New Restaurants are Blossoming This Spring

This March kept true to the saying “in like a lion, out like a lamb,” kicking off with a four-alarm fire on Lower Greenville on March 2. The fire started in Terrilli’s and soon destroyed Hurricane Grill, Mick’s and Greenville Bar & Grill only a few weeks before one of…

Green House Truck: Roving Wonder is Blooming in University Park

There are few food-truck options in Dallas, aside from the work-site roach coaches shilling prepared pablum. That’s not to say I don’t have affection for them. It’s worth risking life, limb and stomach lining for something potentially amazing. Dubious attention to health codes be damned. But the tide is turning…

Naga Thai Battles the Victory Curse With Some Tasty, Spicy Fare

N9NE tried it. Now they’re no more. Nove Italiano tried it. Now they’re no more. Now Naga Thai is trying it, opening a restaurant in the overpriced abyss known as Victory Park. Einstein once said that one definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and…

Yourway Burger is the Perfect Spot for Cheap, Picky People

If you’re one of those picky-as-shit people when it comes to ordering your food, one of those people who takes 30 minutes to order a burger and you “hold” and “on the side” so much stuff that it ends up just being a grilled cheese sandwich, Yourway Burger is the…

Artin’s Grill Brings a Touch of the Sublime to Plano Dining

Artin’s Grill is a gush of earnest, approachable sophistication wreathed in a blast of hickory smoke. At Artin’s, no detail is overlooked: faux wood parquet tiles line the section dividers, only they’re made of brass, which means the faux is fancier than the thing being faked. The banquette complex is…

First Look: Artin’s Grill

Recently, we made a post-rush-hour journey up to Plano for dinner at Artin’s Grill, the newest addition to the Shops at Legacy. Artin’s had its soft opening in mid-January, and the restaurant is now serving its full menu of American food with Asian and Latin influences for lunch and dinner.Situated…

DISH Suffers From a Lack of Focus on Getting the Food Right

The egg must not be cold. Here we are in Oak Lawn’s dishiest new restaurant, DISH (the insistent capital letters an attempt to elevate the generic name). It is a frigid Saturday morning, and at 11:30 a.m., we two are the only patrons in a 5,500-square-foot space that seats about…

Tramontana: A Restaurant Made for Grandma

This ain’t your mother’s bistro. No, it’s your grandmother’s. And if you visit Tramontana of an evening, though not too long past the witching hour of 8, you’ll likely see a few other people’s grannies here too. They’ll be accompanied by nicely dressed adult grandchildren and, if some have been…

Big Al’s Smokehouse is a Little Cheesy

I wanted a light lunch the other day, so I went in search of barbecue. Felt like a two-meat kind of day, ya know? I heard Big Al’s Smokehouse was a thing to behold, so it was ironic to me that I was having a hard time seeing it as…

Ristorante Nicola Ready to Lure the Park Cities Crowd

This week marked the soft opening of Ristorante Nicola, the “sister” restaurant of Nicola’s Ristorante Italiano in the Shops of Legacy in Plano. Located in the Preston Commons office building, the new restaurant occupies what once was a bank lobby. Like the Legacy location, Ristorante Nicola features a large antipasto…

There’s Light at the End of the Tunnel – Swear

The month of February definitely saw more restaurant closings than openings, with a few scheduled debuts pushed back to March. A new Italian restaurant opened in Coppell (Maurizio’s), while another one will be opening shortly in North Dallas (Ristorante Nicola). The masterminds behind Nandina and Jasmine opened up Naga Thai…

Dr. Bell’s BBQ

If Dr.Bell’s BBQ were a chick, she’d be a total slut. For months, all I’ve been hearing is “Dr. Bell’s is freaking awwwwesooome,” “Dude. Dr. Bell’s. You have to go there.” “You feeling sad? Dr. Bell’s will cheer you up. Won’t cost you much. Way cheaper than going to the…

First Look: Naga Thai Kitchen & Bar

Thursday night was the grand opening bash at Naga Thai Kitchen and Bar, and the who’s who of Dallas was out in full force for the event in Victory Park. Who are we kidding? We don’t know the who’s who from the who’s not, but there was a red carpet…

Club Sushi

Late one Friday we were seated for dinner in the central dining area of what seemed like a relatively quiet spot, Otaru Nippon Collection Japanese Restaurant and Lounge, located just off the Tollway. Coats off, drinks ordered, we settled in. Shortly after, we noticed the staff was not just tidying…

Pollo Fiesta: It’s Like a Chicken Party in Your Mouth

I discovered Pollo Fiesta while taking a Spring Valley detour to avoid the usual 20-car pile up on the High Five. (By the way, high five for naming this, Dude Who Named the High Five. And high five for all the wrecks it’s causing. High fuckin’ five.) Pollo Fiesta’s sign…

Hall’s Chicken Shack is a Trip to the Moon on Barbecue Wings

Lesson I should’ve learned a long time ago: Check your order before leaving the drive-through. I never check—feels rude, like I am questioning the drive-through lady’s order-taking abilities. But after today, I’m changing my ways: From now on, I’m an A-Hole Drive-Through Order-Checking Person, just like the rest of y’all…