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Image credit: Local Urban Craft Kitchen |
When Trinity Groves was initially proposed, its objective was to rebuild and rejuvenate a dormant Dallas neighborhood. Today, as construction continues and new businesses open, this development stands as a symbol of the revitalization going on in different parts of the city.
If you think about it, those of us engaged in the craft beer culture have similar intentions. Brewers, consumers and business owners are working to revive an industry that experienced a boom around the time of the mid-1990s, but which never found its footing and eventually failed. So, it's somehow appropriate that one of Trinity Groves' newest residents would be one which strongly embraces craft beer, and in many ways represents how far we've come in achieving our goals. You might even say LUCK (Local Urban Craft Kitchen), which opened last week in the shadow of the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge and within walking distance to the Four Corners Brewing Company, is a symbol of the revitalization going on in our local craft beer community.
It all starts with the food, though nothing about it suggests they simply tore a page out of a gastropub standard operations manual. Had they done so, you would expect to find things like the obligatory beer battered fish and chips, or entrees infused with a particularly ubiquitous Irish beer. Instead phrases like "beer cheese fondue", "white cheddar cheese beer sauce", "brown butter ale sauce" and "beer battered apple fritter funnel cake" speak to a more enlightened inspiration. And, if there's any doubt about whether these freshly made items actually contain beer, keep an eye out for the kitchen personnel constantly heading for the bar. They should be easy to spot, as they come armed with a measuring cup which they'll fill with locally made beer.
For its only local flavor you'll find here. One of the reasons they don't serve Guinness Stew, or Guinness anything else for that matter, is because that beer isn't on the menu. You won't find any other imports either, nor will you find a single beer brewed in another state. As a matter of fact, there's nothing on tap that isn't brewed within 75 miles of the restaurant.
Therein lies the moral to our story. There are 40 taps, pouring exclusively North Texas beer. A few years ago, such a thing would not have seemed possible. When we had only two breweries, it was a struggle to find even a single tap of local beer at many area pubs, much less at a dining establishment. Now, we have 13 breweries producing 14 brands in and around Dallas, and not one of them has been left out at LUCK. Can you say progress? I think this craft beer thing may finally be catching on.
Beer list aside, though, I have to say that the experience of the housemade pastrami sandwich alone would be enough to get me back in the door. The only word I could come up with to describe it was "ridiculous" (that should probably be typed in all caps). Honestly, I'm not sure I'll ever look at lunch meat the same way again.
*Originally published on Examiner.com
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