by Steven Doyle
A new oasis of brews splashed onto the East Dallas restaurant scene. White Rock Alehouse & Brewery founders Dave Kirk and Greg Nixon are friends and entrepreneurs with a love of the craft beer movement who created their concept to fill a gap in the market.
These gentlemen have witnessed the rapid growth of local breweries and thought to be great food and beer together in one large and exciting venue.
Chef Zimmerer
“We are both East Dallas residents, and we’ve always loved the White Rock Lake area,” says Dave. “We saw a need for a destination that focused on craft beer, craft cocktails, and a smart menu, all backed by the White Rock name that many of us revere.”
Look for the best of a combination of both local beers and plenty from around the country to be featured, plus beer of their very own. Their license is for a brewpub, which allows them to make beer to be consumed on-site. Head brewer is Blake Morrison, a home brewer-turned-pro who helped formulate several of the beers for Cedar Creek Brewery including the popular Dankosaurus IPA, and who created the lineup of beers at Whistle Post Brewing in Pilot Point.
They’re currently brewing test batches as they finalize their lineup of beer. Some of their offerings will be seasonal in nature, IE wheat beers during the summer, and stouts and porters during colder months. We had an opportunity to sample some of Morrison’s beer, especially one particular IPA that will fast become our favorite. Look for the equipment for the brewery to arrive in January of 2018 with full production hitting the taps in February.
We ran into one of our favorite chefs who was formerly head toque at Rex’s Seafood in the Dallas Farmers Market. We were especially pleased to see Benjamin Zimmerer after we noticed several delicious seafood items including fish and chips and an unusually good salmon. The fish and chips were feather light with a crust that adhered well to the Atlantic cod, made with a local beer and served with a house-made tartar sauce. There was also a pile of addictive fresh cut pub fries for an ecstatic win.
Our burger was pretty delicious as the chef grinds and forms his own patties and tops with large shanks of onion on a buttery brioche bun. That patty is a half pound grind of beef and pork belly (oh my) with a Tillamook cheddar and a beer and bacon jam for a burger slam dunk.
The menu is more than generous and a perfect price point that invites local diners to stop by often. There is something for everyone, but be sure to start with their “tater kegs”. Think large tater tots stuffed with crab, or bacon, cheddar and chives. Desserts are mighty fine as well. We sampled a kicked up version of a tiramisu that had us reeling, plus a peanut butter buckeye pie that you will surely enjoy.
Look to enjoy those beers and bites on their enormous patio (when in season) or across the sprawling bar or many nooks of seats across the large dining room.
White Rock Alehouse & Brewery is located at the high-profile intersection of Gaston and Garland Roads, one of the major crossroads of East Dallas. Their building sits on an ideal spot overlooking the trailhead – views of which can be enjoyed from their 4,000-square-foot patio and beer garden. It’ll be a family-friendly space while catering to a primarily adult audience. Their affair with the lake even extends to the décor, incorporating elements of running, bicycling, and boating.
Pingback: White Rock Ale House Beer Release Party April 14th | cravedfw
Pingback: Very Special Beer Dinner at White Rock Alehouse May 16th | cravedfw