovery District. The following day, chef-owner Regino Rojas opened another in Sundance Square in Fort Worth. In the latter location, Rojas also brought his Purepecha concept, whose menu is an homage to the regional dishes he and his mother love.
