Welcome To K Is For Kitchens

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Hi everyone. Welcome to our latest episode. This is K is for Kitchens, and it's plural because we have explored so many kitchens that we're going to tell you about. And Rory and I visited the city of Addison, Texas. And it is right like near at the center at the Crux Metroplex of Dallas, but it is its own deal. And we have Amber Patterson, a Visit Addison with us. And she is going to tell us a little bit about her take on the town. And there are some very exciting things. And after we talk with her, we're going to dive in and tell you about all the amazing kitchens and experiences and foods that we had in Addison because, y'all, it is chalk full. So, Amber, thank you so much for being with us. Yes, hi.

SPEAKER_02 0:53

Thank you so much for having me. And also thank you for stopping by our town.

SPEAKER_01 0:57

Oh my gosh. It is so great. I'm so glad we were able to connect with you guys and find you guys. You know, we live in Waco, so it's just an hour and a half to two hours, depending on traffic, depending on the day, uh to us to just hop up there. And it's very central to so many things. And so I love that when people might be coming through an event in Dallas or a, you know, maybe they have a stopover. Or they can like purposely make the trip like we did, it's worth it. It's so worth it. So what are some of your favorite things about the town of Addison?

SPEAKER_02 1:32

Okay, great. So I've been with Addison for about five years. So I've lived in the DFW area for about going on like nine. So a good chunk of my time has been in Addison. So even though I work there, it's still a great it's but I'm not biased. Of course not, never. But it's a great town to do anything, it has something for everybody. And I know as in tourism, every town says that, but we truly do be right in, like you said, the center of the DFW. We are a lot of places where people meet in the middle when they want to grab drinks with other with their colleagues, and then also we host two major events a year.

Kaboom Town And Oktoberfest Traditions

SPEAKER_02 2:08

Um we have Kaboom Town, which is coming up um as we record this, it's coming up in a couple weeks. Um, and that is one of our biggest Fourth of July celebrations. We have it on July 3rd, so everyone can still have their Fourth of July holiday. They can stay in Addison over the weekend, and that is yes, and we were just ranked top number four on USA Today's top fireworks show. Um we've been doing Kaboom Town for a long time. I want to say uh we had our, I think it's our 40th anniversary um coming up. So uh it's one of our biggest events, and then we have Addison Oktoberfest, which has been around about 36 years. It is us bringing Munich to Addison, and it's one of the authentic, most authentic festivals you can have. Um, and so we have beer, of course, but there's dancing, polka music. We have a special day for your dogs on Sunday, so it's a really good time, and so it's one of the best events. It's one of my favorite events. Um, Kaboomtown Always has a special place where Octoberfest is my favorite because it's four days of family fun, of just and trying different foods um and barbarian foods, and it's a great time. Um, and so that is one of the prime shining stars of Addison. And then,

How Addison Became Restaurant Central

SPEAKER_02 3:20

like you touched on, we have so many food, uh so many options for food, just being 4.4 square miles. We have 200 restaurants packed into there.

SPEAKER_01 3:27

Oh my gosh. We and and we did feel like we were on restaurant row. I mean, there were so many, and then you drive out, and then there are more, and there are more. So yeah, it doesn't stop when you need food, like that's where you go.

SPEAKER_02 3:41

Exactly. And it's a melting pot of food. You can find any cuisine you can think of in Addison. And uh the story or the lore behind that is um back in with when Addison, you know, first got started, we were one of the few cities in Dallas that let you, or in Texas, I think, even let you uh buy alcohol by the drink. So when that happened, we had a lot of restaurants come and it's been keep we've been keeping it up ever since. Um we like to call Addison the Broadway of restaurants. If you make it in Addison, you can make it anywhere. So we have a lot of first locations. We had the first Foucault de Chow there, and we have a flagship chilies there that's been there the longest. Um, Texas Day Brazil got their star in Addison as well. Um, so we welcome anybody who's looking to open a restaurant. Um, and we we care about our restaurant owners very much. So we do what we can to help promote them, and we're so excited that you got to experience it, especially some of our new ones.

SPEAKER_01 4:41

Some of the restaurants that you guided us to were specific to really good viewing for TV screens and for sports. And so there was a reason behind that, wasn't there, Amber?

SPEAKER_02 4:54

Yeah,

World Cup Plans And Kick It Festival

SPEAKER_02 4:55

so uh I'm sure pretty sure you all know the World Cup is coming in almost two weeks here to the Dallas area. Um, and so that is a lot of people that we are expecting in Addison, and it's just a lot of excitement. And so the restaurant specifically, the ones that you went to visit, like Sidecar Social, um, Landmark, they have the best um TVs. So they are great to gather with your friends to watch the games. And we even during soccer, football season, um, any type of sports, basketball, March Madness is a really big time for us as well, with SMU being right there. Um those restaurants not only give you a place to watch the game, but you can also play games in there, especially with our social. We as a town are prepping for World Cup One by helping getting our restaurants um prepared and we are doing like pop-ups as a tourism department to them and things that and working with fans and you know bringing the excitement to them. But also we're hosting an event in town in Addison called Kick It in Addison. So that event um is a four-day festival to welcome people into the uh DFW area, and we will have the games going on in our park the whole time. We have a huge screen. I'm so excited that we'll play the games all the way from noon to um noon to noon to midnight most days, just depending on what time the last game is. And that's from Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Um, and we'll have activations in the park. Um we are working like on Sunday. My team is working to get an origami station out there. Um, we'll have a hat bar out there. There'll be um a lot of activations from brands, and so we're really excited to basically just welcome people to the DFW area. Um, because as we know, you have to go through Addison a lot to get to Dallas, depending on which way route you take. And we have people going to Fanfest and Fair Park and going to Dallas Stadium, but I've if you can't make it all the way there and you just want to be a part of the excitement, we welcome you to Addison to do that.

SPEAKER_01 6:44

So great. And we are recording this in 2026. What are the actual dates that folks will be there?

SPEAKER_02 6:51

Yeah, so uh the festival is from June 11th to the 14th, and so there'll be things going on around that time. And anytime you want to pop into the Addison Circle Park, there will be an activity in there from those four days, and then around that corner will be Addison Circle District, which we have a small scavenger hunt going around that we encourage people to do to get to know those restaurants as well. And you could even win an Addison Soccer Scarf.

SPEAKER_01 7:14

Oh my gosh, so cute! Well,

Addison Circle Park And Java And Hops

SPEAKER_01 7:16

visiting the park is one of the things Rory and I did, and we really enjoyed the park so much. And you know, we you also have all of those restaurants, and so it's a great way to kind of like walk off some of those calories that you're gonna it's it's just an open space, it's relaxing, it's beautiful. You have you have an open area. We saw guys playing football, guys walking their dogs, just really like enjoying the open green space. But then you have this other section that is so well shaded by trees, like the weather just felt perfect. And Rory like tried to take a little nap when you know peaceful there, and you have like water features and places, places to just sit and enjoy. And and then you have the Java and Hops Coffee House that is just right there. And so, you know, I got ice cream, you can get little sandwich foodies sandwiches and stuff.

SPEAKER_02 8:15

Yes, they have one of the best lunch specials. My office is literally right there. I walk over there um and get a sandwich, a soda, um, and some chips, and it's literally the best like park lunch you can have. So if you are in the parking, you're like you decide to spend some time in the parking, you just need a quick snack, you can go have a job and hops. Um, and they have really good coffee. The best thing about their coffee, or depending on who you are, um, their coffee um is a whiskey coffee. So the uh beans are soaked in whiskey barrels and then a drip coffee. So very good.

SPEAKER_01 8:44

That's so creative. And they have teas and they have a wide assortment of I think a little menu like a little beyond what you would have in a typical coffee house. They have coffee house options and vibes, but they also have a little bit more, a little plus. Like you said, you can you grab your picnic lunch there for and do your park lunch. Great seating, enjoy the atmosphere, and you have little sections where you could sit and enjoy just benches and have kind of your own little spaces within the park. To me, the the park was just very inviting. Rory and I really loved walking through that park and enjoying it. So to us.

SPEAKER_02 9:20

Yeah, I'm playing so we have all of our festivals. So that is where Kaboom Town and October Festival happened. And the Kick It Festival, of course, will be there as well.

SPEAKER_01 9:28

That's great. I mean, that's that is the perfect spot. So I think if you can come for the events, you've got all of these things going on that just elevate the park, even right. And just take it, you know, or going to these other events in July and October. There it just elevates what is already amazing. And so you're just adding so much more fun and adventure to such a beautiful space. Yeah. Um,

Local Favorites Plus Where To Stay

SPEAKER_01 9:53

do you have any other favorites around Addison that you want to share with us?

SPEAKER_02 9:57

Yeah, so off of the places that you went, one of my favorite restaurants in Addison, they're all my favorites, of course, but one of my shining favorites um is Ida Claire. So it is right off the park, and it is where um it's a very southern comfort place, but it's very eclectic. They have vinyl nights where you can bring your own vinyls and they will play them for you. And they also throw a good Kaboom Town like parking lot party, a lot of our restaurants around that time because the best thing about Kaboom Town is that it's a town-wide party, so you can see the fireworks anywhere in town. I think it's about 30 minutes. We have one of the longest fireworks shows. Um, that is why Kaboom Town has gotten like its namesake. And so you can see the fireworks from anywhere in town, and it's beautiful. And Ada Claire throws a good watch party for that as well. And then also, what else there is our hotels are dear and near and dear to my heart because they um are a good part of our tourism economy, our hospitality economy, as I say. Um, so we have two full service hotels that hold a lot of our conferences and groups, but all of our hotels work well together. I don't think there is a bad place to stay in Addison, depending in for any budget. Um, and so we have a great time welcoming groups in and conferences in, and we kind of direct them into that village on the parkway area, which is my very favorite spot because you can walk through there. Anything you need in there, you can get dessert, you can get breakfast, lunch, and dessert and dinner in Village Parkway. And so that's one of my favorite spots. If you just want a nightcap drink, you can hop in there as well. Um, if you want to do an activity, you can have uh, like you said, y'all went to Fuzz Lab, which is super fun, and you can do an activity there. So those little parkway changes all the time. So there's always a new restaurant, it's always a new thing to do there. And so we're really excited about that area, and that's one of the prime like active areas we have in Addison as well.

SPEAKER_01 11:46

Awesome. Yeah, we will be diving into our Fuzz Lab experience uh later in the episode. So y'all keep listening for that. And Amber, it was just we really enjoyed visiting Addison, and we thank you so much for the opportunity. And I love that you have great stays and um places that people can stay the night so that they can enjoy. And Rory and I, you know, I think we're just gonna have to come to Addison on July 3rd. I mean, I don't know why. Right? I mean, that sounds so amazing.

How To Plan Your Trip Online

SPEAKER_01 12:18

And so for people to find out more about the events that you have and the lodging that you have, and if they need advice or suggestions, can they visit your website? And what is your website and where can people follow you?

SPEAKER_02 12:32

Yes, of course. So anything you need to know about Addison and because of what to do, where to go, where to eat, um, you can find it at visitadison.com. Um, and then you can also follow us on socials at VisitAddison on Instagram and Facebook as well.

SPEAKER_01 12:45

All right. And Addison has two Ds, A-D-D-I-S-O-N. And we will put those links in the show notes so that it makes it super easy for y'all to hop in there, click those links, and get on over there. And Amber, thank you so much. We are going to now dive into all of our big restaurant experiences because every restaurant felt like its own event and its own experience. And that that was one really special thing. It wasn't just like, oh, here we go to another restaurant. Like every every restaurant had its own character and personality and experiences. And so it just made it a much more enriching place to go eat and to visit and explore.

SPEAKER_02 13:24

Thank you so much. We're so happy guys. Please come back anytime. There's plenty of restaurants to try again.

SPEAKER_01 13:30

So yes, we've only stretched the surface. So,

Restaurant Recap Starts With Sweet Paris

SPEAKER_01 13:36

Rory, let's talk about the restaurants we did try. Y'all, we are foodies. And of course, with K is for kitchens, we mean the Addison restaurants and the delicious and some things, nutritious, creative creations that come out of those kitchens.

SPEAKER_00 13:55

Welcome to Addison.

unknown 13:57

Woo-hoo!

SPEAKER_00 13:57

One of North Texas' most vibrant and walkable destinations, from cozy coffee spots and charming cafes to interactive entertainment and lively social spaces. Addison offers a variety of experiences all within just 4.4 square miles. And we found some really fun surprises.

SPEAKER_01 14:17

Yep. We started out at Sweet Paris for a Yamalicious breakfast. They have crepes, and what's really fun is for the crepes, you can get a vegan and gluten-free crepe auction. So that is really, really fun. They also have cruffles. So I ordered an avocado toast crawle, which is a crust in a waffle, in the shape of a waffle. It was really fun, really interesting. And the little side arugula salad that came with it was so good. And one of the highlights of my entire day, like that little salad was so good. And y'all, we have so many more fun adventures.

Technical Glitch And What’s Coming Next

SPEAKER_01 14:58

And Rory and I were just recording, telling you about it and ran into some technical difficulties. So we will be within the next 24 hours updating this episode with all the details, telling you about our visits to the putt shack, to sidecar social, to Fuzz Lab, to the Addison Circle District, to Circle Park, to Javin Hopps Coffee House, Dolce Paradiso Coffee House, La Parisienne, and the landmark bar and kitchen and Londoner. And so then we're going to share with you our Rome to home segment where we talk with a designer in Addison and how she can up-level and has some fun ideas for our kitchen. So those are all going to be updated for you on this specific episode within the next 24 hours. So refresh and uh check in again, and we will have replaced what our technical difficulties were and give you the full scoop.

SPEAKER_00 16:04

We'll talk with you soon.