Amy Curry joined East Dallas at a sneak peek of the coming-soon neighborhood spot, Goodfriends. Here's her dispatch.
It won't open for at least a few weeks, but Goodfriends (near Peavy and Garland roads in East Dallas) finally opened its patio yesterday to invite its already devoted following, who have been circling the place for the past several months, to sample its future wares.
Owners Josh Yingling and Matt Tobin were hopeful for a June opening, but June came and went with much to be done. They still haven't determined a concrete launch date, but Tobin says they're happy with the progress and cited the event as an opportunity to give the public a peek.
"We just wanted to do it as a thank you to everyone for all the support," Tobin says. "The people on Facebook have been great, so we thought it would be good to give them a little preview of what's to come."
The soon-to-be-beer-garden and burger joint tapped a 200-year-old barrel filled with Franconia to get the party started. Breweries provided samples, included Stone Brewing Co., Brooklyn Brewery, Ommengang Brewing, Harpoon Brewing, Avery Brewing and Left Hand Brewery. For the wine connoisseurs in attendance, Susanna Partida was representing N2 Wines.
The opening of Goodfriends will not be the first time Yingling and Tobin have joined forces; Yingling has managed the Tobin-owned Vickery Park on Henderson for the past six years. Yingling is making the transition to the same post at Goodfriends, although Tobin insists they're not trying to copy Vickery Park. "The only similarity will be that Josh and I are there," he says.
Tobin, an East Dallas resident, has apparently been staking out this location for quite some time. After Dallas voters decided to loosen the city's alcohol restrictions last November, he saw his chance.
"My wife has been telling me for years, 'You really need to do something with that place.' And now that this area is wet, we decided to go for it. We're going to feature burgers and beer, pairing great burgers with American craft beers."
Tobin has enlisted neighboring Good 2 Go owners Colleen O'Hare and Jeana Johnson to help out with culinary duties. The bar itself is in the process of being stained, and old church pews, which will be used for indoor seating, are waiting to be revived. The large patio out front is being equipped with a pergola.
There is still a lot of work ahead, but contractor Ryan Chaney says that once the patio is completed, there will be plenty of outdoor seating, complete with umbrella-covered tables and a washer pit.
Yes, a washer pit.
