Crystal Wise
Bison tartare at Sidesaddle Saloon
Now that Hotel Drover is open, its guests are going to need stuff to do. There’s already a long list of retail shops and restaurants in the burgeoning Mule Alley development, where the Drover calls home, and three more will be opening soon.
Arriving Thursday will be Sidesaddle Saloon, a new cowgirl-themed cocktail lounge and small-plates spot from Sarah Castillo, Christian Lehrmann, and Glen Keely — the same team behind Taco Heads and Tinie’s Mexican Cuisine.
Over drinks with friends, Castillo hammered out Sidesaddle’s female-forward concept. “There are already a lot of places in the Stockyards that are geared toward cowboys or are cowboy-themed,” she says. “Very little of what’s here has women or cowgirls in mind.”
For the food menu, which Lehrmann developed, think elevated tapas: bison tartare, cheddar and chive biscuits, pork rillettes. Keely developed the cocktail menu; drinks are named after famous cowgirls.
The name itself pays tribute to the American cowgirl, too. Before pants were acceptable for them to wear, women rode horses with both legs to one side, or “sidesaddle.”
Also opening in Mule Alley this spring will be Second Rodeo Brewing. This brewpub-slash-live music hall comes from well-known North Texas chef Jason Boso, founder of the Twisted Root chain and creator of the Truck Yard food truck parks in Dallas, Houston, and The Colony (a Fort Worth location of Truck Yard is slated to open this fall at Alliance Town Center).
Second Rodeo will encompass a massive 14,000-square-foot indoor/outdoor footprint and will tout a retractable roof, scenic views of the nearby Marine Creek, and a stage for live music. Along with housemade brews, Second Rodeo will offer pub grub, such as street-style tacos.
Second Rodeo's brewmaster is Dennis Wehrmann, the founder and former owner of Franconia Brewing Co. in McKinney.
Fort Worth-born AVOCA Coffee Roasters will also open a Mule Alley location this spring. The 1,100-square-foot space was designed by Mitchell Garman, the Dallas-based architectural firm that designed Piattello Italian Kitchen, Taverna, and Clay Pigeon Food & Drink, among other restaurants and businesses. The new AVOCA will have an outdoor area, perfect for springtime sipping.
This article has been updated from a previous version.
