Welcome to SideDish’s weekly dispatch of need-to-know News Bites, from quiet closures to opening updates and everything in between.
Sake Bombs Away!
After last month’s arrival of Neon Kitten, where dim sum and nigiri abound, another new Deep Ellum restaurant brings Asian eats to Main Street. Hawkers Asian Street Food softly opens this week. At the small but growing Atlanta-based chain, expect a nice menu of Pan-Asian dishes, from saucy fried chicken bao to wokked noodles, such as char kway teow, a Malaysian street food favorite. (Pro-tip: ask for a tray of trio hot sauces, which include a Szechuan-kicked chile crisp that you should absolutely work into the aforementioned noodle dish.)
Drinks at this upbeat spots run the gamut: some tiki here, some Asian-influenced cocktails there (five spice simple syrup in an Old Fashioned, lemongrass-infused rum in a drink that is essentially an adult CapriSun). As for the sake bombs, order some and a server—gong in hand—will coach you through the ritual of yelling “Sake! Bomb! Sake! Bomb!” And then with the strike of gong, pound your cup of house sake into a pint of Sapporo. Find Hawkers at 2800 Main Street, Tuesday through Saturday for dinner.
A New Steak House Makes a Home in Koreatown
Nuri Grill comes from the minds of Smoothie King CEO Wan Kim, who hails from Korea and has installed co-executive chefs Minji Kim and Ben Lee (also Minji’s husband) to helm the forthcoming Koreantown restaurant. The 4,000-square-foot space will have tables at which grills are center stage. There, servers—or diners, as an option—can cook prime New York strip or marinated galbi short ribs.
It’s not a groundbreaking setup for Korean restaurants, but Nuri Grill stands out for its deep wine list, impressive lineup of sake and soju, craft cocktails, top-notch meats (we see you, chateaubriand), and upscale vibe. You can also opt for a set five-course “feast” for the whole table; choose between chateaubriand or ribeye, both of which comes with myriad sides and accoutrements.
Nuri Grill opens for dinner on Nov. 9 at 2254 Royal Lane, suite 100 (Sun–Thu, 5 to 10 p.m., Fri & Sat, 5 to 11 p.m.).
Goodbye, Slider-Topped Bloody Marys. We’ll Miss You.
Anvil Pub was among some of the dwindling Deep Ellum pubs where a bunch of leather-bound bikers could pull up for brunch alongside the younger urbanite set with their dogs tucked underneath patio tables. Dallas Morning News shared word of the closure after Anvil Pub owners posted on Facebook: “I know it’s short notice, but tonight is it.”
What Else Is Going On in Dallas Dining?
Ten Bells Tavern is relocating. The bar, which has served patrons and local cats alike in Oak Cliff for a decade, will close at the end of January next year, then open for tavern 2.0 at 231 West Eighth Street shortly thereafter. As a recent tweet shares: the ink just dried on Ten Bells’ new lease, making it Twitter official. DMN reports how the move is prompted by “the current development owners, Alamo Manhattan Corp., [having] expressed “no interest” in extending the lease for her tavern.”
Signed the lease for our new place on Halloween. Now to take this little gem and make it ours. pic.twitter.com/mVxxROkjDA
— Ten Bells Tavern (@TenBellsTavern) November 1, 2021
Austin’s Freebirds World Burrito opens in downtown Dallas and, in other downtown arrivals, the Omni Hotel adds two new restaurants (one slinging pizza and the other serves chicken tenders), reports Dallas CultureMap.
In sad news, Alexandre’s, a staple of Oak Lawn’s gay scene, suffered a fire on October 27 that forced it to close temporarily. Eater Dallas says, “Alexandre’s owner Lee Daugherty is focused on reopening as soon as possible for the sake of his staff of six, who are currently out with supplemental paid leave.”
Also from Eater, word comes that buzzy Brooklyn ice cream brand Van Leeuwen has plans to set up a scoop shop in Dallas.
