Jason Garrett’s New Dallas Restaurant Is the Hottest Seat in Town

Have you been to the Knox-Henderson neighborhood lately? If not, we need to let you know it’s expanded beyond its Cafe Madrid and Chuy’s roots. The former has fought hard to maintain its legacy; the latter looks like it’s about to be bulldozed, probably to make way for more avocado toast (actually, it’s a 280,000-square-foot mixed-use space, but I’ll put money down that there will be avocado toast somewhere).

This bustling neighborhood, full of high-end retail spots and restaurants, sits adjacent to the Katy Trail. It’s a bouffant spectacle. Pedestrians dodge buffed G-Wagons with expensive dogs hanging out of the passenger-side window. Joggers wearing weighted vests puff past patios full of Aperol spritzes. It’s a whole thing. And there’s avocado toast.

We previously wrote about how Cafe Madrid is standing its ground while a massive new development punches skyward next door. Now there’s a new local kid taking up the corner across from the tapas spot: Caffe Lucca, a partnership between Jason Garrett and local restaurateur Julian Barsotti.

Here’s what to know.

What’s Good Here?

The menu is mostly Sicilian and Mediterranean fare. Busiate is the menu’s narrative arc; the handmade pasta, which is part of the fusilli family, is formed on a thin brass rod. There are four options for the dish: pomodori, garlic and liquified Cantabrian anchovies, pesto and a Berkshire pork ragu.

There are also a few North African touches (muhammara and spicy Moroccan lamb) and even a touch of Tex-Mex heat in fish preparations; a chile in escabeche and a tomatillo-jalapeno-serrano salmoriglio.

The arancini section stands out. There’s a traditional saffron risotto ball and a Sicilian-American version with crispy spaghettini. The Fiori di Zucca are ricotta-stuffed squash blossoms. Ooof.

The $28 umami burger is made with house-ground Wagyu, Vacche Rosse — a cheese sourced from a specific breed of red cows in Italy — and premium caciocavallo di bufala. It’s finished with chiles in escabeche and a balsamic aioli.

Is This Another Celeb Hype Place?

Caffe Lucca has street cred. As mentioned, Garrett partnered with longtime Dallas restaurateur Barsotti for this project. Barositti has a string of other restaurants in Dallas, including the Michelin-recommended Barsotti’s and Bib Gourmand-annointed Nonna’s.

Barsotti also owns the Tex-Mex spot Odelay; the more casual Italian spot Fachini; pizza and jazz lounge Bacari Tabu; and the SMU sports bar, Goodbye Horses. Barsotti’s experience and Garrett’s drive could make for something special here, but who knows when we’ll see about that because this place is booked.

Finding a Seat

Since opening reservations last week, curious diners have snatched up most of the spots at the not-so-large restaurant. At the time of writing, only April is open for bookings, and the only open tables are a few times in the last week of the month. Set an alert on Resy for May if you want to see what the fuss is about.

Will Garrett Sign Your 1993 Topps Rookie Card?

Maybe. The former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and head coach has had a regular presence at previews and early dinners. We haven’t seen anything about a photo policy, so we say, “Shoot your shot.” We feel like the odds are better outside of football season, as he might be distracted with his side gig as a studio analyst for NBC Sports.

Just Four Hours

I always find it fascinating when a restaurant is open for limited hours. It seems like a business would be squeezing every drop of sweet juice out of that lemon. For now, Caffe Lucca is only open four hours a day, from 5 to 9 p.m., seven days a week.

Caffe Lucca, 4445 Travis St., Monday – Sunday 5 to 9 p.m.