11 December 26, 2024-January 1, 2025 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents Cuppa- Doodle-Doo Full City Rooster Coffee Roasting Studio preserves culture, connection south of downtown. BY AAREN PRODY T en years ago, the Cedars neigh- borhood was far from being known as the burgeoning dis- trict of southern Dallas. Devel- opment in this area has been gradual over the years, so in many ways you could say the needle hasn’t moved much. But as the oldest residential area in the city, it’s where the pulse of Dallas began. Stan- ley Marcus, of the Neiman Marcus, was born here, and for a time it was the premier neigh- borhood of Dallas. There were opulent Victo- rian homes (all but six were demolished to build the highway system) before many resi- dents started moving northeast of downtown. In the early 2000s, the Cedars became a haven for musicians and artists. Businesses settled into the neighborhood, adding even more color to the nearly dozen art studios and developing spaces that foster literary and artistic connections. One of the most notable since 2013 is Full City Rooster Coffee Roasting Studio. Own- ers Chris and Michael Wyatt transformed the framework of an old electric shop into what it is today. “Full city” is a term used coffee roasters apply to medium-roasted beans, the shop’s specialty. Some roastmasters contend this degree of roasting highlights the best bal- ance of body, aroma and sweetness. As for the name Rooster. Well, that was a typo. Michael Wyatt noticed it after order- ing T-shirts and business cards and decided to keep it. All the beans here are roasted in small batches. Current offerings are from some of the most famous areas of the coffee belt such as Mexico, Guatemala and Panama. There are also unique offerings, such as beans sourced from Yemen. The quality and roasts have been stead- fast, but the space has had some major changes over the years. Full City Rooster started as an appointment-only roastery then slowly expanded the cafe and hours of operation after demand grew tenfold. Now, the expanded studio has proper cafe seating, a back patio and a performance area. Every year the Wyatts partner with Ce- dars Open Studios, a nonprofit supporting arts and culture in the neighborhood. You can find local paintings, photography and art publications like The Brooklyn Rail all over the coffee shop. Veteran Dallas bartender Gabe Sanchez turns to Full City for advice on java-spiked cocktails. Sanchez told Wine Enthusiast that he has discovered a “penchant for clove and nutty layers in darker roasts and floral ones in softer iterations.” Nena Postreria makes Rooster’s cafe de olla with the shop’s Guate- mala blend. Rooster’s beans are used around Dallas and shipped as far as Australia. After missing a cannoli pop-up, too many comedy nights and a meet-up with Dude, Sweet Chocolate, we have learned to keep close watch on Rooster’s Facebook page, which is the best way to see what the cafe is up to next. Written in chalk to the left of the service counter is a simple menu with six purist brews: espresso, latte, cappuccino, cortado, cold brew and pour-overs. There’s an ab- sence of syrups and specialty drinks, but that’s a sign you’re in good hands. Each espresso pull is touched by 25 years of Michael Wyatt’s fine-tuning. The veteran roaster asks everyone in the shop how they enjoyed their coffee. Rounding off the menu are kava, teas and sipping chocolates. When you pay, it’s impossible not to look into a shadow box of Doughregarde’s pas- tries. When we visited, there were blueberry scones, vegan chocolate chip cookies, a homemade toaster strudel and vegan blue- berry muffins, but we’ve seen Afgan mung bean samosas, cardamon cookies and a pop- up from Nena Postreria a few months back. Many businesses operate in communi- ties, Full City Rooster has become a commu- nity in the Cedars, and we look forward to their precedent (and coffee) continuing its ripple across the neighborhood. Full City Rooster Coffee Roasting Studio, 1810 S. Akard St. Daily, 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. ▼ FAST FOOD WHATA-WHO? WASHINGTON POST SAYS WHATABURGER HAS LOST TS SHINE. IT’S NOT WRONG. BY LAUREN DREWES DANIELS T exas-based journalist Omar L. Gall- aga recently wrote an article for The Washington Post about Lone Star State’s fading orange light, appropriately ti- tled “What Happened to Whataburger?” Honestly, it’s a question many of us have. Gallaga lays out his personal connections to Whataburger as well as all the details of how the chain was sold by the original foud- ning family to BDT Capital Partners, which has expanded its footprint to more than a dozen new states. “The sale is blamed in popular Reddit threads for everything from a perceived drop in food quality and service to a less spe- cific complaint that Whataburger is “going downhill” as it opens more restaurants in other parts of the country,” Gallaga writes. I want to love Whataburger. I think many Texans do. In my first years in col- lege, it was one of the few spots open late, which made for some fun times. It was also one of the few restaurants in Port Aransas back when I had fun on spring break. I re- member my grandmother taking me to a Whataburger on Telephone Road in Hous- ton. She got me a junior burger, and I wanted to cry (I think I did) because I knew I could handle a regular-sized burger. l, like so many Texans, have a real history with the orange-and-white A-frame and am in no search of axes to grind. Sorta. For the past decade, when my in-laws come to town and announce their manda- tory Whataburger visit, I tilt my head, give them a quizzical “OK” and pass. Thanks to Patrick Mahomes, they now have their own Whataburger in Kansas City, and they, too, have had a few head tilts since. Now, we only stop at Whataburger on road trips when we can use the app to place an order at least 20 minutes before arriving, a lead time that might work. Under zero cir- cumstances am I committing to the drive- thru lane, especially if there’s no opportunity to bail on said lane. What brave souls raw dog the Whataburger drive-thru? That should be the next TikTok trend. No phone. No app. Just pull up to a Whata- burger, order and let God decide. | CITY OF ATE | ▼ Dish Kleberg-Rylie Paintings by Walter Johnson Jr. add pops of color around the Full City Rooster Roasting Studio. >> p12
