If upscale fast casual is the new fine dining, then Dive Coastal Cuisine in Snider Plaza has its sights set on becoming the new French Room. Franchesca Nor, the chef and owner, has the right interior design and a menu full of organic, seasonal, and local ingredients, but she has yet to elevate the food to regal status. The vibe is California-meets-the-Caribbean cool. The seafood-centric menu, with a couple of entrées close to $20, includes ceviche, salads (big and small), dips (hummus and cucumber yogurt), seafood entrées (salmon, scallops, mussels), and a kid-friendly selection. Don’t like fish? The restaurant offers a fancy pulled pork sandwich with barbecue ragu and a mustard-ginger slaw. We ordered at the counter and received a number clipped to a tiny soccer ball—which was fitting, since half the customers in the restaurant the night we dined were coaches, parents of players, or players of little league soccer. We enjoyed the Park Cities people-watching as we sipped a wheaty Pyramid Hefeweizen, but the fun stopped when the food arrived.
