Welcome to SideDish’s weekly dispatch of need-to-know News Bites, from quiet closures to opening updates and everything in between, including coronavirus-related intel.
Bruno Davaillon Imparts His French Skills at Up on Knox for the Holidays
A “holiday residency,” as the press release powers that be are calling it, sounds much more distinguished than “guest chef” or “pop-up,” but whatever it’s called, it’s a big deal. Davaillon stepped away as executive chef at Buillion at the beginning of this year, but kept a hand in the creative direction of the restaurant as an advisor. Now he’s resurfacing, so to speak, at Up On Knox. It’s a French pairing that just makes sense. Davaillon has created two holiday menus, one for Christmas and another for New Year’s Eve. Both are $70 per person, with an option to order from the regular menu a la carte. Want optional truffle shavings and caviar to “fancy up” your meal? You can do that from December 21–24 and 26. Call 469-250-4007 for reservations.
Eataly Opens Today at Noon
But don’t all go at once. It’ll be there tomorrow, too. And the next day. And the next. The Italian food market-slash-multi-restaurant space will be operating at 25 percent capacity, a threshold the company felt most comfortable with despite a higher allowance here in Texas. That means more elbow room at the meat and cheese counter and space to explore the two-story food wonderland. Near the shopping center entrance, find traditional espresso and a pizza-by-the-paddle lunch counter. There’s La Pizza & La Pasta, a restaurant also on the ground floor where the menu consists of the obvious items. Upstairs, La Terra, is a restaurant with outdoor seating where the menu focuses on live-fire cooked proteins and veggies. Buon divertimento, Dallas. Read more about what Eataly’s arrival means for the city, plus what else you can find on its shelves.
Big Dallas Talent Tapped for Another AT&T Discover District Restaurant
The downtown restaurant realm adds two more concepts to the AT&T plaza, this time at The Second Floor at The Exchange. Ounce and Ichi Ni San will be run by award-winning chefs Brian Zenner and Peja Krstic, respectively. While Ounce will be a Texas-inspired brasserie, Ichi Ni San is Krstic’s “admittedly nontraditional take on Japanese cuisine.” The drink menu crafted by Hospitality Alliance beverage director Alex Fletcher—he also helmed the beverage program at JAXON, also located within the plaza—will have cocktails that play well with both Krstic’s and Zenner’s dishes; plus, find rare vintage wines and an impressive list of wines by the glass. It opens for dinner and drinks on December 16 at 211 S. Akard Street (hours are Wed–Sat to start).
Khao Noodle Shop Celebrates Its 2nd Anniversary
This week marks two years since Donny Sirisavath’s Laotian noodle shop captivated Dallas, and then the rest of the country. Any anniversary, especially this year, feels so important and so dear—celebrate every day we can still have chef Donny’s boat noodles? Hell yes. So this Saturday, December 12, toast to Khao Noodle throughout the day with virtual events on Instagram Live: meet the “Khao tribe” and behind the scenes crew at noon; at 5 p.m., watch a Q&A with Sirisavath (bring questions!); and 9:30 p.m. is cheers o’clock. The lucky few who dine in will receive a complimentary glass of bubbly. The rest of us need to provide our own drinks, but the great news is that you can get 15 percent off your meal.
The Parcel Project Provides Wellness Basics for Hospitality Workers
As great as it is to hear news of new restaurants, food markets, and lush feasts, there are still so many struggling through this pandemic. Hospitality workers remain in a precarious state, weathering repeated furloughs and layoffs in a single year. So the Heard That Foundation has partnered with Oatly and Counter Culture Coffee to launch “The Parcel Project,” which will provide monthly wellness basics for local hospitality workers at the new Counter Culture Training Center on Commerce Street. Parcel includes pantry basics, cleaning and hygiene supplies, and mental wellness support with an emphasis on local plant-based products. Sign up online here. If anyone is interested in partnering or donating to Parcel Project, please email: [email protected]. Heard That Foundation will also be accepting monetary donations. The next pickup will be drive-thru style on December 21 and will include fresh produce from Profound Foods.
