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Monday, December 19, 2011
Photos: Sneak peek of Spec’s in Dallas, opening Monday
We checked the place out at a soft opening on Saturday.
Spec's
DALLAS — The first Spec's in Dallas had a soft opening on Saturday, in anticipation of its official opening day Monday -- which is just in time to stock up on booze for the holidays.
Based in Houston, Spec's is the fifth largest retailer of wine in the country, with more than 80 branches, mostly around Houston and Austin. The store inspires devotion for its one-stop personality that combines elements of a liquor store, deli, and grocery.
The Dallas store is located in a former Toys"R"Us at the southeast corner of US 75 and Walnut Hill. (If you take the Walnut Hill exit, it's difficult to cut across the frontage road; wiser to go to the intersection of Walnut Hill and take a right and enter via the old Glen Lakes entrance. The store is up and off to the right.)
It's a big barn of a place with exposed beams, racks of wine and alcohol, and a back wall of beer. In addition to the booze, the store has a little bit of everything: wine glasses, teas, boxed pastas, cheese, chocolates, meats, party supplies, international candies, espresso drinks, pastries, and a deli with prepared foods. Their ad says they have 35,000 unique products.
This being a soft opening, the shelves were not quite fully stocked. Item-by-item, much of what they had can be found elsewhere in town, but maybe not this particular assortment of items in one place, and not in this area. It's almost impossible to find decent upscale goods along 75, and definitely not near Walnut Hill.
The beer case included some standard craft beers, Texas beers such as St. Arnold, and a fair number of taller 22-ounce bottles. (Also, all of the usual Buds and Millers, which don't even merit mention.) But they didn't have any notably rare items. Wine was another subject; Spec's claims to have the biggest stock of wines in the country and it's hard to think of any store in DFW that surpasses it. Their cache of bubbly, for example, included a private-label French sparkling wine for $7.99. They promise to beat any other prices; using Taittinger champagne as a test, it's usually $42 and Spec's had it at $38.
Didn't try anything from the deli case and only eyed the truffles, made by Xan Chocolates out of Irvine, California. But the croissant was a steep $3.20, and it was cold and stiff, as if it had been frozen -- perhaps shipped up from Houston (though it was more than edible after it had warmed up).
Some unexpected items included the large number of teas; an entire section of spices; tons of boxed wines; frozen entrees from Amy's and in ethnic cuisines such as Indian and Thai; and U.K. candies such as Maltesers, Toffee Crisp, and Rowntree Fruit Pastilles.
At least two more branches are slated to open around town, including one in Plano and another in Fort Worth.
Spec's Dallas
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Pop icon Peter Max exhibits paintings at the Crescent Hotel this summer
"humbleness"??????
Um, Mr. Means (reporter), your fourth-grade English teacher is going to smack yo
rosi_castillo19, anonymous:
Is the Plano store opening today as well or only the Dallas store?
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Dean, anonymous:
Maltesers, Toffee Crisp, and Lion Bar!
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James Scott, verified:
Very strange. The only thing that would draw me there is a great selection of beers, but it doesn't sound like there's much too much more interesting there than anywhere else in town.
Is there anywhere to go around here with a nice selection of beers, plus staff knowledgeable about what the beers actually are to help make a selection?
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Teresa Gubbins, staff:
rosi, the Plano store is not opening today; probably not for at least a few months since they just signed a lease
Dean, now we don't have to go to London, but feel free to send over some black stockings from Marks & Spencer
Jamey, i've heard that the houston stores stock lots of beer so i'm hoping they might increase their selection here.
i've observed that the Sigel's on greenville ave always gets unusual releases and the staff is way helpful. Kegs & Barrels has an interesting selection -- too bad their two branches are in Plano, with the closest being at 15th & Custer
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darthyoda13, anonymous:
James, the only thing strange is that it is almost 2012 and Spec's is just now coming to the Dallas area. All Spec's floor staff are supposed to be knowledgeable in their respective departments. Also, if they do not have something in stock they will oftentimes place a special order for you if you ask.
The Strawberry Harvest Lager by Abita is extremely popular in the Houston area. They are often sold out within days, if not hours, but they special ordered 2 cases for me this past summer and called me when they came in to their store.
Expect good to great service and excellent prices at Spec's.
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Sarah Blaskovich, staff:
James, the thing I like about Spec's is that you can buy almost anything for a party under the same roof. For instance, I needed a nice, small gift for a Christmas party a year ago. I went to the Spec's in Houston to grab a bottle of wine, one of those tall skinny boxes that only a wine bottle would fit in but you're still trying to make it look like a "surprise," and an interesting appetizer. I was in and out in 15 minutes.
They've got pretty good prices, too.
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air, anonymous:
I haven't been to that exact location yet, but I think the beer selection will improve over time. I've had similar experiences as darthyoda in the Houston area locations and I agree their staff is generally well-versed, especially in craft beer in particular.
To be honest, I don't like any of the beer stores within Dallas city limits since none of them offer the kind of selection I'm looking for. To me, good selection means a strong focus on new/small batch releases, which are covered by my rotation of Lone Star/Sam's, S&K, Mr. G's, or Hall's.
The Whole Foods on Park Lane is the one exception, but I'm not gonna take the effort of going down there considering they are also usually first to get cleaned out of new releases. I mostly go there for growler fills over anything. All in all, as far as pure quantity (if that's what you consider important in terms of selection), WF and the Bottle Shop on Greenville are the places to go, and both have plenty of knowledgeable staff on hand.
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Teresa Gubbins, staff:
i love when our beer expert weighs in. Lone Star/Sam's, S&K, Mr. G's, and Hall's - those are in collin county?
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air, anonymous:
Lone Star Beverage and Sam's Beer & Wine are both in Carrollton - grouped together because they are both owned by one family.
S&K and Mr. G's are both in Plano. And yes, Kegs & Barrels is good too.
Hall's is in a gas station in Coleyville. I would vouch for them as the best store in North Texas. They do charge a little higher, but they can get away with it considering how strong their selection is.
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James Scott, verified:
Coolio. I usually go to WF Park anyway, but finding said "experts" when you need them is sometimes a challenge.
I agree that it's likely Specs selection will mature over time as it adapts to the demand. It will be nice to have another option in Dallas proper.
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John McClelland, verified:
Looks like the best sign was the 5% discount if you don't pay by credit. But for me, their stores would be way out of the way so not worth the gas and driving unless I happen to be nearby one.
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trisser, anonymous:
Looking for a specific flavor vodka & rum, found it here!!! Great store, great service, only complaint is on me... not enough time to stay and saunter through all they offer. Will be back!
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unlisted, anonymous:
Unlike Centennial, which is right across the street (and even Goody Goody on Greenville and the one in the old Marty's), Spec's has no Kosher wines. Stupid move, and they obviously did no market research of the neighborhod. When I called to inquire about their selection, they assured me they carried Kosher wines...in their HOUSTON store. I told them that was a bit far of a commute.
This store has already lost my business.
p.s. Centennial wines are all on sale at least 25% off, and some are up to 60% off (including Kosher wines)!
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OEsophagus, anonymous:
Wow, you sure know a LOT about kosher wine and who has it and what the price is. It's almost like you work for those guys.
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mezzetin_subaquatic, anonymous:
spec's rules.
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What do you think?