photo by foodbitch

​The first time you look up at Mason Bar, located at 2701 Guillot St., you might not even realize what you're seeing. In what looks like an old, abandoned brownstone from the outside, Mason, led by underground Chef David Anthony Temple (yeah, DAT one) is open and comfortable on the inside. Featuring rich black paneling, extremely high white ceilings, beautiful cathedral windows, high-style framed posters, colorful art and gilded mirrors, this spot screams high class.

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​Union Bear in the West Village is set to open tonight. Just across from the Magnolia Theatre, the space is split between a street level, which has a large retractable windows and a bar (technically opening next week), and an underground level where there are several distinct dining areas, another large bars with over 40 beers on tap and the kitchen (opening tonight).

The Spillers Group (Eno's and Oddfellows) wanted to create a unique beer experience and has hired a brewmaster to oversee their custom-made brew system, from which they will eventually rotate in small batches of house-made brews.

Chef John Kleifgen is running things in the kitchen. After graduating from the CIA in 2008, he worked at L'Espalier and Sel de la Terre in Boston.

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Photos by Sara Blankenship

​Woodshed Smokehouse (3201 Riverfront) held its soft opening last night on Fort Worth's Trinity Trails, playing to a large crowd of cowboy-booted TCU students and what was very likely the entire medical community of Tarrant County. Seriously, everyone was wearing scrubs. Or purple.

Chef Tim Love's newest project has the look and feel of everything that old money can buy can in new Fort Worth. Like barbecue and valet. Obviously.

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The Greenling Local Box

​Greenling is a company out of Austin that just started delivering farm-fresh produce and other foods to customers in an around Dallas. The concept is to bridge the gap between those who want to eat organic and local but don't have the time or wherewithal to attain it. And since they already operate in central and south Texas, sometimes they pull produce from those areas, adding a little variety.

Yesterday around 7 p.m., their small, refrigerated truck showed up outside my house, as scheduled, and John, dressed in overalls, brought me a bin full of fresh produce. We were giddy.

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The Liberty Burger

​The wife and I were doing some house-hunting on Saturday morning and, after an unsuccessful showing, our realtor asked whether we wanted to try a new burger place. Being that I edit a blog that's more or less devoted to chronicling every sizzle produced by every patty of wet meat from Waco to the Oklahoma border, I sincerely doubted that this new burger would be new to me.

But it was. I'm slipping. This Meatless Monday shit has me off my game. Wanna know how bad it is? I ate quiche last night. Do you know what quiche is? I don't either, but there was a perceptible lack of cheese-covered ground beef in it. If things keep going in this direction my arteries are going start to worry I'm depressed or something.

Anyway, the new(ish) burger joint: Liberty Burger. It's at the corner of Forest and Inwood, and it was slammed by noon Saturday: No tables, line out the door. The seating system's sort of weird: You get in line, but you can't order if they don't have enough tables. So we had to stand by the cashier and wait for a table to clear before we could order. I took this awkward moment to ask the cashier how business was. He told me they were quickly becoming one of Dallas' best burgers.

We'll see about that, Mouthy Guy Running Cashier.

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All photos by Catherine Downes.

The 303 special.

​303 Bar and Grill opened last Friday, and by the following Sunday afternoon people were packed into the Oak Cliff joint, eating, drinking beer and watching football. The restaurant is located in an old, renovated house on West Davis and Madison; the owner bought two houses then demolished one for the parking lot, which still doesn't hold more than a handful of vehicles.

303 has an intimate feel, with an interior that isn't much larger than an average-sized living room and is packed with square metal tables and wooden chairs, with enough room for waitstaff to slide between. Identical furnishings fill the expansive wraparound patio.

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Bridge Bistro (Gumbo)

​Kay Agnew and her daughter, Margaux, have opened a new restaurant in the Design District called Bridge Bistro, at 921 North Riverfront. Kay has been part of the Dallas dining scene for more than 25 years. She opened Margaux's (named after her daughter) in 1985 and moved around a few times (eight to be exact). Their last spot was at Turtle Creek and Irving Boulevard, just a bit north of the new spot.

Bridge is an updated version of Margaux's that serves breakfast and lunch. Their chef, Manuel, who has been cooking with them for more than 12 years, made the move with them, and Kay is ever-present in the dining room, chatting with her many loyal friends, family and diners (those lines seem to blur at Bridge).

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​The Stand recently opened at 2916 McKinney, just where the street splits to one-way traffic. The name is a reference to a burger or hotdog "stand," and inside two Airstream trailers serve as such. The patio that wraps around the front of the restaurant could be a cool spot to hang on a nice day.

The menu is a field-guide to the glorious and gluttonous side of American junk food, and the Mac Daddy Dog (photo above) just might be the defining item. It starts with a Jumbo Nathan's dog wrapped in bacon, lightly fried with mac n' cheese, topped with chili, cheese and two Tearjerker onion rings all served on a hoagie bun ($5.50).

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All Photos by Catherine Downes

​Sundown at Granada, owned and operated by Granada Theater owner Mike Schoder and girlfriend Julia Garton, opened its doors yesterday in what used to be M Street Bar. The once dingy and abrasively painted red and black interior has been transformed by earth tones, warm woods and vintage furniture hand-selected by the owners.

The self-described "neighborhood beer garden and restaurant" will launch its menu on Friday, January 13, a menu said to include everything from flatbreads to vegan dishes. The bar boasts an expansive beer selection with more than 60 different beers to choose from, and a specialty cocktail menu with drinks like Jefferson Airplane (gin, Luxardo Maraschino liqueur, lemon and lavender) and The Pink Lady (Capel Pisco, Aperol, lemon, lime, maple syrup and champagne).

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OakDallas.com/Andy Keye + Whitney Photography

​Oak opened recently in the Design District, just across the street from the Meddlesome Moth. Owners Tommy DeAlano and Richard Ellman hired Plan B (Bolsa, Cedars Social) to create a beautiful, relaxed and upscale space with a menu for the refined foodie.

Executive Chef Jason Maddy has worked around the world, including in New York City, New Orleans, Japan, Austria and Austin. He trained under Chef David Bouley until 2008, when he was recruited to the Mansion by Chef John Tesar and continued working there with Chef Bruno Davaillon.

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