Gourmet food store Eat the World to re-open next week at Abrams and Royal in Dallas

by Teresa Gubbins

Eat The World, the gourmet to-go food shop from Toby O'Brien that was previously located on Walnut Hill, will re-open next week at the Town Creek Shopping Center located at Abrams and Royal.

O'Brien closed the other location after having had problems with break-ins.

"The old shopping center got bought by a guy who lives in California, and he wasn't keeping up," O'Brien says. "We had numerous break-ins. One time, the girl who worked for me, she lived down the street, and she came back in to get something. She said something felt weird, so she left and called me, and we called the police. When they got there, the emergency exit was wide open. The police figured the thieves were hiding. She quit the next day."

His new space is located next to the Dallas Ballet Center.

"We're right behind Starbucks, it's a great space, in a thriving shopping center," he says. "My space used to be a dance costume shop, so we had to put in a grease trap, everything."

But now people will be able to get favored items such as his tamales; his King Ranch chicken; and his house-made Italian sausage from a recipe whose provenance dates to the sausage from the beloved and defunct Al's Imports.

"I ran into people last night at dinner, they told me, 'We loaded up on tamales before you closed, and our daughter ate the last of them a week ago, so we'll be by the day you open'," O'Brien says.