Let’s dive right into all the incredible work my colleagues at D have done lately.
Here in Dallas, the coffee scene is thriving. We have incredible local roasters, like Cultivar and Noble Coyote, and coffee shops that craft singular cups of single-origin espresso—Xamán Cafe comes to mind.
Then there’s Sandwich Hag in the Cedars, where owner Reyna Duong is likewise blazing a caffeinated path. Eve Hill-Agnus spoke with Duong recently about her newly unfolding menu of Vietnamese coffee milk. But, wow, it’s about so much more.
Duong is sourcing coffee from Vietnamese roasters for her menu, namely Nguyen Coffee Supply and Phin Coffee Club. In a full-circle moment, the latter roaster has a coffee farm in the same South Vietnam region where Duong’s family once lived. “It’s one step closer to me connecting to my homeland, to my heritage, because my family fled when I was one year old, and I haven’t been back.”
While coffee is a vehicle for caffeine and the jolt in our daily routines (and the fuel for this newsletter!), Duong reminds of the story behind the beans. And, okay, her coffee sounds baller: “For this [coffee] elixir, Duong adds a hibiscus herbal tea blend from local Sterling Tea—blushing with cherries, strawberries, and lemongrass,” writes Eve.
Another Eve banger puts the spotlight on three Dallas bakers who are expanding the city’s vegan scene. Without eggs or butter, Gillian Kirk, Mindamora Rocha, and Amaris Riddle create magic—custom cakes, nostalgia-tugging pop tarts, ube-topped conchas. The proof is in the literal pie: vegan dining, both savory and sweet alike, is ever-growing in Dallas.
Meanwhile, in a less upbeat report, Alex Macon covered the Bisous Bisous versus Bisous mess. It’s an unfortunate tale that could have been avoided had Bisous (a club from Houston that opened this spring) respected the Bisous Bisous trademark. Macon writes:
“[Bisous Bisous owner Andrea] Meyer knew there was going to be trouble when she heard of the similarly named restaurant moving in a mile down the street. Sure enough, customers, delivery drivers, and vendors have been calling or coming to Bisous Bisous looking for Bisou. Service workers have been showing up at Bisous Bisous expecting to interview for a job at Bisou. More recently, customers trying to slam Bisou left nasty one-star reviews online for Bisous Bisous.”
After a pandemic and undergoing bone cancer treatment, Meyer is not giving in. Cheers to that.