Two Dallas restaurant veterans, Michael Cox and Kelly Hightower, are joining forces to open OSO Food & Wine in the space formerly occupied by Prego Italian Express in Preston Forest Shopping Center. Cox resigned as CEO of M Crowd (MiCocina, Taco Diner, Mercury) last January. He has been a fixture on the dining scene here for decades. Most notable he was a managing partner and co-founder of Star Concepts with Stephan Pyles and he jump started Central Market’s presence in Dallas as the general manager.
Cox will now take charge of his own restaurant, OSO Food & Wine. The cuisine is loosely defined as Mediterranean; the vibe is neighborhood friendly. To achieve his goal, Cox has hired chef Kelly Hightower. The two worked together at AquaKnox. Hightower has cheffed at the Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek, Tei Tei Robata Bar, Ziziki’s, Hattie’s, and was owner/chef at Kavala in Oak Cliff. He was also the executive chef at Wild Salsa until he left last February. Hightower returned to Wild Salsa’s governing body, Dallas Restaurant Group, in March as the corporate chef with plans to oversee the company’s new concept Oven and Cellar.
Cox and Hightower—sounds like a law firm—are busy getting OSO ready for its debut in mid-October. Service will be dinner only through the end of the year and will open for lunch in early 2015.
