IdleRye, a modern American restaurant, will open this May at 2826 Elm Street in Deep Ellum. The concept comes from restaurant group Smoke & Mortar, which is led by Bruce Wills, Daniel Wills, Ray Skradzinski and Tim Porter.
In addition to serving up classics like burgers and sandwiches, IdleRye’s cuisine will pull from each of the owners’ backgrounds – Skradzinski’s Polish heritage and the Wills brothers’ Louisiana roots – to create rich and colorful food with a global flair. A variety of fresh, seasonal dishes will be offered for brunch, lunch, dinner and late night services.
The menu will focus on small bites perfect for sharing, like Pierogies, Deviled Eggs and Crispy Shrimp Toast, and dishes featuring housemade sausages and pastas, such as the Ridiculous Sausage Sandwich and Lobster & Spaghettini. IdleRye’s drink menu will feature craft cocktails inspired by the prohibition era, wine by the glass or bottle and beer on tap.
“We consider a variety of factors when we craft our menus, like how we can incorporate locally sourced, sustainable products and how well our dishes will pair with cocktails, wine and beer,” said IdleRye’s chef, Ray Skradzinski. “By focusing on making our food and drinks in-house, we’re able to use the freshest ingredients and create new menu items according to the season.”
Ray Skradzinski, Bruce Wills and Daniel Wills, veterans of Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group, and Tim Porter are the owners of Smoke & Mortar, a newly launched Dallas-based restaurant group. IdleRye is Smoke & Mortar’s first restaurant concept. The four are also the owners of modern American restaurant The Table in Flower Mound. At IdleRye, Skradzinski will serve as the chef and Bruce and Daniel Wills will serve as operators. IdleRye marks a return to Dallas for Bruce Wills and Skradzinski, who worked together at Wolfgang Puck’s Five Sixty in Reunion Tower.
“Our goal at IdleRye is to provide well-rounded dining experiences, not just through our food, drink and service, but by also building relationships with our clientele,” said Bruce Wills, owner and operator of IdleRye. “We’re excited to get to know our guests and become a part of Deep Ellum, a neighborhood we have witnessed transform over the past few years into a cultural landmark for North Texas.”
The 3,400-square-foot restaurant will have 900 square feet of patio and seat approximately 110 inside and 40 outside. Additionally, there will be a courtyard behind the restaurant with cafe-style seating.
Bruce Wills worked alongside Kuzuu Design, the interior and architectural design company behind local restaurants like FT33 and Tei-An, to create the restaurant’s design. IdleRye is inspired by historical influences, with galvanized metals, locally sourced, distressed and blowtorched wood, Edison lighting fixtures and rustic pipe fittings & pulleys. The building will also feature its original brick.
Ken Coulter, who previously served as the executive sous chef at Five Sixty, has been hired as IdleRye’s executive sous chef. Jared Taylor will serve as assistant manager, with past experience in restaurant management at Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group.
IdleRye will be open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 12 a.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 12 a.m.
