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Forest Hills residents weren’t too excited about the original incarnation of the Oasis, because it sounded like a raucous bbq joint/outdoor beer garden with outdoor seating for up to 200 on the site of an old gas station at Lakeland Drive and Garland Road. Too much outdoor seating, too much opportunity for late-night noise disrupting the neighborhood, they said.
Maybe they’ll be more excited about Smoky Rose, which is described by its new owners as a “chef-driven smokehouse and garden tavern” featuring traditional bbq meats, as well as other menu items such as salmon and pastrami.
That was the word at an economic development committee meeting of the Greater East Dallas Chamber of Commerce recently, where Smoky Rose co-owners David Cash and Jeffrey Schramm showed up with food samples and discussed their plans with the group.
Cash spoke with us following the meeting, and here’s a brief summary of what he had to say:
• Cash and Schramm were part of the original Oasis investors group, but Cash says they had nothing to do with executing the original operating plan; when things started going awry with neighbors and the City, Cash says they bought control of the business, flushed out the others involved and started over, recognizing the original plans weren’t acceptable to neighbors.
• Neighboring Walton’s Garden Center is handling landscaping for the restaurant and outdoor area, and the owners said the landscaping will have a lush “backyard” feel, as well as screen neighbors from the facility. “We’re hoping for a rustic environment like something you would see in Napa Valley,” Cash says.
• A large, “expensive sound-dampening wall” will separate the property from neighbors’ backyards to the east, Cash says; other than landscaping, nothing will be located within 20 feet of the wall to keep sound into the neighborhood to a minimum.
• Smoky Rose will not be a live music venue, Cash says: “At this time, we’re not predicting we will have live bands” while pointing out that he would need a separate permit to host live entertainment anyway.
• Speakers onsite will be pointed away from neighbors and toward Garland Road, he says. The place will not have an abundance of TVs, either.
• Hours are expected to be from around lunchtime through 11 p.m. weekdays and perhaps midnight/12:30 a.m. weekends, he says. Smoky Rose may be a open a little later some weekend nights if the co-owners believe they can draw a crowd from those leaving the Arboretum after evening events there.
• Beer/wine sales should be split about 50/50, Cash says. The co-owners do not want to turn the place into a sports bar/beer hall operation because they believe women dominate Arboretum attendance during the day, and they’re hoping to draw a decent crowd from people leaving the Arboretum. They also want the restaurant to be family friendly (a la The Lot down Garland Road) while still welcoming to adults. “We certainly welcome children, but neighboring families have also been begging us for a more adult-friendly environment to enjoy,” Cash says.
• The site entrance and parking lot are directly off Garland Road, as opposed to the Oasis’ original entrance off Lakeland, Cash says. At this point, they believe valet will be used for all parking, primarily to keep patrons of neighboring businesses from filling the lot.
• Depending on the final configuration of the parking lot, the reconfigured gas station building should hold about 80 or so, with another 80 or so seats outside under new shade trees and patio/trellis-like structures, Cash says.
• Price points for dinner are expected to be $20-$25 per person (including drinks), with lunch pricing about half that amount.
Cash, who grew up in Highland Park and attended SMU, says he has a finance background and returned to Dallas after 10 years in Florida with a mortgage servicing agency he sold recently. Schramm is a former regional manager with Chipotle and worked with YUM Brands (Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, KFC) for years, Cash says.
This is their first restaurant venture on their own, and they hope to do things right, Cash says.
“We’ve talked with the neighbors and listened to their concerns,” Cash says. “I think the neighbors are really getting behind our project as they learn more about it.”
The Smoky Rose smokehouse at Garland and Lakeland, looking southeast.
Parking and the entrance for Smoky Rose smokehouse will be accessed off Garland Road.
Looking northeast up Garland Road, the Smoky Rose smokehouse.
Remodeling has begun on the original gas station building at Garland and Lakeland.
