Trick Rider, Joa to Open this Spring; More Big Restaurant Openings Announced

Dallas is swimming with new restaurant openings. It’s got us a little skeptical as we report on locally owned favorites having to move as leases expire and higher bidders presumably push them out. We think that’s how real estate works anyway.

After five decades, the Stoneleigh P gets just one more year on Maple Avenue, and a note below about a new spot opening across the street suggests why. Matt’s Rancho Martinez has vacated East Dallas for greener pastures in Allen. The iconic Blue Goose on Greenville Avenue has shut down.

This is all happening while places like Komodo and La Neta, both upscale restaurants from big hospitality groups in Miami and Las Vegas, respectively, are moving in. And this is just the tip of the out-of-town iceberg.

Are there enough Dallas dining dollars to go around? Perhaps. Can local places compete in terms of labor – recruitment and retention – with luxury spots backed by large hospitality groups? Like passing by a wreck on the side of the road, we don’t really want to look.

Regardless, here are a few new restaurants that have recently been announced.

Joa in Koreatown

Joa, which means “I like it” in Korean, is a redesign of the restaurant Nuri Grill, which announced its closing in early January. Owner Wan Kim, who is also CEO of Smoothie King, wanted to bring a more energetic and casual concept to the space.

Joa will be a Korean barbecue spot “serving as a test kitchen for potential future spots,” per a press release. The menu includes mountain bulgogi (photo at top), beef, pork, shrimp, rack of lamb and hot pot. There are also a la carte items such as soups, stews, fried rice, cold noodles, hot noodles and sides.

The chefs from Nuri Grill have stayed on at the new restaurant. Chef Minji Kim owned a restaurant, Min’s Kitchen, in Seoul, where her husband, chef Ben Lee, was the executive chef. The spot received a Michelin Plate (the lowest distinction in the Michelin Guide, but it’s nothing to toss away, as most places never see the inside pages of the world’s leading culinary guide). Chefs Kim and Lee moved to Texas in early 2020 to open Nuri Grill for Wan.

We’re excited to see version 2.0 and will hopefully have a report soon. Joa, at 2254 Royal Lane, is now open.

Trick Rider at PGA Frisco Resort

Trick Rider is an upscale seafood and steak spot headed to the OMNI PGA Frisco Resort at 4341 PGA Parkway. The restaurant pays homage to famed rodeo riders and was inspired by Sydna Yokley Woodyard, a champion rodeo trick rider from Texas and founder of the American Quarter Horse Association. A bit of an unexpected humble twist from a PGA resort restaurant, but we like it.

The restaurant will focus on “an authentic Texas dining experience,” with in-house dry-aged meats and an extensive butchery program, including a raw bar, East Coast oysters and select shellfish from Australia and Hawaii.

Affixed to the ceiling over the horseshoe-shaped bar is a 16-foot-long horse made of more than four thousand Bohemian-cut crystal beads. Maybe not so humble.

Trick Rider is expected to open this spring. Perhaps May 2, according to Google.

La PasSage from Stephan Courseau and Bruno Davallion

Travis Street Hospitality, a group founded by Stephan Courseau and chef-partner Burno Davallion, has announced a Le PasSage, an all-day cafe and bar along the Katy Trail. A French-Asian fusion menu is promised for the new spot, which will be on the ground floor of The Terminal at Katy Trail, a swank new residential building expected to open next year.

Mas Mesas

Doce Mesas, a California coastal-inspired Tex-Mex spot by Mico Rodriguez, is opening a third location at Maple Terrace (3001 Maple Ave.), a 1920s building that was recently fully restored; the years-long project also included a new 22-story luxury residential space, which houses the street-facing restaurant space.

This will be the third Doce Mesas and the first to serve breakfast in addition to the usual lunch and dinner menu. Doce Mesas at Maple Terrace is expected to open in spring 2024.

Also headed for Maple Terrace is CATCH Dallas, a high-profile dining spot from Catch Hospitality, which has restaurants in New York, Aspen, Las Vegas and Los Angeles. Catch Hospitality’s executive team includes Texas billionaire businessman Tilman Fertitta, who owns the Houston Rockets and is the CEO of Landry’s, along with Mark Birnbaum and Eugene Remm.

CATCH will serve high steaks, seafood and sushi. The Las Vegas location of CATCH inside the Aria resort has a dessert called “Hit Me” Chocolate Cake that is described as “interactive” and has liquid “Klondike” ($19). There’s also a Donut Wonder Wheel ($16) with raspberry, cream cheese and chocolate sauce. Maybe we’ll go review just the desserts.

CATCH is expected to open next spring.