Happy 30th La Calle Doce; Hello Dirt Flowers; Goodbye Decanter
Happy anniversary to La Calle Doce! The beloved Mexican seafood and Tex-Mex restaurant at 12th and Bishop celebrates 30 years on September 15. Dirt Flowers’ owner Chris Eudaley has successfully opened his second location Downtown at Main and Ervay and says things are going well. The Bishop Arts-based floral and event design studio offers a clever take on traditional floral design. Decanter Restaurant and Wine Lounge in the Bishop Arts District has closed. Executive chef Tony Gardizi says the decision to close was a result of many factors. “It was the economy, a decline in business from the first few months, plus staffing issues,” Gardizi says.
• La Calle Doce, 415 W. 12th, 214.941.4304
• Dirt Flowers, 1517 Main, 214.242.9533
New café opens in Oak Cliff Cultural Center
Guillaumes’ Gourmet Café has opened in the Oak Cliff Cultural Center. Chef Saul Williams III says the concept is simple: “We are making food that is great on the palate but simple on the mind,” Williams says. “I’ve cooked Italian food for Macaroni Grill, Creole cuisine in Shreveport and barbecue at the White House for President Obama, but here it’s about making basic, no-cook meals that are appealing to all cultures and tastes.” Offering gourmet salads, soups, sandwiches and fresh fruit parfaits, Williams says he’s constantly innovating. “This menu won’t grow roots,” Williams says.
• Guillaumes’ Gourmet Cafe, 223 W. Jefferson, 214.670.3777
Salvage House fashion designer opens retail location
Oak Cliff fashion designer and tailor Tracy Popken has opened a retail location for her vintage-inspired clothing line, Salvage House, near the Bishop Arts District on Melba and Madison. Popken, who grew up in Richardson and studied fashion at the University of North Texas, makes ’40s-inspired dresses that are functional and flattering. “I make things that I want to throw on every day,” Popken says. “My aim is to make everything timeless.” This talented designer with a penchant for the past also offers tailor services. “Everybody has that one item in their closet that they never wear because something is just off,” Popken says. “My clients bring this in, and we discuss the goal — based on how and where the client is wearing the item — and look at ways to make it more flattering and fix its current imperfections. Once I change one piece of clothing, my clients usually go back and see their closets completely differently.” Popken offers unlimited redos on these services. Her retail store also includes a carefully edited selection of vintage furnishings, art, lighting and more.
• Salvage House Boutique, 301 Melba, 469.323.9481
Start Gallery Dallas opens online store
The Oak Cliff-based Start Gallery Dallas has launched an online store at startgallerystore.com. Owner Veronika Tkachuk says the gallery believes “that its online presence will help expand the reach of local art and bring more attention to the North Texas emerging art scene,” Tkachuk says. The online store’s selection focuses on professionals and students who are just breaking into the art scene. Local artists are encouraged to submit their work at startgallerystore.com/submissions. Tkachuk is offering Advocate readers a special deal: Enter coupon code ADVOCATE and receive 10 percent off one entire order per person.
• Start Gallery Dallas, 1004 W. Page, 214.918.0274
Business buzz:
“This recognition for workplace excellence is a proud accomplishment for our employee family. It reflects our mission to not only serve our patients and their families, but to create and maintain a work environment that serves our family of employees.”
—Methodist Health System president and CEO Stephen L. Mansfield on being named among the “Best Places to Work in North Texas” by the Dallas Business Journal
Gallery Bomb brings lowbrow art to Tyler-Davis
Another recent addition to the art world, Gallery Bomb, has opened in the Tyler-Davis district. Owner Brandon Sellers says the gallery’s mission is to bring together the pioneers and freshest talent of lowbrow art. “My wife and I realized that this genre was missing in the Dallas area, once we visited galleries in New York, LA and San Francisco,” Sellers says. A painter himself, Sellers immediately went on the hunt for the right neighborhood in which to open a lowbrow gallery. “We grabbed a map of Oak Cliff, ate at Bolsa, talked to some local artists, and decided this would be perfect,” Sellers says. Sellers is currently working with other Tyler-Davis galleries to start a regular “Second Saturday” art walk.
• Gallery Bomb, 407A Tyler, 817.793.6266
Lockhart Smokehouse now offering sauce
You may have noticed that Lockhart Smokehouse, the barbecue joint with the slogan “No Forks! No Sauce! No Kidding!”, now has both sauce and forks … go figure.
General manager Dani Munley says she can explain: At the customers’ request, the restaurant debuted five sauces on Father’s Day and has been carefully analyzing the response since. Right now — free of charge — Lockhart has a traditional Jack Daniels sauce, a mayonnaise-based sauce, a mustard-based sauce, a honey sauce and a spicy sauce to tingle everyone’s taste buds. Soon, the owners will narrow down the selection to one or two of the most popular sauces and will then have them available for purchase. As for the forks, it’s actually a charitable enterprise. Lockhart Smokehouse is currently offering them in exchange for donations toward a new fire system for The Kessler School. Once the “forks for fire pulls” operation has ceased, Munley suspects they will continue to offer forks as a way to gather donations for other charitable organizations and neighborhood causes.
• Lockhart Smokehouse, 400 W. Davis, 214.944.5521
