14 November 9 - 15, 2023 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents part of a late happy hour deal. We still or- dered two more baskets, which arrived in a hurry. The bar is barely half full on a Satur- day night. The chicken at Brick & Bones is the hot- test dish in Deep Ellum. The birds here are brined overnight in piquin peppers, cayenne and morita peppers, honey, salt and garlic. The extra-thick batter will turn your finger- tips burnt red. Be careful with the bread at the bottom of the basket soaking up the chili oil; you never know what kind of day those peppers were having. Breathe in wrong while taking a bite and you could be in trou- ble, but you’ll still go back for more. The blurred line between Deep Ellum and High Ellum is significant, not just in terms of what’s on offer, but historically. “Elm Street to Good Latimer, all the way up to Malcolm X was — when I opened in 2015 and for a long time — the heart of the neighborhood. We were right dab in the center of what people would call Deep El- lum,” says Cliff Edgar, owner of Brick & Bones. “Now Deep Ellum is a much broader area to new people’s understanding. Deep Ellum is Bottled Blonde and those nightclubs,” Ed- gar says, “That might as well be another neighborhood.” The new people he’s referring to might not understand that Deep Ellum came about around 1873 as a confluence of culture, art and business. The neighborhood is dotted with historically significant buildings and was one of the first desegregated areas of the city. In the ‘20s it fostered a jazz and blues scene. More recently, in the ‘80s and ‘90s concerts here were epic; people who were running around the city at the time likely have a story about their first concert in Deep Ellum — jammed into Trees, witnessing a new era of rock with bands like the Old 97s or the Toadies. They may have even caught that Nirvana show, and those who know Deep Ellum know which show. “I think it’s important for people who aren’t familiar with this area to understand the polar opposites of that line on Good Lat- imer. And to call it all Deep Ellum, I think you’re touching on something important that there’s a lot of people out there in Dallas aren’t aware of,” Edgar says. Additionally getting into Deep Ellum from the north part of the city is nightmar- ish on the weekends. Pete Zotos owns St. Pete’s Flying Marlin on Commerce Street; his restaurant has taken a hit since office workers left down- town during the pandemic and many have yet to return. Their lunches helped prop his business up during the week, and the week- ends were icing on the cake. Now, the week- days are a problem and the weekends are worse. “If you’re on my street, Commerce, and you’re some guy in Plano and you’re like, ‘I’d like to go down to DeepEllum.’ Well, you take 75 south or the tollway south when you get to Good Latimer, you got a parking lot,” Zotos says. “So as soon as you go through that you’re not going to come down here again.” Edgar, at Brick & Bones, sees the same thing when it’s closing time. “There are seri- ous jams. If you’re in town on a Saturday night at 1:30 and want to go home, it’s a nightmare.” Safety is an ongoing issue in Deep Ellum. The Dallas Police Department’s efforts to curtail crime, which are working to some degree, are having some unintended conse- quences. On weekends, DPD closes Elm Street, which runs in front of Brick & Bones. “That kills my business because in 2020 we transitioned into getting with UberEats and DoorDash and third-party deliveries to survive,” Edgar says. “So when they close the streets down on the weekends, drivers can’t get to us. So we lose all that business every Friday and Saturday night.” When asked how much of a loss it is, Ed- gar draws out “thousands.” His delivery area includes not only the 3,000 living units in Deep Ellum but a full 10-mile radius — all cut off on the weekends because of street closures. “I’m a little tired,” he says. “I’ve gone to so many business meetings, owner meet- ings, meetings with DPD. Their [DPD] thoughts are, ‘Hey, look, numbers are down in crime.’ Sure they are. Everything’s down. Everything’s down.” Another problem is that when the streets are closed, there are fewer places to park and catch rideshares. “When they block the neighborhood off, there’s nowhere to park,” he says. “So then they can take an Uber, but they’re getting dropped off four blocks away. And with the reputation that Deep Ellum has gotten with the crime, it’s completely killed our week- end business.” In fact, Edgar says business is better for him during the week than on the weekends, which isn’t how the bar business is sup- posed to go. “I have more butts in seats dur- ing the week because people know they can get to us,” he says. Edgar isn’t bitter about the success of other businesses down the road, quite the opposite. He appreciates what a difficult in- dustry it is. He just wants to be able to run his business as he did when he opened. Driving down any street in Deep Ellum proper, it becomes clear that many restau- rants haven’t been able to overcome the challenges the area has seen over the past few years. The building that housed Brain- Dead Brewing is still empty, as are the sites of Postino Wine Cafe, Anvil, Tiki Loco and The Green Room. At the same time, other restaurants like Federales and Vidorra, the first from Chi- cago and the other locally owned by Milk- shake Concepts (which also owns Harper’s), have moved into Deep Ellum proper. Fede- rales has a retractable roof and customers can throw an ice shot glass at a bell to “ring the bell.” It’s very frat party. Both are doing well, but as clubstaurants, they serve a dif- ferent customer than those at a quirky, dark bar. The upper floor of Vidorra actually turns into a club in the evenings with large shareable drinks served in small fishbowls. There’s no harm in that fun, but how does the cultural soul of Dallas absorb these new places and also retain that unique con- fluence of history with progress? Stephanie Hudiburg is the executive di- rector of the Deep Ellum Foundation. She hopes the area can tackle the challenges of growth while retaining Deep Ellum’s char- acter simultaneously. “Deep Ellum is dynamic and ever-evolv- ing and ever-changing. And that’s, I think, one of the wonderful things about it. It’s di- verse. It attracts all comers to it,” she says. In terms of stitching the old and the new together, along with keeping the neighbor- hood safe, she sees a bright future. “I do expect us to continue to attract con- cepts large and small, including from all over the country,” she says, adding that the Deep Ellum Foundation works with the city and local businesses to ensure they’re addressing challenges while also welcoming growth. “We do want to continue to be the heart and soul of arts, music and culture in Dal- las,” she says. It’s hard to see it with local places closing, profits down and half-empty bars on a Sat- urday night. Two businesses on either side of Brick & Bones have closed: The Green Room and Tiki Loco. “You’ve got us, but businesses are just going away,” Edgar says. “And they were local, small-owned businesses.” ▼ EAT THIS HEAVEN IN YOUR HAND 21 WAYS TO CELEBRATE THE BEST THING SINCE SLICED BREAD – THE SANDWICH. BY ANGIE QUEBEDEAUX S andwiches are beloved for their convenience, adaptability and the endless possibilities they offer for customization. That’s why they get their own day every year: Nov. 3 was National Sandwich Day. But you don’t need a fake holiday as an excuse to munch your favor- ite sandwich or perhaps try something new. We’ve rounded up a list of some of our favorite types of sandwiches as well as our favorite places to indulge around the city. Whether you’re craving a classic deli favorite, a fiery hot chicken adventure or an inventive twist on the timeless grilled cheese, we’ve got a sandwich to satisfy ev- ery craving. Bella Flan, Cuban Sandwich 819 W. Arapaho Road, Richardson In 2023, the Dallas Observer bestowed the coveted title of Best Cuban Sandwiches on Bella Flan, and for good reason. This sand- wich has slow-roasted Cuban mojo pork, tender ham, Swiss cheese and zesty pickles with house-made spicy mustard sauce, all tucked lovingly inside a perfectly pressed Cuban baguette and served with plantain chips. Every bite into that crunchy baguette with the savory medley of meats, cheese and condiments is a memorable explosion of flavor. Big Tony’s West Philly Cheesesteaks, Broad- street Cheesesteak Dallas, Allen, DeSoto and Plano In Dallas, you’ll find lots of places offering Philly cheesesteak sandwiches, but the ones at Big Tony’s West Philly Cheesesteaks truly stand out. The unwavering Mike Brooks Cliff Edgar is the owner of Brick & Bones. City of Ate from p13 >> p16
