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Harper’s is closed, but we will not sing a round of long-live Harper’s. The steakhouse at the Epic is the first big closure in the cluster of clubstaurants in the Deep Ellum complex. Milkshake Concepts, the hospitality group behind it, is flipping the space into Paparazzi Chophouse with a website that has an anticipated opening of June 2024, a representative of Milkshake tells Eater Dallas.
It teases a design focused on “an era of splendor and sophistication inspired by the glamour of 1930s Hollywood,” according to the website. That is legit an entire century ago, give or take a decade, at this point. It was also a little era in American history we all know as the Great Depression — and when Hollywood, which is remembered as being in its golden era, was ruled by the five major studios whose heads unilaterally controlled contract players, abused actors in the system of all ages and genders, tightly controlled media access and narratives, and ushered in the standardized ratings system to make the industry family friendly. So, perhaps it’s just a little bit of history repeating but the glam is feeling a little tarnished in retrospect.
Anyway, it’s unclear to us why the restaurant is called Paparazzi Chophouse since paparazzo didn’t become a thing until the 1960s.
“The crux of the concept was always centered around the glitz of an occasion,” Milkshake’s representative says. “Where everyone felt special and important. Somewhere people felt compelled to look and therefore feel their best. It isn’t necessarily centered around any specific era.”
For the enquiring minds that want to know, this glamorous Hollywood-inspired steakhouse will feature Southern dishes including crawfish remoulade deviled eggs topped with crawfish tail and caviar, Cajun crusted salmon with parmesan risotto and corn succotash, and the ever present lobster mac and cheese. There will also be some not-particulary-Southern dishes, such as lamb and Wagyu beef meatballs, chilled jumbo shrimp in a citrus and herb broth, and braised beef short rib.
Update: Friday, March 8, 2024: 11:35 a.m.: This article has been updated to include statements from Milkshake Concepts.
