12 January 2 - 8, 2025 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents breading is made of a crushed tortilla chip blend. And you can’t have nuggets without signature dipping sauces, thus Taco Bell’s Fire Ranch (a Taco Bell-Hidden Valley col- laboration), Jalapeño Honey Mustard and Bell Sauce. We stopped by Taco Bell on nugget open- ing day — surely a momentous occasion across the country — but as far as we could tell, they weren’t even advertising these lim- ited-time nuggets anywhere on the store- front windows (at least at this location). For $3.99, you get five pieces with one sauce; for $6.99, get 10 pieces with two sauces. We or- dered the 10-piece. Our sauces: Fire Ranch and Bell Sauce. To our disappointment, our nuggets looked borderline burned when we opened the box. But according to someone claiming to be a Taco Bell employee in the comments of a YouTube review video, they’re “sup- posed to look like that.” According to this employee, “Fresh out of the fryer, they’re tender and light-colored, but the longer they’ve been warming, they become drier and darker. If you’re dining in, it’s worth a shot to ask them to drop some fresh ones.” Our two-cents verdict: they’re OK. I think the kids call that “mid.” They’re ser- viceable if you’re in desperate need of a nug- get fix. They’re forgettable, though. And Taco Bell isn’t going to join the chicken nug- get Mount Rushmore of McDonald’s, Chic- fil-A and Wendy’s anytime soon. The sauces, like the nuggets, weren’t memorable, either. We failed to find a hint of the “zesty jalapeno buttermilk” flavors in the nuggets that Taco Bell promised. The tortilla chip breading was different, but it sounds better on paper than it is IRL. Granted, it did appear that our nuggets had been sitting for a bit before they made their way to our Taco Bell bag, so perhaps your nugget “experience” will turn out better than ours if you can get your hands on some as soon as they’re lifted from the fryer. Taco Bell’s chicken nuggets are available for a limited time only. If you need to try them for the novelty aspect, go for it. Other- wise, you’re probably not missing much. ▼ BEER BEST LAID PLAN DEAN WEAVER’S AUTONOMOUS SOCIETY IS A BEER CONNOISSEUR’S PLAYGROUND. BY NICK REYNOLDS A sk any entrepreneur: navigating a new business is a tricky endeavor. Opening a brewery is, well, an en- tirely different beast altogether. The cost and risk? Immense. “It took years of planning and consider- ation,” Dean Weaver told the Observer. “Starting a brewery isn’t for the faint of heart because it can cost you everything if it doesn’t work.” Fortunately for Weaver, a multiyear vision of a thriving brewing oper- ation is coming to fruition. Dean Weaver is the man behind Deani- tude Brewing. His brick-and-mortar brew- ery, Autonomous Society, can be found in the Cedars neighborhood, in the shadows of downtown Dallas, in a building erected in the 1940s. On the day we visited, it was mid- morning, and Autonomous Society had just opened. A customer was already on the porch with a pup at his feet, enjoying a pic- ture-perfect Dallas day while sipping one of Weaver’s sudsy concoctions. As we entered Weaver’s rustic play- ground of hop-laden craft beer, we were greeted by his right-hand man, Tom Gray- bael, who also doubles as an Autonomous Society bartender. Graybael, an overall de- light of a man, provided expert recommen- dations while guiding us through the deep roster of Deanitude brews. They range from the “English Biscuit” (English pub ale) and “The Red” (with rich caramel notes) to the potent “Smooth Operator.” All in all, there are at least two dozen Deani- tude brew selec- tions in the rotation at any given time, plus limited-series beers on deck (check the chalk- board behind the bar). “My favorites are dictated by sea- son and mood, but The Smooth Operator is definitely a favorite. It’s a Belgian dark that has a complexity of caramel, dark fruit and Belgian yeast that finishes dry. Obviously, it’s a one-and-done beverage with its 12.5% ABV,” Weaver said. Other popular house sellers are the Elder- weiss (hefeweizen) and Cascading Bavarian pilsner. We ordered a trio of beers for the table: A popular, smooth and hazy fruit-centric called IPA Bye Bye Spaceboy, Hot Flash Helles (a light and crisp lager) and Baron Von Schwartz, with its prominent coffee and dark chocolate notes. All were top shelf. “I spent two years in Germany when I was in the army. That started my love affair with craft beer. In 1993, I started home brewing,” Weaver told us. Weaver’s first love, though, was the film industry. “I spent 33 years in the film industry,” he says. “My passion for that industry faded, but I wasn’t ready to retire. With my wife’s blessing, I decided to turn my brewing hobby into a business.” The wealth of premium craft beer op- tions is certainly the main appeal at Autono- mous Society, but the food menu doesn’t lag far behind. “I didn’t have any experience with the restaurant industry, so we just started with a few panini sandwiches,” Weaver said with a grin. “Thankfully, an acquaintance offered to help elevate the menu. We spent six months developing dishes that could be pre- pared in our small kitchen with relative ease, and we strived for pub fare that would reach the same level as the beer.” Our table started with a beer-candied BLT ($10.75) with thick-cut bacon, baked and candied in a sweet and peppery Big Rig lager glaze, with romaine, tomato and sri- racha mayo. Next, we tried a pair of Bell- man’s BBQ tacos ($11.75): pork belly braised in Asian spices and the house Eng- lish porter, then topped with citrus cabbage slaw and a sweet hoisin-based Bellman’s BBQ sauce. Both were upscale bar bites. But our final order — banh mi sliders ($11.75) of braised pork belly topped with pickled carrots, daikon, cilantro and srira- cha mayo — were some of our favorite bar bites of 2024. Other options that caught our eye were the chicken carnitas tacos, Carolina hot honey mustard wings and Big Rig brus- chetta (sliced sourdough topped with a tra- ditional bruschetta mix and Autonomous Society’s “Big Rig Beersamic” glaze). Autonomous Society has all the proper ingredients: excellent beer and food and a neighborhood bar atmosphere with folks at the helm who are deeply passionate about their product and customers. Things are slowly but surely coming into focus for Weaver and the Deanitude team, as Weaver keeps one eye on possible distribution in the future. “We’re going to see how 2025 goes first. But we’re getting closer and closer to mak- ing that leap,” he says. Autonomous Society, 1928 S. Akard St. Wednesday – Friday, 4–10 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.; Sunday, noon – 9 p.m. City of Ate from p11 Nick Reynolds Above: Beer-candied BLT. Left: The Deanitude brew roster is deep and varied. “I SPENT 33 YEARS IN THE FILM INDUSTRY. MY PASSION FOR THAT INDUSTRY FADED, BUT I WASN’T READY TO RETIRE.” –DEAN WEAVER Nick Reynolds Follow Us Where the Mainstream Misses, We Deliver ICYMI IN CASE YOU MISSED IT SUBSCRIBE TO OUR DAILY NEWSLETTER DALLASOBSERVER.COM/SIGNUP
