Restaurant Reviews

Chef John Tesar's Spoon Bar & Kitchen is Now Open in Preston Center

Chef John Tesar's latest culinary project, Spoon Bar & Kitchen (8220 Westchester Drive) is now open in Preston Center (directly across from Hopdoddy Burger Bar). The dinner menu offers raw caviar, oyster and crudo options, salads, pasta (including house-made fusilli with red wine braised octopus ser ... More >>

FT33 Plans to Open in October and a First Look at the Menu

Chef Matt McCallister is surely working fast these days to wrap up the final details for his new restaurant, FT 33, which we now know is set to open in October. The new spot at 1617 Hi Line Drive in the Design District will feature classic and modern techniques and will focus on a seasonally driven, ... More >>

Chef Stephan Pyles Blogs Progress of New Restaurant Stampede 66

Chef Stephan Pyles' new restaurant Stampede 66, which will be at Park 17 in Uptown (1717 McKinney Ave., northwest corner of Akard Street), is expected to open in early October. Chef Jon Thompson of Samar has been anointed executive chef. The concept: "Think modern Texas with a casual, creative and h ... More >>

Oak Cliff's Mesa Planning Expansion, Including a Patio on Which to Guzzle Its Cocktails

Changes are coming at Oak Cliff's beloved Mesa. The restaurant opened just before my arrival and was the subject of my very first review. I loved the place, and the very same week Leslie Brenner did too. It went on to become one of the most notable openings of the year. Since my visits a few thing ... More >>

WhataFail: How Some Dallas Restaurants Treat Their Employees

Restaurant Opportunities Centers United has released a new restaurant guide. The 52-page guide makes no mention of food quality, ingredient sourcing, or a customer's dining experience, but instead focuses on how well restaurants treat their employees. Wages, benefits and advancement opportunities ar ... More >>

If Google Swallows Open Table Too, Yelp Could Yelp Its Last Yelp

​Back in September, when we wrote about Google taking a bite out of Zagat, we wondered if the Internet giant had plans to compete with Yelp. Google already allows users to give restaurants a star rating and to offer their thoughts on recent dining experiences. Zagat's database, containing prof ... More >>

Chef Matthew Dunn Joins MCrowd

​More changes afoot at MCrowd. Three months after Chief Executive Officer Greg Good's replacement with Michael Cox, Matthew Dunn -- former Stephen Pyles and Central Market chef and famously one of the few Dallas chefs to cook at the James Beard House -- joins MCrowd as director of culinary ope ... More >>

Feed Each Other Grape's

Why Critics Review Very Fancy Restaurants

​The New York Times this weekend dipped into a discussion that's always swirling around the practice of food criticism: Why write about restaurants where many readers can't afford to eat? "Times reviews create the illusion that indulging in expensive pleasures is common and normative," reader ... More >>

Miss Behavin': Central 214's Blythe Beck
Gets Down, Dirty and Delicious

Photo courtesy of Central 214Central 214's executive chef Blythe Beck​ Her first name ain't baby, it's Blythe, Miss Beck if you're naughty She dresses in pink. She loves diamonds. And she says that what food really wants is for you to "love on it." I'm speaking, of course, about Blythe Beck, ... More >>

Dallas Pizzerias Have Trouble Matching
Wines and Pies

​Winemakers trying to woo Americans more comfortable with cola than Cabernet tend to lard their labels with extraordinarily user-friendly language: "The perfect wine for afternoons spent with friends," a description might read. "Enjoy with hamburgers or pizza." The problem is not every wine i ... More >>

The Samuels Are Back;
Nosh Scheduled to Replace Their Famed Aurora

The new Nosh, in the same space as Aurora, will retain Aurora's wide-open kitchen.​When Aurora announced its closing early last month, owners Celeste and Avner Samuel hinted that they were in the process of searching for a location for a brand new concept. Looks like their search is over, and ... More >>

Restaurant Week: Great for Charity,
Not So Great for Special Occasions

​When my husband and I chose a wedding date, we thought about the weather. We thought about football schedules. We didn't think about Restaurant Week, which didn't exist back in 2006. Unfortunately, our anniversary this year fell smack in the middle of the festivities. And being new to Dallas ... More >>

And The People Rejoiced: Green Room Opens Today, and We Have the Menus

​The Green Room, the Deep Ellum legend that's back in business as of this afternoon, has put quail eggs and halibut cheeks on its elegant opening menu. According to a press release, executive chef Joel Harloff's menu features "modern American cuisine with European influences that will change ... More >>

Arcodoro & Pomodoro Goes Fancy, but the Fundamental Remain Solid

Days Gone Bite: The Riviera

​Seven years ago today Dallas' grand old fine dining destination was in its death throes. The Riviera would close for good in February of 2003, leaving as its legacy some of the finest chefs, restaurateurs and managers in the city.David Holben (now at Del Frisco's) and Lori Finkelman served as the ... More >>

Hash Over: Five-Sixty Celebrates 365, Capital Grille Offers Small Plates, New Restaurant To Open In Victory Park And More

​Beginning today, Five-Sixty by Wolfgang Puck is celebrating its first year in Dallas's One Big Ball with a special anniversary tasting menu created by executive chef Sara Johannes. Through February 11, diners at the Reunion Tower restaurant can order a chef's amuse and various options for first c ... More >>

10 Questions: James Tidwell Of Four Seasons

He was the 100th American wine professional to earn the title of Master Sommelier, but that's not the only thing Tidwell can be proud of.After graduating from LSU with a degree in international trade and finance, this son of a small town preacher set off for culinary school at the prestigious Culina ... More >>

10 Questions: David Uygur

His name is synonymous with "tasting menu" in Dallas, thanks to his work with Lola's Tasting Room.He runs the main kitchen, as well. But the 10-course tasting ranks as one of the most impressive, spellbinding experiences in the city--at least as far as cooking goes. Uygur's emphasis on seasonal ingr ... More >>

Food For Thought: 3.18.09

"Our average check is lower, but transactions are up 10 to 15 percent." (John Hurley, owner of Garibaldi's Restaurant in Oakland, CA, on the value of a prix-fixe menu. According to Nation's Restaurant News, fine dining restaurants are increasingly turning to multi-course, set price dinners to comba ... More >>

Sal's: The Pizza's Good, But the Pasta's to Die For

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Review: Charlie Palmer at The Joule

N9NE Minus One

Fertility Rites

Spring breeds new dining establishments

Hate Crime

Bijoux is an endearing experience

Gone Fishing

Can tragically defunct become magically hip?

How 'Bout Something for the 469?

Birding Barcelona

Vilaclara isn't afraid to be chicken

Road Wear

Bye-bye, Volvo. Hello, Lola.

The Name Game

"Fine Dining" when they don't try too hard

Best Wine List

Lola the Restaurant

Where's the Boot?

Vino & Basso needs to merge its split personality

Ring Toss

Royce Ring anxious to cut ties with Triple R

You Say Somalia

What is a sommelier?

Tent Chic

Tabouli's found a gimmick, and it works

Damn Yankee

Daddy Jack brings Texas to New England

More Bang for Your 'Burb

Legacy Grill offers a reason to say, "Let's go to Frisco."

The Whole Boot

Eccolo rises from the asphalt

Best home cooking

Traci's Restaurant

Best lunch deal (tie)

Nuevo Leon & Monica's Aca y Alla

Eurotrash pickup

Avanti Euro Bistro proves that a little smarminess isn't all bad

Hash Over

A Black hole; Avner goes tapas; Mel Hollen's is closed; Antonovich is in Kentucky

Hash Over

Thin line between love and hate

Cork is a promising wine bar that's plugged its excitement for the drink

Food play

Nana Grill's new chef toys with compelling flavors

Service with a frown

A mediocre menu and lackluster service take the fine out of the dining at Mel Hollen's

Grand hotel

The Adolphus' French Room offers courses in dining elegance

Princess for a day

Don your rhinestone tiara: The Pyramid's prix-fixe dinner is the best deal in town