7 hot new concepts worth checking out
By Heather Lalley on Jul. 08, 2017From a giant clubstaurant in Dallas to a delivery-only poke concept from a Chicago powerhouse, innovative new concepts continue to make us take notice. Here are the latest ones you should be watching.
1. Restaurant + nightclub + performance venue
The 10,000-square-foot Don’t Tell Supper Club in downtown Dallas is part of a growing breed of restaurant-nightclub hybrids that are cramming lots of entertainment options into their cavernous spaces. This one features a 24-foot stage, two bars, an enclosed patio and a 120-seat dining room that serves shareable plates and entrees. After 11 p.m., the venue features burlesque dancers, hypnotists and other performers. The space can also be rented for private events. Plans are in the works to add brunch entertainment in the fall.
2. 50-year-old restaurant becomes food hall
Aviation-themed The Proud Bird opened in 1967 right off the runways at Los Angeles International Airport. Now, the restaurant has undergone a total remodel to become a six-stall “food bazaar” featuring Asian, Italian and American food. The space retains its aircraft decor, along with communal tables and lounge seating. It also features a bar.
3. Better-for-you fish and chips?
That’s the premise behind Reykjavik-based Icelandic Fish and Chips, which just landed its first U.S. outpost in New York City. The concept offers cold-water fish from Iceland thinly crusted with spelt instead of the traditional indulgent beer batter. In lieu of "chips," diners here get baked potato wedges. Everything’s served with probiotic-rich, skyr-based dipping sauces called “Skyronnes.” The unit has 90 seats and is decorated with Icelandic seascapes.
4. Artisan doughnut-fried chicken spot makes a leap
Federal Donuts, the Philadephia-based doughnut and Korean fried chicken chain from multiple James Beard Award-winner Michael Solomonov launched its seventh unit—the first one outside of Pennsylvania. The space is in keeping with the chain’s other locations and includes the same menu of “hot and fresh” and “fancy” doughnuts, along with fried chicken served with a variety of sauces and seasonings. This new unit differs from the others, though, in that it serves beer and offers late-night hours Thursday through Saturday.
5. Flatbread sandwiches get the fast-casual treatment
Josef Centeno, a Los Angeles-based chef who operates several other restaurants, debuted a fast-casual outfit that sells his signature “baco” sandwiches. BacoShop also sells “bacorritos,” grain bowls and salads. Centeno first served the flatbread sandwiches as a staff meal at one of his restaurants a decade ago. They can be filled with virtually anything, including meatballs, coffee-rubbed steak or fava-based hummus. BacoShop offers a catering menu and delivery via Caviar.
6. Michelin-starred chef does bar food
John Fraser, the chef from Michelin-starred Dovetail in New York City, is behind the food at the new Narcbar (the name’s an homage to his Narcissa restaurant and, also, slang for pot edibles) at The Standard hotel. The 60-seat bar features a menu of “bites” and “bigger bites,” designed to be shared with rounds of drinks. There’s standard bar fare as well as more adventurous dishes like a green pea tostada and swordfish kebab.
7. Delivery-only poke
Chicago’s Lettuce Entertain You restaurant group, which recently launched a carryout and delivery-only seafood concept called Seasides, is diving in with another “virtual” seafood enterprise. ASAP Poke, scheduled to begin delivering this week, will offer customizable poke bowls and maki rolls. Diners can choose bases of grains or greens, along with proteins like tuna and salmon, and a variety of toppings and sauces. The concept also offers catering for large orders.