North Texas Hotel Restaurant Ranked No. 8 in U.S.

We recently wrote about the new restaurant inside HALL Park Hotel. Dallas Observer food writer Lauren Durie was impressed with the Italian spot, writing that Palato isn't your basic hotel restaurant and adding that "The open-concept kitchen, complete with a view of the wood-fired oven, puts the craft front and center."

The restaurant inside the uber splashy hotel in Frisco opened last fall and hired Eric Sakai as its executive chef. He trained at Rubicon in San Francisco and Le Bernardin in New York, as well as the Ritz in Jackson Hole, Dallas, and Las Colinas. He's got some street cred. 
The big hire paid off. USA Today recently released its 10Best Awards, which are selected through a public voted poll after being selected by industry experts. Coming in at No. 8 on that list, Palato Italian Kitchen and Lounge at HALL Park Hotel is noted for its pastries at breakfast and transforming into a wine lover's paradise by night, "accompanied by artisan pizzas and handmade pastas.

The HALL hotel is part of Marriott's Autograph Collection and is designed to feel like a boutique space with upscale accommodations, art, and premier amenities. HALL Park Hotel Frisco is near The Star District and has a pool, bar, and rooftop lounge.

What makes the restaurant shine, according to our recent first look, is Sakai's stripped-down approach that allows essentials to shine. Like a New York Strip simply seasoned with salt. Pastas are all made in-house, pizzas are wood-fired, and house-made limoncello is steeped for two months.

The win cellar currently has a population of 1,200, so there's plenty to explore there.