Chef Patrick Russell, formerly of Max’s Wine Dive and Craft Dallas, has been appointed executive chef of Patrizio. The 33-year-old started his first shift in the kitchen of the Uptown location last Thursday, August 20.
The restaurant has been plating Italian dishes since 1989, but was forced to leave its original location in Highland Park Village earlier this year. “We got word that they didn’t want to renew the lease,” Ryan Anthony Carbery, director of operations, explained. “We looked all over. There was a space at One Arts Plaza that we were interested in, but nothing felt as good as this space,” he said, referring to the restaurant’s new Uptown location. Patrizio took over the building at 3232 McKinney Avenue which used to house Barter, and Private Social before that. “It’s a different neighborhood, a different feel, an opportunity to reconnect with Dallas,” Carbery continued. “We’re going to reestablish ourselves…bridge the gap between 1989 and 2015.”
Changes have been made to the menu, but the kitchen will accommodate diners who don’t see their favorite items listed. “We kept our top 10 dishes, and all of the salads. We’re just trying to improve on technique, sourcing, and quality,” said Carbery. “The menu is fun, it’s a little different. We now have a wood-fired oven, we didn’t have that at the Highland Park Village location.”
The restaurant will launch brunch for the first time on Labor Day weekend. “There will be some items off the dinner menu, iron skillet eggs, and a spaghetti cake on smoked gouda with a meatball and poached eggs,” Chef Russell explained. Brunch will be available weekly on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. but will also be available on Monday, September 7 (for the holiday).
