Business

14 February 2023 | prestonhollowpeople.com Business CUSTOM MEATS PRACTICES THE ART OF THE CUT

Lovers Lane butcher shop encourages Dallas to eat better beef

By Diana Oates

Special Contributor

The new butcher shop on Lovers Lane is owned by your neighbors, a dynamic duo offering fresh cuts of quality meat for families that prioritize eating local.

Jeff Cutshall and his wife, Kate (the Bradfield Elementary PTA president), opened the first Custom Meats in a suburb of New York City, where they previously lived, in Connecticut.

When Jeff’s job moved the family to Dallas a few years ago, an eventual second location in their new neighborhood was an obvious consideration.

And as for the “whole animal butchery” concept? It’s what it sounds like it would be and involves the delivery of an entire animal to the shop.

The couple hired Raul Rubero as head butcher because of his deep education and understanding of various animals. His creative cuts allow the shop to monetize as much of the animal as possible.

“We seek to honor the animal and think of our display case as a canvas for a piece of art,” Cutshall said. “We painstakingly cut and trim the muscles and diligently place them in our display case

FROM LEFT: Avery, Jeff, Kate, and Winton Cutshall. RIGHT: Head butcher Raul Rubero’s creative cuts allow the Custom Meats shop to monetize as much of an animal as possible. ROBIN JACKSON AND MACKENZIE MANGIN

silhouetted by our black butcher paper.”

Most ranches sourced are within 100 miles of the shop and operate with an organic mindset, like the beef from Stuart Ranch in nearby Saltillo. Cutshall and Rubero stress starting with superior-tasting meat from cattle grazing off quality land.

“Because at the end of the day, if it doesn’t taste good, then nothing else matters,” Cutshall said.

The Custom Meats experience involves customers being introduced to the entire animal and trying cuts that are new to them. Cutshall’s favorite, for example, is the Denver steak which comes off the Chuck primal.

“It’s beautifully marbled,” Cutshall explained. “Not as tender as a filet but not as firm as a strip and tastes amazing. And the best news is that it’s not priced

AT A GLANCE

Custom Meats 4333 Lovers Lane custommeatsbutcher.com

like a premium cut.”

Another piece to look out for is the Oyster Cut, also known as the Butcher’s Cut (because they save it for themselves). It’s a pound or so of meat that comes from the back of the cow just above the rump. Quickly sear it and top with a dash of sea salt for a truly mind-blowing bite, Cutshall said.

Other items found at Custom Meats include bones for broth, house-made sausages, fresh whole milk, cheese, eggs, seasonal produce, and even dog food and chew toys.

Cutshall said he’s thrilled to open in and serve his community and looks forward to Custom Meats showcasing the difference in its model, how it operates, and what it has to offer.

“It’s a throwback to how most people used to shop for food,” Cutshall said. “I like to think that if you actually care about or enjoy cooking, understanding where your food comes from, and value high quality, then this is really the only concept you should patronize.”

Restaurant Serves ‘Baddest’ Wings But For How Long? Chicken eatery has only seven months remaining on Preston Center lease

By Maria Lawson

maria.lawson@peoplenewspapers.com

Bad Chicken has seven months before its Preston Center building comes down to make way for an office building.

That was part of the deal when co-founders Tim Woehr and Bobby Shuey signed the restaurant’s nine-month lease. Instead of doing a few pop-ups for the restaurant’s proof of concept, they decided to open a short-term storefront to start selling bird.

“Bobby had this concept in his head,” Woehr said. “He’s in the IT world, so he needed someone to operate, and through friends of friends that he and I both know from the culinary world, we got in contact, he pitched me the idea, and I liked it.”

The name is meant to imply that they serve the “baddest chicken in town,” but it came about because the restaurant was initially going to be owned by two men: Bobby and David, creating the acronym “B.A.D.” When Woehr came on board and David couldn’t be part of the startup anymore, the name Bad Chicken stuck.

The restaurant opened its doors on Nov. 5 and serves wings, bomb bowls, sandwiches, and more. The wings, as opposed to other restaurants with a similar vibe, are smoked first then fried to cut down on frying time. After that, they’re tossed in the customer’s sauce(s) of choice, with an extensive list ranging from jalapeño lime to jelly glaze to a classic honey barbecue. “We’re not one of those places that [will put you] on the wall by eating something spicy,” Woehr said. “That’s not really our thing. We wanted to have a good restaurant … that was also a wing place.” The bomb bowls are chicken nuggets tossed in sauce and served over fries with a dipping sauce. Notably, the peanut butter and jelly bowl includes

We wanted to have a nuggets covered in jelly glaze and peagood restaurant … that nut butter drizzled was also a wing place. on top. “It’s different, Tim Woehr you know, because it’s sweet and sour and salty and savory, and [peanut butter and jelly is] not normally hot,” Woehr said. “It’s interesting.” Shuey said they wanted to open their restaurant because he couldn’t find a place in Dallas to satisfy what he was looking for.

Bad Chicken is located at 6030 Luther Lane, Suite 130,

in Preston Center. MARIA LAWSON AND COURTESY BAD CHICKEN AT A GLANCE

Each local chicken spot had either a long wait, minimal sauce options, soggy food, or a lack of satisfying desserts.

“I just had the idea and killer recipes,” Shuey said. “Tim runs everything and even further perfected the recipes and brought some of his own.”

After the restaurant gets booted from its current location, the plan is to open two more locations, with hopes of one being in or near Preston Center. From there, Woehr and Shuey plan to open more locations and begin franchising with a consistent brand.

Bad Chicken badchicken.com 469-206-0237 Sunday-Thursday: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

“This way, everything is set and ready to go,” Woehr said. “We know exactly [how] to smoke and exactly the temperature frying and all that kind of thing ... We’ll have it all down so that we can go from one to two to three to eight to 10 [locations, and] eventually franchise.”

Comings and Goings

NOW OPEN

360 Brunch House Mockingbird Station

The breakfast and brunch spot serves omelets, skillets, benedicts, avocado toast, and more.

Coupes

The Shops of Highland Park

The champagne bar features champagne, of course, plus wine, craft cocktails,

360 Brunch House COURTESY 360 BRUNCH HOUSE

and small plates. Custom Meats 4333 Lovers Lane

The butcher shop offers house-ground sausages, hamburger meat, and plenty of ready-carved cuts.

Glosslab

4416 Lovers Lane

The membership-based salon offers manicures and pedicures and puts hygiene first by being “waterless.”

Perrault Beverage

Mockingbird Station

The family-owned boutique specializes in world-class wine, spirits, and local brewers.

Various Stores

NorthPark Center • 2000s favorite clothing, accessories, and fragrance brand Abercrombie and Fitch opened on level one near Macy’s. • Los Angeles-based fashion brand Anine Bing opened on level one near Nordstrom. • Doc Popcorn opened on level two near Macy’s. • The Copenhagen-based clothing and accessories brand Ganni opened on level one between Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom. • The bespoke menswear store Hive & Colony opened on level one between Nordstrom and Macy’s. • Coffee spot La La Land Kind Cafe opened on level two between Nordstrom and Macy’s. • Paris-based fashion house Maison Margiela opened on level one between Neiman Marcus and Dillard’s. • Clothing brand Vuori opened on level

COMING SOON

Ramble Room

Snider Plaza

The American restaurant concept from restauranteur Jon Alexis, the owner of TJ’s Seafood, Escondido, and Malibu Poke, joins the restaurants planned for the shopping center this year.

GONE

Seasons 52

NorthPark Center The grill and wine bar concept known for healthy menu items closed after more than a decade.

Dreamscape

NorthPark Center

The virtual reality experience in the AMC closed after three years.

– Compiled by Rachel Snyder

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