The food here can be fine, but wildly inconsistent quality in execution has us wondering if the pizza will be memorable or inedible on our next visit.
Italian in Dallas Observer
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This two-story bistro blends cuisines from around the Mediterranean: Italian, French and Middle Eastern. The casual air and wide-ranging menu make it a popular spot, especially for slurping up some wonderful osso bucco, the exceedingly tender, long-stewed veal shanks that are a house specialty. Quaint and very romantic setting.
Just up the street from Casa Linda, Alfonso’s – named after proprietor Peter Columbo’s father – has been pulling in the neighborhood crowd since 1991. The shiny black-and-white checkerboard floor, fresh flowers on the tables and colorful photos of Italian street scenes set the mood for a cozy, enjoyable dining experience. For starters, they’ve got […]
In a city that could use a few more casual Italian restaurants, Americano lands in the heart of downtown with a generous plate of spaghetti and meatballs. There are no red check table cloths, but the menu is decidedly Italian-American, with the simple pastas and braised and grilled meats you’d expect from the genre. If […]
Amici has a lot to boast about – great food, an intimate atmosphere and a pretty endearing location, considering it’s way out in Carrollton. But the best thing about the cozy Italian restaurant is the chef’s pants. When we visited, they appeared to be patterned with various types of peppers in a plethora of colors. […]
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The giant, complimentary garlic rolls are reason enough to visit this Lakewood bistro. But the culinary fare that comes along with it is just as good. The sampler plates are particularly tasty. Choose from choices such as the chicken parmesan, cheese ravioli with marinara sauce and fettuccine alfredo plate and the seafood manicotti, shrimp pomodora […]
Luciano Cola’s Italian restaurant combines rustic and elegant elements to create a casual atmosphere where friends and family can commiserate, businessmen can close deals and couples can cavort over a plate of antipasto misto della casa. Sure, there are plates of spaghetti drowned in red sauce. There is also lasagna Ripiena alla Romana (lasagna stuffed […]
Arcodoro & Pomodoro is no longer the casual, family-friendly Italian joint it was when the restaurant was in residence on Routh Street, and that’s a boon for serious devotees of Sardinian cooking. Now in nearby Crescent Court, the restaurant excels at hard-to-find dishes such as suckling pig, panadeddas and delicate “music bread.” While the pastel […]
Owner Jack Ekhtiar’s small restaurant is a place where hip meets classic. Dark wood frames live jazz. Rustic Mediterranean fare, predominately Northern and Southern Italian, is presented elegantly. Among the examples are farfalle carbonara, a 6-ounce Brazilian lobster tail over spinach linguini alfredo and shrimp as well as carpaccio Avanti with white truffle oil. On […]
The Gambaccini family hails from Lucca, Italy, that beautiful city in Tuscany famous for its Renaissance walls and tordelli lucchesi, a bright yellow pasta made with eggs that is similar to ravioli but always filled with a mixture of meat, usually beef and/or pork, and sauced with a rich meat ragu. After originally emigrating to […]
The former (and in our minds, original) Carbone’s Fine Foods has been reincarnated as Barsotti’s. The trappings of the new space feel a little more upscale since the remodel, but the restaurant still executes classic and unpretentious Italian fare. Classic dishes like vodka rigatoni or lasagna Bolognese stream through the dining room regularly. Be sure to […]
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From the street, this might look like the average strip-mall pizza parlor, but once inside things change. The tables are covered in earth-tone tablecloths that match the seat cushions. Obviously, some thought went into Besa’s. That by itself distinguishes Besa’s from most slice shops in town. The counter service is still there, as are the […]
Bolla is chef David Bull’s (late of the Driskill Hotel in Austin, Iron Chef gladiator, Mansion alum) interpretation of “modern” Italian. The cuisine is careful and exacting, though its strokes of originality sometimes come across more as mesmerizing charms than as means to flavorful ends. Risotto stumbles and pork diavolo confounds while duck leg confit […]
This schlocky restaurant was drafted to look like a basement neighborhood Southern Italian supper club where portions are heaped “family style” and flavors run from vapid to vivid. If your expectations are modest, your belly will end up captivated.
Cafe Duro is a new all-day spot from Duro Hospitality, the same group responsible for the adjacent restaurant, Sister, as well as The Charles. The interior is reminiscent of the famed restaurant Giacomo in Milan, Italy. If you’re a fan of muffalettas, you must try theirs, which is made with a fall-apart tender wagyu pastrami. […]
Regulars boast about this Italian bistro, the worst-kept secret of well-heeled Dallas insiders. Some go just for carpaccio and focaccia.
This storied, family-owned (now into its fourth generation) restaurant and its sibling establishments have been dishing out some of Dallas’ favorite thin-crust pizza and Italian-American cuisine since 1946. Eating here is like dining with history. (The strip mall in which the original restaurant sits seems like a relic itself in stark contrast to the stylish […]
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This marks the opening of the fifth location under the world-renowned Carbone brand, with this venue situated comfortably in Dallas’ Design District. Other Carbone locations include Hong Kong, Las Vegas, Miami and its original location in New York. Diners at Carbone can expect big and bold and well-designed plates meant to be shared. Signature dishes […]
Carbone Vino boasts of a wine list 1,000 bottles deep with vintages from all over Italy. This spot in the design district sits right next to Carbone, but is more casual. You can still get a lot of the same menu, but they also offer pizza. Most importantly you don’t have to have a reservation.
Dallas’ best red-sauce Italian joint serves classics like spaghetti with meatballs, fried calamari and veal Parmesan and does them right. Save room if possible, because the tiramisu (made with espresso) and cinnamon-cream-filled cannoli are as close to perfection as you’ll find. Carbone’s is a more casual alternative to owner Julian Barsotti’s two fine-dining establishments, Nonna […]
First things first: This Carmine’s is not affiliated with the other similarly named establishments in town, something regulars are quick to point out. Loyalty runs deep here and offense is taken at anything that might besmirch the 30-plus year history of this North Dallas stalwart. Carmine’s specializes in New York City-style pizza, and the classic […]