12 June 4 - 10, 2026 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents jukebox are all retro, as are many of the booths and the checkered tile floor. They’ve got smashburgers, hot dogs and tater tots, which you should get slathered in their house sauce and cheese. The OG Smash comes with American cheese, thinly sliced sautéed onions and a beef patty smashed into an odd shape, all topped with Herby’s secret sauce. You can add jalapenos or bacon if you’d like. Afterward, head next door to OLMO Market for locally crafted chocolate from Coco Andre. Kenny’s Burger Joint 5809 Preston Road, Plano, and 1377 Legacy Drive, Frisco This restaurant is an offshoot of the upscale Kenny’s Woodfired Grill, born after more than a few customers insisted that Kenny Bowers open a joint dedicated solely to burgers. He uses the same hickory wood- burning grill for half-pound patties. The Black and Blue, with Cajun spices and blue cheese dressing, combines spice with a pun- gent, tangy twist. And if you’re looking for a good kick in the pants, try the seasonal Hatch Green Chile Burger. Knox Bistro 3230 Knox St. Knox Bistro, previously Up on Knox, is a classic French brasserie — sneakers or heels will do. You can get the Knox Burger here, which us amazing. But the Le Burger au Poivre comes blessed in a classic rich French peppercorn cream sauce that is ladled over the patty, forming a pool of love on the plate. This is a knife-and-fork situation. Use the fi- nal pieces of the toasted bun to soak up ev- ery spec of sauce, or just lick the plate clean. Maple and Motor 4810 Maple Ave. and 14885 Preston Road Jack Perkins opened his humble burger abode in 2009, thinking it would be a side hustle to his teaching gig. Needless to say, Maple & Motor is a full-time hustle. The burgers are a mix of brisket and chuck seared on a hot griddle, turned once; Perkins does not have time to fuss with things. The meat- to-fat ratio here has no shame. In a 2023 so- cial media job post, the restaurant boasted of its highest sales ever in 15 years of business. In a city that loves to chase a social media trend, that is a testament to getting the simple things right. This is just a damn good burger. The Peak Inn 132 N. Peak St. The Peak Inn is an affordable, no-frills hang- out. The burgers here are taken seriously (all the food is, for that matter), but not like $27-serious. The Lil’ Kahuna Burger is a house favorite, made with two one-third- pound patties (ground in-house), from- scratch Thousand Island dressing, and a slice of American cheese. Local bakery Sig- nature Baking provides the bun, which is buttered and toasted. The kitchen stays open until 1:30 a.m. every night. Sky Rocket Burger Multiple Locations Sky Rocket Burger is the type of joint that brings you right back to your childhood: as soon as you walk in, scents from the well- seasoned grill hit you. They use quarter- pound Angus beef patties, all ground on-site. It’s not fancy like the burgers you see on Ins- tagram, but it doesn’t need to be. Nothing is bungled by being overdesigned. If you’re looking to play a little, pay attention to the add-ons like spicy mayo, a secret sauce, grilled jalapeños or onions. Or get all of them— yes, do that. Get all of them. ▼ EAT THIS IN THE BAG A SPICY IRISH HANGOVER TREAT MAKES ITS WAY TO MENUS AT THE CRAFTY IRISHMAN AND SISTER PUBS. BY AUSTIN WOOD A lan Kearney’s pub group has ripped open the bag on a beloved Irish street food and post-bar snack for Dallasites. Since 2022, all things Irish have made their way into the global cultural main- stream. Actors like Paul Mescal and Cillian Murphy are representing the country at ma- jor award shows for their roles in block- buster Hollywood productions, while bands like Fontaines D.C. have surged on U.S. charts. And there aren’t many more widely understood symbols of the Irish than Guin- ness, which is enjoying record popularity in the U.S. as younger generations try to “split the G.” In fact, from 2022 to 2023, Guinness sales increased by 20% in North America. The so-called ‘Green Wave’ has also hit Dallas, with more and more pubs popping up while Guinness becomes near mandatory for even the most American-style sports bars filled with TVs. Its latest splash? The spice bag. Kearney owns five pubs in Dallas and opened up a sixth, Henry McCarty’s Irish Pub, in Fort Worth in January. Like most pubs in the U.S., his group’s pubs have menus that are a patchwork of traditional Irish fare and American bar staples. To bring the spice bag to the menu, Kearney and his associates spent a few months in R&D to create a dish that wouldn’t feel out of place in his native Dublin, where he operated sev- eral pubs before coming to the U.S. What’s a spice bag? It’s the Irish cure for pint-fueled late-night cravings and morn- ing nausea. The dish combines tender bits of white-breast chicken, crispy fries (or chips, if you want to be authentic) and pep- pers inside the bag to create a greasy, unex- pectedly sweet-and-savory jumble served with curry that’s ripe for a 1 a.m. Uber Eats order. The spice bag is believed to have originated as a staff meal at a Chinese take- away in Dublin in the 2000s and has since become a viral staple. “It’s meant to be like after you leave the pub, after you’ve had a few pints with your friends, that’s like the comfort food that kind of fills you up, so you don’t get hungover the next morning,” the group’s marketing man- ager, Ben Albrect, says. The dish has made its way to U.S. cities like New York, where Eater has published a list of 18 spots to grab spice bags. But Kear- ney’s rendition, which debuted a few weeks ago, is, as far as we can tell, the first to hit the Dallas market. The Recipe and Research While developing the dish, Kearney and his team spent weeks researching to ensure it would mirror those found in Ireland. They have a specially designed wax-paper bag, which, by the way, is necessary to keep the fries from getting soggy from the dish’s grease. The spice in the spice bag comes from a Chinese-inspired blend of allspice, star anise and other undisclosed seasonings, all tossed with the fries, vegetables and chicken. Buttermilk-marinated chicken breast, cut in-house into small nuggets with a house-made batter, serves as the protein. The chicken is fried separately from the bell peppers and onions, which are cooked together with the potatoes. After tearing the bag open, the resulting mix can be ei- ther dipped or smothered in Kearney’s creamy tomato-based yellow curry sauce, which incorporates coconut milk for a hint of smooth sweetness. A side of sweet-and- sour sauce, also common in Ireland, might be added later. The chicken spice bags ($18) are available at all six pubs, and Albrect said the group will look to add more regional Irish staples in the future. How To Eat a Spice Bag 1. Lay the bag flat 2. Tear open 3. Using your hands (no utensils required), grab a piece of chicken, some vegetables and a fry 4. Dip in curry, eat altogether 5. Repeat Where To Bag One Crafty Irishman: downtown at 1800 Main St. and another in Victory Park at 2401 Vic- tory Park Lane. Patrick Kennedy’s: downtown at 1201 Main St. The Playwright Irish Pub: The Arts District at 1722 Routh St. Cannon’s Corner: in Oak Cliff at 1314 W. Davis St. ▼ DESSERTS JUST IN TIME FOR SUMMER TIFFANY DERRY’S NEW SYRUP + SNO SERVES UP CHEF-DRIVEN SWEETS. BY LISA PETTY T iffany Derry debuted her new shaved ice concept, Syrup + Sno, at Epic Central in Grand Prairie on Monday, May 25. Though the threat of storms kept large crowds away, a “soft snopening” was hopping. Like a real-life snowball effect, a grow- ing crowd of friends, fans and fellow chefs rolled up to taste the celebrity restaura- teur’s take on the trendy summer treat. We chatted briefly with Derry, who was work- ing both the counter and the crowd seam- lessly. “I grew up loving shaved ice,” she says. “I wanted to have a treat shop with ice cream sandwiches, soft serve ice cream, warm cook- ies, and all kinds of signature shaved ice.” An Epic Creation Following the April debut of sports lounge The Landing at Epic Central in Grand Prai- rie under the T2D Concepts umbrella (Radici, Roots Southern Table and Roots Chicken Shak), Derry and co-founder Tom Foley turned their attention to her sweet shop idea. The snow cone stop is next door to their brand-new sports bar. The duo felt there was a lack of grab-and-go snack options in the large complex. And just like that, the idea be- came reality, luckily just in time for summer. The Menu The menu at Syrup + Sno offers shaved ice “sno” in classic and signature flavors ($8- 12). The classic category lists all the great- est snow cone syrup hits, like strawberry, blue raspberry, mango, cotton candy and Tiger’s Blood. Signature creations reflect Derry’s culinary training and travels. For example, her Bananas Foster is a tribute to the classic Louisiana Sneaux Ball: caramel- ized banana, cinnamon, brown sugar and vanilla snow. For us, she recommended Is- land Vibes, with tropical syrups, coconut cream and fresh lime zest. Austin Wood The spice bag: fried chicken, fries, peppers. City of Ate from p11
