Tuscan lurch
It's hard to tell how the once-trendy Tuscan glamour hut known as Toscana, shuttered since mid-February, will be resuscitated. One rumor, at least, seems to have legs, and that is that ex-Sfuzzi pros Michael Costa and Dean McSherry, creators of the consulting firm DMC Hospitality, will attempt to revive it in all its spaghetti-strapped, Gucci-loafered glory. Michael Costa, the former director of operations for FoodStar Restaurant Group, Toscana's onetime owner, confirms the pair has been weighing Toscana's prospects and is seeking a deal with Shared Vision, the restaurant's current owner. Whatever the outcome, they will have their hands full. Costa says DMC has just landed a potentially lucrative deal with ClubCorp, the Dallas-based $1 billion-plus hospitality firm that operates some 224 golf courses, country clubs, private business clubs, hotels, and resorts worldwide, whereby they will revamp the company's food and beverage management operations. ClubCorp is giving DMC a test run at five of its properties, including Hackberry Creek in Los Colinas, River Place in Austin, and the Citrus Club in Orlando, Florida.
Mixed hash
Rambling Dallas chef Marc Haines, currently cooking Caribbean at Cuba Libre, is not only a prolific chef. He's also a productive prattler--at least KYNG-FM 105.3 ("the talk that rocks") thinks so. The station just signed Haines to do a food variety show called "Spice of Life," a radio farrago of guest chefs, heart-healthy cuisine, and comedy--maybe things like hissing soufflés and heart-healthy food fights. The show premieres Sunday, May 28, and from 1-2 p.m. Haines presents his first booking: Star Canyon/AquaKnox chef Stephan Pyles...Former Star Canyon/AquaKnox General Manager George Majdalani says he's close to breaking ground on his own restaurant, though he wouldn't disclose the concept or the location. Until that happens, he's working with Mico Rodriguez and the M Crowd as a consultant to spiff up the service across the Crowd's restaurants, focusing specifically on Ellington's Southern Chop House in Fort Worth...Brewing equipment has been removed from Routh Street Brewery, which wil shut down for good May 28 and be taken over by Mattito's Café Mexicano. Routh Street General Manager Rusty Fenton says that while there are no plans to relocate, he's willing to tap anyone willing to float it...See-worthy Restaurants Inc., operators of Rockfish Seafood Grills, announced plans to franchise the concept, with sights set on Phoenix, Tucson, Denver, Kansas City, and Texas.
—Mark Stuertz E-mail Dish at markstz@flash.net.
