Since 1989, a counter at 408 W. Jefferson Blvd. has served tacos, burritos, tortas and breakfast to Oak Cliff. Juan Contreras Sr. opened El Padrino that year as his first restaurant. According to The Dallas Morning News, the restaurant plans to close on Dec. 21 because the property was sold and the new lease terms made it impossible to stay.
El Padrino has about four weeks left at the time of publishing. Its last full weekend, Dec. 18 through 20, is also the busiest stretch on the 75208 calendar. A December plan for Kessler Park and Bishop Arts works best built backward from the 21st. Fit in the new places, Sunday markets and holiday shows, and leave room for one more breakfast on Jefferson.
The date everything else is planned around
El Padrino has left a Bishop Arts address once before. Its earlier spot at 330 W. Davis St. closed in November 2012 when a new concept moved in, and that operation moved to Pleasant Grove in 2013. Advocate Oak Cliff reports that the Pleasant Grove location will stay open. So after the 21st, El Padrino still exists, just not on West Jefferson.
For a Kessler Park household, El Padrino has been part of the regular December routine for decades. Dec. 21 is the planned last day, so a final visit should happen sooner rather than later. If you want to bring visiting family before the holidays, the Saturday mornings in early December are the easy openings. The last weekend is about to fill up with everything else.
Three newcomers, and the hours they fill
Three places have opened around Bishop Arts since September, and each covers a different part of the day. All three come from owners who already had ties to Dallas or Oak Cliff. D Magazine said the same about the newest one.
Mornings: El Jardin, 714 W. Davis St. Brothers Alfredo, Alex and Max Leal opened this coffee shop in September. Their parents are from Mexico, and the menu centers on nostalgic drinks the brothers grew up with. The Dallas Observer reported that the brothers first talked about the cafe about five years ago. Their first idea was a shoe store with coffee on the side. Permitting caused costly surprises, including a last-minute requirement for a drop ceiling. Once they opened, more than 80 people applied for two jobs. El Jardin is on West Davis, the same street as The Kessler, so it fits on the Kessler Park side of a December morning.
Midday: Wild Detectives Ideas, 321 N. Zang Blvd. The Bishop Arts bookstore opened a second location on Sept. 11 in the former Sketches of Spain space. Owner Javier Garcia Del Moral Diaz told KERA the opening got little promotion and that the decision came about 24 hours ahead. The original store, now Wild Detectives Stories, keeps fiction, and the new one focuses on nonfiction. The original had run short of room for events and a wider book selection. Garcia Del Moral Diaz pointed to bookstores in Barcelona as his model for a place that also serves food and hosts conversation. The new space has a full kitchen. KERA reported that Inaki Betran, the former Sketches of Spain chef, would oversee a daytime menu with breakfast and lunch options. For holiday shopping, that could make one Bishop Arts block the place to buy two kinds of books and eat lunch in between.
Evenings: Trapèze, 240 W. Eighth St. D Magazine reported on Nov. 6 that this French restaurant was open for dinner, with brunch planned. Chef Jeremy Spector is a partner in New York's Employees Only and Brindle Room. His menu includes a burger topped with whipped farmer's cheese, garlic and herbs, plus French onion soup, oysters with creamed leeks, and a steak au poivre whose sauce he says is "pretty much like the way I learned to make it at Balthazar." After Spector returns to New York, the kitchen will be run by the longtime crew from Ruins and Armoury. The restaurant has two small stages, one in the backyard and one in the dining room, for jazz and acoustic sets. D Magazine reports the partners will keep the music from getting too loud and end it by 10 p.m. out of respect for nearby residents. The same piece calls Trapèze "another Bishop Arts newcomer from local ownership rather than national chains."
With coffee on Davis, a bookstore on Zang and dinner on Eighth, a full December day now fits within a few blocks of Bishop Arts. That matters for the weekends when parking on Bishop Avenue fills up with market crowds.
The calendar, weekend by weekend
The markets, shows and Turner House events cluster around a few dates. Here they are in order, from the week this post goes up through Dec. 21.
| Date | Event | Where | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri., Nov. 20 | North Mississippi Allstars | The Kessler, 1230 W. Davis St. | 7 p.m. |
| Sat., Nov. 21 | Margaret Glaspy | The Kessler | 7 p.m. |
| Sun., Nov. 22 | Choir! Choir! Choir! Fleetwood Mac singalong | The Kessler | 7 p.m. |
| Tue., Nov. 24 | Ornament Decorating | Turner House, 401 N. Rosemont Ave. | 6 to 8 p.m. |
| Thu., Dec. 3 | The History and Evolution of Jefferson Boulevard | Turner House | 7 to 9 p.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Breakfast with Santa | Turner House | 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | JD McPherson, SOCKS: A Rock N' Roll Christmas Tour | The Kessler | Doors 7 p.m., show 8 p.m. |
| Sun., Dec. 6 | Bishop Bazaar | 200 N. Bishop Ave. | 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. |
| Thu., Dec. 10 | Jack Ingram, Acoustic Holiday Tour | The Kessler | 7 p.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | Winnetka Heights Holiday Home Tour | Check-in at Turner House | Noon to 6 p.m. |
| Sun., Dec. 13 | Matt the Cat's Magical Musical Christmas | The Kessler | 7 p.m. |
| Mon., Dec. 14 | A John Waters Christmas | The Kessler | 7 p.m. |
| Wed., Dec. 16 | A Holiday Ramble with Carolyn Wonderland, Shelley King and Rosie Flores | The Kessler | 7 p.m. |
| Fri. and Sat., Dec. 18 and 19 | Hayes Carll, Grateful for Christmas Tour | The Kessler | 7 p.m. |
| Sun., Dec. 20 | Bishop Bazaar | 200 N. Bishop Ave. | 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. |
| Sun., Dec. 20 | Kat Edmonson, Have Your Merry Christmas With Me | The Kessler | 7 p.m. |
| Mon., Dec. 21 | El Padrino's planned final day | 408 W. Jefferson Blvd. |
A few notes on the table. The Milk Carton Kids' holiday show on Dec. 4 is already listed as sold out on The Kessler's calendar. The calendar is live, so check it before you go. According to the listing for the Bishop Bazaar series, each Sunday market brings together more than 120 local vendors. The Oak Cliff Society of Fine Arts runs Turner House events, and proceeds from Breakfast with Santa support the Society. The Winnetka Heights Neighborhood Association organizes the home tour, with ticket check-in at Turner House.
One event connects directly to the El Padrino news. On Dec. 3, Turner House hosts "The History and Evolution of Jefferson Boulevard," a local history evening on the street El Padrino has occupied since 1989. Most December events celebrate the season. This one looks back at the corridor itself, during the same month one of its longest-running restaurants plans to leave.
Dec. 5 and Dec. 19 to 20 are the weekends to plan carefully
Two weekends carry most of the season.
Dec. 5 and 6 starts with Breakfast with Santa at Turner House on Saturday morning. JD McPherson's Christmas show is that night at The Kessler, presented by KXT 91.7, with doors at 7 and the show at 8. Sunday is the first December Bishop Bazaar. On this weekend, El Padrino is still more than two weeks from its planned closing, so there is time to go.
Dec. 18 through 20 has the most going on. Hayes Carll plays The Kessler Friday and Saturday. On Sunday, the last Bishop Bazaar of the year runs on Bishop Avenue from 11 to 6, and Kat Edmonson's Christmas show at The Kessler follows at 7. Monday, Dec. 21, is El Padrino's planned last day. Here is one way to fit the whole neighborhood into the last weekend:
- Saturday morning, breakfast at El Padrino on West Jefferson.
- Saturday midday, holiday book shopping at Wild Detectives Ideas on North Zang.
- Saturday night, Hayes Carll's second night at The Kessler on West Davis.
- Sunday morning, coffee at El Jardin on West Davis.
- Sunday afternoon, the final Bishop Bazaar of the season at 200 N. Bishop Ave.
- Sunday evening, dinner at Trapèze on West Eighth before or after Kat Edmonson at The Kessler.
This route takes in the oldest address and the three newest ones in a single weekend, before Jefferson Boulevard loses one of them.
If this December's changes on Jefferson, Davis and Eighth have you thinking about where your own Kessler Park home stands as the area keeps changing, The Dallas Realtor can give you a calm, no-pressure read on it. Schedule a free consultation with Dustin, and we'll talk it through over coffee somewhere on West Davis.
