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Monday, November 30, 2009
UPDATED: Beloved institution Green Room restaurant to re-open in Deep Ellum
And cross your fingers, Club Dada too.
DEEP ELLUM — Dallas foodies who are still lamenting the 2006 closure of The Green Room in Dallas' Deep Ellum district can stop their sobbing: A collective of Dallas Business Types are planning to re-open the restaurant in December January.
It gets better: They plan to re-open Club Dada, too.
Running the kitchen will be two noted Green Room alums: chef Mike Smith, who was a sous chef during the Chris Pyun days, and who was most previously executive chef at 2900; and James Pitzer, who worked with chef Marc Cassel and who is moving back from Washington state to rejoin the Green Room team.
The collective is fronted by Taylor Allday, one of the Green Room's original investors; and spear-headed by Zenon Oprysk, former Green Room general manager and an ex-manager at Trees and Gypsy Tea Room.
"Our development group is executing a lease on the Green Room and we're working on Club Dada," Oprysk confirms. "We saw that lease rates were low and hoped to re-open and get ahead of the curve."
They're counting on the fact that people's good feelings about the Green Room linger.
"The restaurant went out with such good will, there's no reason why that couldn't be the spark that sets off a revival in the neighborhood," he says. "The cut-off fatigue shorts and black converse sneakers, those days of Deep Ellum are gone. The neighborhood is ready to mature a bit, and we're going to try to have a hand in that. We'll renovate the deck, make it more weather friendly. But we'd like to bring back what we think is one of the coolest things, that at the Green Room, you got a certain level of food or service but were charged one or two notches lower."
As for Club Dada, they envision the same kind of synchronicity that the Green Room once had with Trees.
"The Green Room and Club Dada working together would be more powerful than alone," he says. "There's any number of ways for those two places to interact."
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Kirby, anonymous:
It only took NN 15 minutes to post her grudging rip-off of your story.
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Kirby, anonymous:
And LB only took 12 minutes.
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Pavel Lishin, verified:
Never heard of the Green Room, and I don't care; I'm excited, though, that Dada is re-opening.
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Mike Orren, verified:
Pavel, the Green Room (adjoining Trees) was one of the best restaurants in town during most of the 90's. Great upstairs patio to drink and hang out and fab-u-lous fine dining food inside -- and with more of a rock-n-roll than fine dining vibe. Wasn't at all unusual to see the band headlining Trees catching a post-soundcheck meal.
The best was to order the "Feed Me, Wine Me" which involved multiple courses of whatever the chef thought was the best to send out that night, paired with flights of wine.
It made going to Deep Ellum for a show more of an event, because it was often happy hour, dinner and a show. And it probably helped some of the other restaurants in the area because when you got there, if it was too crowded, you'd go for a plan B.
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leahshoes, anonymous:
I am so excited to see that these two landmark icons of Deep Ellum return. It was certainly a sad day in the community when they closed. Green Room was (and hopefully will continue to be) a fantastic dinning experience. Club Dada- a great music venue that has played host to many of my favorite musicians.I am thrilled that Deep Ellum is continuing to rise from the ashes and grow into something familiar yet new. Thanks for sharing this piece, I had a feeling Green Room was coming back, and now you have confirmed it!
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Mike Orren, verified:
Sweet to see that Mike Smith is involved. In the mid-nineties I lived on his food at TABC.
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theeffinays, anonymous:
Sweet! DaDa has been missed! Thanks for the article! Now I gotta find a way to book a show there...
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la_princessa_tx, anonymous:
What about the Wood brothers? Will they be involved at all? They were such a DE driving force during the 90s and early 00s. Miss those guys!
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gduval, anonymous:
Teresa, way to get ahead of the crowd...did you do Thanksgiving too??
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jtmbls, anonymous:
Yay!!! Wonderful news!
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me7993, anonymous:
Wood Brothers? Are you kidding me! What a bunch of F's!
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Nancy Nichols, verified:
Kirby: a ripoff of TG's story? It is called a link to a news story. Grudging? Seriously? I said nice work, TG and I meant it. Always do.
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William Addington, verified:
Yay! I worked as a pastry chef at the Green Room. I have wonderful memories working there. I would love to come back and see the place. I loved making desserts for the great customers and great food. Banana Foster Bread Pudding, Chocolate Flourless Torte, and etc.
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Teresa Gubbins, staff:
thanks nancy, i'm a big fan of yours
i like that, four minutes after you post something, it shows up on Eats. just like that!
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Mike Orren, verified:
You know the Green Room is real because it has a Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid...
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Travis Bush, verified:
Mike, I think you're the only one that validates like that..:D
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mojo2188, anonymous:
Hopefully the Woods have moved on , I know Brandt is working for the man now, its time for a fresh start, a lot of "Owners" where the problem with Disney Ellum.
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info8663, anonymous:
Were excited, its great to see the neighborhood come back to life. The Green Room was a favorite place mine to eat! Glad to be neighbors!
Clint - Trees
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Karel Anne Tieszen, verified:
Stand up! Cheer! WOW! Way Cool!! Part Two: I've been on FB too long because I kept looking for the "LIKE" button for the attached comments... Part Three: YES, I am also a member of the Green Room group on FB
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John Connolly, verified:
Great news
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Teresa Gubbins, staff:
meanwhile, nancy wonders if you can ever go back
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TerisaB, anonymous:
I met my ex husband there, ha! Fond memories though.
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crydecker, anonymous:
My husband and I met at a poetry slam at the Dark Room, GR's performance space. And he proposed to me at my GR birthday dinner. How romantic it'll be when I take him there for the reopen! :)
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TJ Callaway, verified:
I'm really excited to hear this. Still my favorite restaurant! My wife and I went there the night we got engaged.
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ponyboy13666, anonymous:
Pitzer is an amazing chef.
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DC, anonymous:
Dear Dallas:
Guess what? Nobody cares about how great a time you had in the nineties. It's over. Deep Ellum is a cool lookin' neighborhood with some interesting buildings and people. Those 42 year olds who were getting wasted and eating and business ABC123 in 1991 aren't driving back from Frisco to do a repeat. Those of us who weren't here then, well, sorry but one Nirvana show does not a city history make. Get over it. You can enjoy a meal once, but puking it up on the plate and attempting to reproduce the experience by eating it a second time is guaranteed failure.
Sincerely, your friend,
DC
The DC
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dentonjim, anonymous:
Wow, Deep Ellums history didn't start and end in the 90's. The entire district has been an entertainment oasis since the first part of the last century. Ever heard of Blind Lemon Jefferson for starts? There is more history in this area than 90% of Dallas. It deserves to be treated like the historic jewel it should be. The 90's are gone but The Green Room is something that crossed boundries and I for one can't wait to go back when it opens. The rest of the area needs to move past the 90's I agree and be part of the 21st century but without losing that edge that made it fun and cool. Good luck to the new architects trying to figure that one out. Seriously, best of luck ! I only hope people in Dallas get up and support whats being done.
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What do you think?