A New Sports-Obsessed Bar From the Dallas Stars Owner Opens Today in Plano

Welcome to AM Intel, a (mostly) daily round-up of easily digestible Dallas dining details that every local needs to know. Looking for more intel about where to eat and drink in the Big D? Sign up for Eater Dallas’s newsletter, and follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Dallas Stars owner Tom Gaglardi unveils his new Plano sports bar today

The Shark Club officially opens today inside the new Sandman Hotel, which is also owned by Gaglardi. The game-watching paradise offers more than 40 TVs and two 20-foot projection screens, plus a sports ticker to catch all the action. There’s also shuffleboard, skee ball, and foosball for those who would rather get in the game. As far as food is concerned, pub fare takes a prime place on the menu — think nachos, tacos, poutine, burgers, and salads, with some surprises like tandoori chicken. Drinks include 22 local and domestic beers on draft, wine, and a straight-forward assortment of cocktails like mules, margaritas, and bloody marys.

The hotly anticipated Virgin Hotel snags its head chef from another Dallas hotel

Downtown’s Joule Hotel will lose its lead chef at CBD Provisions when Nick Walker makes the move to the sleek new Virgin Hotel in the Design District later this year, reports Escape Hatch Dallas. In his new post, Walker will oversee the hotel’s restaurants and lounges including the swanky Commons Club and a rooftop pool bar aptly named Pool Club. No word yet on what Walker plans to serve in the Commons Club — at the hotel’s San Francisco outpost, ever popular grain bowls and wild mushroom tortelloni are on offer.

Downtown’s Zenna Thai & Japanese has risen from the ashes

After a massive kitchen fire forced the eatery to shutter in March, it appears that the Thai and Japanese stalwart will officially reopen next week in the Mosaic Building at 300 N. Akard Street. An announcement posted on the restaurant’s Facebook page confirmed the news, stating that the eatery’s first day in service will be August 9.