Sugarbacon Proper Kitchen

If you haven't made the drive up to McKinney in a while, now may be the time to gas up your car. The quaint little town to our north is becoming almost as well known for its travel-worthy restaurants as it is for police assaults. Adorably named Sugarbacon stands to further the trend (the food part) with a warm, modern dining room and plenty of pork fat. Chef Jon Thompson, who previously cooked for Stephan Pyles at Samar and Stampede 66, says his menu is refined but casual, and he places more focus on ingredient sourcing and less on overwrought recipes. Much of the ingredients are made on-site, and Thompson claims the only thing he plans to use his freezer for is the desserts, including homemade ice cream for an icebox pie. The smoker, on the other hand, gets a serious workout. In addition to all that sugarbacon, pork chops, pork shoulders, turkey breasts and other meats get the smoky treatment before joining sandwiches and other dishes on the menu.