Popular Chicago steakhouse Maple & Ash is opening in Dallas

High-end Chicago steakhouse Maple & Ash plans to open in Dallas, EscapeHatch has confirmed. The restaurant will be located close to Nick and Sam’s, the perennially popular Dallas steakhouse now celebrating its 20th anniversary in Uptown.

Yeah, I know you think Dallas can’t support another premium steakhouse. But you’d be wrong. The best in town are nearly back to pre-Covid sales numbers (that’s as high as $18 million a year) – and that’s without the typical business travelers who used to spend lavishly on their unbridled expense accounts.

The location for the new Maple & Ash?  David Pisor, a partner of Chicago-based restaurant group What If  Syndicate, says they’ve locked in a site at the corner of Wolf Street and Maple Avenue where they’ll build something new from the ground up. While it’s way too early to predict an opening date, Pisor told me at the opening of Monarch that the restaurant is currently slated to debut 18 months from now – so deep into next year.

What If Syndicate is convinced it knows what Dallas wants and needs. In addition to Maple & Ash, the company also owns a Monarch, a modern chophouse with Italian flair, and Kessaku, a sushi lounge; both sit atop The National building in downtown.

Maple & Ash sets itself apart from other steakhouses in a number of ways. The dining rooms are beautiful. The service is top-notch. Their wine cellars are deep. And their kitchens are centered around a wood-fueled fire, which handles the bulk of the cooking.  The food menu includes an array of prime steaks, raw/chilled/cooked seafood, and fancy desserts, all overseen by two-Michelin-star Chef Danny Grant. (Gant is also the the executive chef of Monarch and Kessaku.)

The uptown steakhouse will be Maple & Ash’s third location, joining the original in Chicago and a satellite in Scottsdale, Arizona.

photos: Maple & Ash