An Adults-Only Roller Rink Restaurant, Local James Beard Finalists, and an Outdoor Bar Rebrand

Your Weekly Need-To-Know Dallas Dining Dish

By Megan Ziots // Mar 29, 2023

Ride On, an adults-only roller rink with food and drinks will debut this fall. (Rendering courtesy of Studio 11 Design)

The Dallas dining scene is always evolving. To help you stay in the know, we’ve gathered the buzziest openings, the unfortunate closures, and any other food news we might find fitting. The Dallas Dish is your weekly helping of need-to-know North Texas restaurant news — and will hopefully point you in the direction of your next great reservation.

A roller rink restaurant will open in Dallas’ Design District this fall.

The latest concept from Dallas-based On Brand Hospitality (a consulting group led by Torry Cray and Adrian Verdin), Ride On will be an adults-only roller rink with a chef-driven food and drink menu. Designed by Studio 11 Design, the 17,000-square-foot Design District destination will also feature an arcade, restaurant, and a bar, with an ’80s cyberpunk theme and a disco ball-equipped DJ booth to set the tone. Custom Ride On skates will be available to rent as well.

Restaurant Beatrice has earned much acclaim for its Cajun menu in Oak Cliff since its opening in 2022. (Courtesy)

Six Dallas-Fort Worth restaurants and chefs are named James Beard award finalists.

In January, we learned that 15 North Texas spots/chefs were James Beard award semifinalists. Now, the names have been narrowed down even further and only six in DFW made the cut. Dallas’ Restaurant Beatrice and Fort Worth’s Don Artemio are finalists for Best New Restaurant in the U.S., Richardson’s La Casita Bakeshop and Dallas’ Kaluntu Bakery are named for Outstanding Bakery, and the only Best Chef: Texas finalist is Sandwich Hag’s Reyna Duong (after eight had been named as semifinalists). And lastly, Lucia was named as a finalist in the Outstanding Restaurant category. Winners will be announced on June 5, 2023.

Toller Patio rebrands with a new name and look.

If you drive by Toller Patio on Ross Avenue now, you’ll no longer see the bright neon pink sign on the side of the restaurant. The outdoor concept has been transformed into Texas Tapyard — now primarily owned by Nick Backlund (his original partner exited, according to the Dallas Morning News). Backlund also owns nearby Hide and The Union’s Royal 38 — both known for their excellent craft cocktail programs. Besides the change in aesthetic (the new color scheme is red, white, and blue), the food and drink menu has gotten an overhaul, with more elevated bites like Bang Bang Shrimp, several kinds of burgers and sandwiches, a gyro, hummus, salads, and desserts.