“It’s so cute and quaint, and it had everything we wanted,” Jaylene said. “It’s a 100% change from California, and that’s what we were looking for.”
The couple bought a house in McKinney, and in December 2020, they signed a lease to open Urban Grill & Wine Bar on East Louisiana Street.
After overhauling the 100-year-old building, the couple opened their doors for business March 9, 2021.
“It was run down and dirty. We painted and polished the floors, tiled and repainted the entire place,” David said. “We put in the beautiful bar with purple heart wood. ... We wanted quality throughout the restaurant.”
This is their second Urban Grill & Wine Bar. They opened the first one in California 10 years ago. The restaurant and bar is still open today and run by longtime staff members.
With decades of restaurant experience, the couple said they find balance by dividing and sharing business responsibilities. Jaylene is in the front of the house, and David is the chef.
David created the menu, which Jaylene describes as, “everything from Asian to Italian to American influence. It runs the gamut of all sorts of profiles.”
The Halls are eagerly anticipating what their new chef, Anthony Vallejo, will bring to the table.
“He’s come into his own,” David said. “He has done such a good job creating weekly specials.”
When David put the menu selection together for the McKinney location, he thought about what would be popular in this area.
“We use fresh pasta that we make in-house,” David said. “We used to own an Italian restaurant, so that’s where we got a lot of our Italian stuff like the meatballs. We carry some Italian wine, which pairs well with the Italian cuisine.”
The Halls said they are in Napa Valley all the time and describe themselves as “hugely into wine.” They carry 120 different wine labels, most of which are boutique style productions.
“Thirty percent of our list are imports, a lot from France, Italy [and] Argentina,” David said.
They describe the ambiance as fun and lively.
“We don’t want people to feel it’s so upscale that it’s just for special occasions,” David said. “We want it to be a place where they have a great burger, seafood, steak, whatever they want.”
The Halls said they are happy with their new digs.
“Texans are such amazing people,” David said. “They are more friendly and welcoming than you can imagine. We love it here.”
Urban Grill & Wine Bar
218 E. Louisiana St., St. 300, McKinney
214-548-4075
www.urbangrillmckinney.com
Hours: Mon. 4-9 p.m., Tue.-Thu. 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Fri. 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m.-10 p.m., Sun. 10 a.m.-9 p.m.
