Dave's Hot Chicken set to open late February; Deadbeach Brewery offers new flavorful menu
Deadbeach Brewery officially opened on Jan. 9 in Central El Paso with a fun merch gift area, a refrigerated display of its popular beers, and a taproom serving breakfast, brunch and dinner.
The brewery and restaurant is located at 3200 Durazno Ave. and has a unique, steamboat-inspired decor with lots of chic metal and dark woods.
The brewery's taproom is quite the destination to entertain guests or family visiting El Paso. The dining areas have glass windows that offer views of the craft brewing area. Under dim lighting, there are plenty of gathering spaces, seats along the bar, a separate enclosed dining area and tables where the beer tanks are. A patio seating area is also in the works.
We decided to check out the menu at a recent lunchtime and had difficulty choosing between breakfast and lunch items. Fortunately, brunch is served until 2 p.m. and lunch items are available starting at 1 p.m. The food was served on heavy-duty paper plates, just before their porcelain plates came in.
It's interesting to see some menu items have their IPA or lager as an ingredient. We started with a shareable, the Joey Chestnut Sausage Links ($14) and a Tortilla Soup ($11 for bowl).
The sausage links were a great way to whet the appetite — more than a dozen slices of smoked juicy sausage that we eagerly dipped in a barbecue sauce and a touch of smoked salsa verde.
The Tortilla Soup was the first hint that Deadbeach's dishes have plenty of flavor and sometimes a kick of spiciness. The soup consists of a Deadbeach Lager chipotle broth with fresh tomatoes, sliced avocado, tortilla chips, queso fresco and creme fraiche. The broth tasted like it had been simmering for a while, with all the flavors melded together in a great taste.
For our main dishes, we ordered the Brewer's Breakfast ($16), two eggs any style, served with two strips of bacon and maple bratwurst and potato hash, as well as IPA honey jalapeňo cornbread and Stortebeker beans.
My friend Michelle, whose spice tolerance is at a one, had to give me her cornbread and take the beans home for her husband to enjoy. However, the servings are generous and she had plenty to enjoy with the eggs, bratwurst, golden potatoes and bacon.
I ordered the Chilaquiles verdes ($16) with two fried eggs, diced tomatoes, green onions and poblano crema. I enjoy heat in my food, so the chilaquiles were the perfect combination of spice and flavor throughout each tortilla chip.
Our server, Brenda, was very knowledgeable and friendly and offered us a tour of the brewery, where the beer is made and canned. It's a short and cool (as in temperature) tour, but it's quite impressive to see the tanks and the towers of cans. It also leads to a private event room, the Barrel Box, which will hold anywhere from 80 to 100 people.
Our tour guide said you might get a hint of what beer they are working on just by the aroma. On one recent day, the smell was similar to that of oatmeal, and it was later revealed the beer being made had cornflakes as an ingredient.
The brewery is spacious, the menu is creative and well-priced, and the ambiance is fun for any mid-day or night gathering.
Hours: 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.
Update on Dave's Hot Chicken
The Los Angeles-based fast-casual franchise, Dave's Hot Chicken, will open in late February at the Eastlake Commons, where CupBob opened earlier this year.
The business group franchised its first location in 2020 and now has 140 franchise locations in the U.S., the Middle East and Canada. It plans to open 70-plus locations this year. The group includes business partners Deryl Pangelinan, Isaac Montoya, Andrew Feghali and Lawrence Kourie.
The restaurants specialize in hot chicken tenders and sliders, with spice levels ranging from no spice to 'reaper.' Each restaurant also serves sides of house-made kale slaw, creamy mac and cheese, crispy fries or cheese fries.
The franchise was started as a street food sensation in portable fryers in parking lots by Arman Oganesyan and classically trained chef Dave Kopushyan, along with brothers Tommy and Gary Rubenyan, in early 2017. They were able to have their brick-and-mortar restaurant before striking a deal in 2019 that would help it start franchising.
Nautical Bowls needs customer support
The owners of Nautical Bowls, 12261 Eastlake Blvd. Unit B203, are feeling the growing pains of a brand-new business. The healthy sorbet spot opened in summer of 2023 and has struggled to maintain a healthy customer flow despite a yummy product.
The owners recently said they wanted to bring something different and healthy to El Paso. It was the first franchise location in Texas. However, if sales do not improve, they may not be able to sustain their business.
So be sure to stop by. The acai-based bowls are super delicious and filling and could be a great lunch replacement or dessert to treat yourself. Bowls start at $10 and up.
Cheba Hut headed to East Side El Paso
The Marijuana-themed sub restaurant Cheba Hut plans to open a second restaurant. The first is coming to the Union Draft House building, 730 Sunland Park Drive.
The second Cheba Hut is coming to the East Side, at 3001 N. Zaragoza Road, according to the franchise's Facebook page.
The restaurant has a variety of sandwiches named after different weed strains. Among them is the "White Widow," a sandwich with grilled chicken, bacon, ranch dressing, mushrooms, provolone and an array of additional fixings.
Most locations also offer craft beers made by local breweries, according to the Cheba Hut Website. No word yet from the franchise on a tentative opening date.
More: Kona Grill's new special menu dilemma — beef or seafood?
María Cortés González may be reached at 915-546-6150; [email protected], @EPTMaria on Twitter; eptmariacg on TikTok.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Dave's Hot Chicken opens in February; Deadbeach Brewery offers brunch
