So What's Pat Green Been Up Too? How About Bringing West Village a New Backyard Bar and Concert Venue

DALLAS — A restaurant and bar with a backyard is opening at Lemmon Avenue and Central Expressway in West Village this spring. The new place will be called The Rustic and is owned in part by Texas country singer Pat Green. It may feel similar to Katy Trail Ice House in Uptown or The Foundry and Chicken Scratch in West Dallas: The Rustic is all about eating, drinking, and listening to music in a comfortable backyard, said owner Kyle Noonan.

"We did pull a lot of inspiration from the Texas Hill country," he said. The venue can seat 200 inside, 200 outside, or during concerts, 500-600 inside and 2,000 outside. Noonan said Stubb's in Austin is a good parallel in terms of size and space, though The Rustic won't confine itself just to country music.

The bar will have more than 40 beers on draft, most of which will be from Texas breweries.

Probably the first time in ten years I've thought, "Good job, Pat Green." Can't believe it took this long to fill the old Hank Haney driving range spot, and no question they paid a fortune for it. Just when you think West Village is starting to slip, with the departure of its biggest tenant, Borders, and the influx of the gay, they go and score with a Katy Ice House concept complete with live music, minus the guilt-inducing joggers. More tough news for House of Blues though, who will soon be the exclusive home of cheesedick cover bands for the suburban 40+ crowd and skater bands for the high schoolers.