Resto Round-Up: Village Tea In, Fuse Out

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Village Tea Company
11661 Preston Rd., Suite 210, Dallas
214-431-4723

This just in:  Tea is cool.  At least that’s what the owners of month-old Village Tea Company are banking on – and they’ve got an interesting thing brewing, from the looks of it.  A big, comfy couch is the centerpiece of this new modern tea shop, surrounded by café tables and nifty eye-catching wall displays.  Add in an extensive menu of black, green, white and herbal teas, priced very nice at $2.79-$3.40, and you’ve got yourself an antidote to Big Coffee burn-out. 

Also tempting is Village Tea’s light, inexpensive menu, which includes two different salads, crepes and four types of tea sandwiches (try the classic salmon and dill cream cheese).  Little ones are welcome, too, and they can enjoy their own special sammies in a colorful kids’ play area.  North Dallas is just the beginning for this ambitious new concept, with plans for additional locations in Allen, Southlake and Highland Park already underway.

NOW CLOSED

In a move which clinched its nomination for Scrooge of the Year 2009, downtown restaurant Fuse closed just days before Christmas.  The message on the restaurant’s voicemail explains that Fuse shuttered Dec. 18 “for renovations” and will reopen in the spring with “a new name and new menu concept”.  Our sources tell us, however, that that many servers and staff members were dismissed without pay or warning, leaving them jobless just before the holiday.

MINI-MOVE

Finally, the original Hunky’s on Cedar Springs will soon be moving…but only a few steps away from where it is right now.  In mid-to-late January, the neighborhood hamburger hang will move across Throckmorton into part of the space formerly occupied by the Crossroads Book Store.  This new Hunky’s will be just a smidge bigger than the first.