Sachet

Sachet’s vegetable-focused, elegant Mediterranean plates of food start from impeccable ingredients, and they’re served in portions small enough that we can try more. It’s possible to focus on a different aspect of this restaurant with each visit: Come once to sample Sachet’s seasonal house-made pastas — Sachet is one of the best pasta joints in Dallas — then return to try a half-dozen or so of the vegetarian meze or to focus on the new lineup of swordfish kebabs and grilled octopus. The menu’s influences range from Spanish Iberico ham to Turkish-inspired lamb, with a detour at the end for Tunisian doughnuts, but pastas like green tortiglioni and lobster spaghetti just might be best of all.

Top pick: Dive into the meze, including muhammara, the smoky pepper dip, topped with a scoop of lentils, or roasted carrots with spices and labne. And don’t be afraid to pay for the fresh-baked pita bread, which is worth the modest ask.

Fun fact: In addition to an entire menu of different gin and tonics, Sachet boasts the best wine program in Dallas. The wine list notates natural, biodynamic and organic bottlings, and encompasses wines from Spain, Morocco, France, Italy, Greece, Slovenia, Turkey, Lebanon, Albania, Israel and Texas. Feeling a bit lost? Seemingly every employee on staff can tell you, with sincere enthusiasm, about their favorites.