12 March 5 - 11, 2026 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents challenge has come in the form of “per- ceived” crime in Deep Ellum and the city’s subsequent street closures. “A lot of focus is on crime in Deep Ellum,” Murray says. “But anytime you have an en- tertainment district, you’re gonna have bad actors that go in there and cause problems. It’s just human nature.” Last summer, to address the issue, the city started closing Main, Elm and side streets in Deep Ellum on Friday and Saturday nights, beginning around 10 p.m. Murray argues that the presence of police cruisers, lights, and of- ficers actually reinforces a “crime scene look,” not to mention presenting a logistical inconvenience. “It is a massive pain in the ass to get down there, and customers don’t want to deal with it,” he says. This said, this longtime fan is well ac- quainted with the ebb and flow of Dallas’ re- lationship with Deep Ellum, and he’s not giving up anytime soon. “It’s frustrating when you feel like the city is, not intention- ally, but still an anchor around our ankles and we just can’t keep our head above wa- ter,” he says. “But we’re still trying, we’re still kicking.” An ‘Emotional’ Choice J ay Jerrier is the owner of PILF Restau- rant Group, which operates many res- taurants under five concepts, including nine locations of his popular original pizze- ria, Cane Rosso. In 2011, he opened his first restaurant on Commerce in Deep Ellum. “I knew nothing really about the neigh- borhood,” Jerrier says. “But the space had the vibe I was looking for.” He recalls that the building was a “huge mess,” but its exposed brick walls and patio had potential. Sure enough, Jerrier’s first door opened to adoring fans, awards and Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Cane Rosso has also experienced its share of Deep Ellum drama, but nothing compares to the crippling issue that hit in 2024. “One of the biggest challenges in Deep Ellum is the aging infrastructure,” Jerrier says. He reports some “interesting odors” from aging pipes over the years, but unfortu- nately, the process to correct these issues has created a much, much bigger mess. A massive, multiyear project is underway on Commerce, with the goal of updating pipes, widening sidewalks and converting it to a two-way street. It is projected to last through the end of this year, or early 2027. “We’ve been losing money in Deep Ellum since the construction tore up the road in front of our spot,” he says, and it’s been “far worse for business than COVID, protests, in- flation or crime.” And yet, after 15 years, Jerrier recently renewed his lease — with an asterisk. In the short term, he reports striking a deal to run through the end of the Commerce construc- tion project, with another lease to be signed thereafter. Why all the trouble to stay? Be- cause he really wants to be there. “The renewal was really driven by 90 per- cent emotion on my part,” Jerrier says. “There are a few pockets in DFW that feel authentic. Deep Ellum is a very unique and eclectic area with a cool mix of venues, retail, and restau- rants. It still feels like a neighborhood.” A Little Help T he Deep Ellum Foundation (DEF) is a nonprofit corporation that provides improvements, maintenance, security and marketing, based on a service plan ad- opted by the Dallas City Council. Marketing manager Veronica Young is a Deep Ellum resident who developed a natural affinity for the area through years of volunteering be- fore stepping into her full-time role. “Deep Ellum is not just an entertainment district,” Young says. “It’s also a very small community. My job is to serve the businesses and to make sure that they feel supported.” Young shares that an upcoming plan will focus specifically on supporting restaurants by rebranding Commerce Street as Deep El- lum’s “Restaurant Row.” In the meantime, a request for feedback: “While streetscape improvements are cur- rently underway, the culinary backbone of this stretch is very much open,” Young says, calling out Twisted Root, Cane Rosso, Adair’s, The Free Man and St. Pete’s Dancing Marlin. “The Deep Ellum Foundation is inviting din- ers to lean in now. Eat your way down Com- merce Street. Tell us what hits. Then come back again when the upgrades are complete and experience it all through a fresh lens.” The “Restaurant Row” branding project will officially kick off with a video series. But there’s still a year on the clock for the Commerce Street construction project, and what about all the other food and beverage businesses located elsewhere in the neigh- borhood? Will removing this obstacle for some restaurants in Deep Ellum be enough? Murray, whose restaurant Ruins and Amory D.E. are on Commerce and Elm re- spectively, is optimistic. He thinks the entire neighborhood will get a lift from both the branding project and the end of construction. “The two-way traffic on Commerce, wider sidewalks and more parallel parking are going to be great for the neighborhood,” he says. “Beautifying the neighborhood in general is going to be great for everybody.” He’s looking forward to just a “few months” when construction on one side of Commerce should be completed. “They still have to do the other side of Commerce, but they don’t have to sink utilities, so that goes lightning quick because it’s just road resur- facing,” he says. ▼ TRADITIONAL KOREAN HANGOVER CURED THIS KOREAN RESTAURANT SERVES AN OX BONE SOUP THAT IS A LOVE AFFAIR BETWEEN TIME AND PATIENCE. BY AAREN PRODY K orean culture in Dallas was budding in the late ‘80s; hundreds of Korean restaurants dotted the intersection of Harry Hines and Royal Lane. Now, a new epicenter has developed in Carrollton. Many of the restaurants that helped define the original commercial district have since closed, but a sprinkle of original spots are still kicking in the old digs. Dallas, Seolleongtang. Seolleongtang, Dallas. Doma Seolleongtang embraces tradition and innovation with two locations: one in Old Koreatown, off Harry Hines, and the other in New Koreatown in Carrollton. Both loca- tions specialize in a snow-white, ox bone soup called seolleongtang. Seolleongtang made properly requires a love affair between time and patience. Tradi- tionally, only bones are simmered until the milky white broth is achieved, but these days, cooks will toss in feet, pieces of head, brisket and shank for a little more flavor. Recipes vary, but expect a day to be set aside at this pot. It’s laborious, and while it isn’t the sole menu item, it’s what most people come to Doma for. The Best Meal $15.99 Buys Our No. 2, the chadol seolleongtang, is the classic soup with brisket. For $15.99, it comes with a full pitcher of barley tea and five differ- ent types of banchan: white rice, kimchi green onion, kimchi radish, regular kimchi, a pile of green onion and this jalapeño and onion mix- ture that the server adds spicy mustard to. They will warn you right off the bat that the soup is boiling. Trust them. We had to wait at least five minutes before we could even try to slurp the broth, but it’s worth the wait to taste the full broth flavor. Adjust ac- cordingly with salt, pepper and green onions on the table. We did two scoops of salt, a few generous sprinkles of the black pepper and all the green onion, of course. Some people like to dump the white rice in the bowl with the soup, but we kept ours on the side. Now, you’re ready to eat. That tangy on- ion-and-jalapeno mixture is for dipping the chunks of meat in. The vinegar-and-sugar brine helps cut through the meat’s fatiness and gives it a little kick, too. The soup itself is not a flavor bomb, and that’s the point. The bold flavors come from the different kimchis and the jalapeño-on- ion combo. Our favorite of the banchan was the rad- ish kimchi, which was crunchy and tangy, with just a little bit spice. We liked to alter- nate between bites with the soup and noo- dles, beef with the tangy sauce and then alternative chopstick-fulls of each kimchi. Any heat kick is eased with the pretty much bottomless (for one) pitcher of tea. The nourishment the soup gives is exactly why this place opens at 9 a.m. every day of the week. We couldn’t think of a better spot to stumble into on a weekend morning. Doma Seolleongtang, 11441 N Stemmons Freeway, Monday - Sunday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Doma Seolleongtang, 2640 Old Denton Road, Monday - Sunday, 9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Mike Brooks In a few months, construction on one side of Commerce should be complete. City of Ate from p11 Aaren Prody Seolleongtang, the white ox bone soup, and banchan dishes at Doma Seolleongtang.
