Something very neat about this month’s food roundup is the incredible variety of new restaurant openings. African-Mediterranean fusion, Japanese, Nepalese, and Pan-Asian restaurants have recently opened in North Texas. That means more ways to stretch out those taste buds over spring break.
Highlights
- Lucia still rocks our world.
- Lee Harvey’s was in a Super Bowl ad. The reaction to it didn’t go super well.
- Two new steakhouses opened.
- Urbano Cafe was going to close, but thanks to its new owners, it’ll stay open.
Our Favorite Dishes We Ate in February
Everything at Lucia. Our Valentine’s Day dinner was at Lucia in Bishop Arts. (We celebrated on Feb. 13 because Feb. 14 gets a little hectic, and no prix-fixe menu.) We went a long stretch without dining at Dallas’ favorite Italian restaurant, and Valentine’s Day seemed to be a good day to go back. We had the complimentary olives, salumi board, salmon crudo, chicken and ricotta pansotti, tonnarelli, and coconut sorbet for dessert. The salumi board is one of the best in Dallas; house-cured meats will always win me over. The pasta dishes were perfect. The pansotti had mushrooms for earthiness and yummy toasted breadcrumbs on top. The coconut sorbet, made by pastry chef darling Maggie Huff, was the perfect ender to the meal. Did I mention the dessert had caramelized pineapples? It had the most incredible caramelized pineapples, plus thin almond cookies. Don’t be like me and wait too long to go back to Lucia. — Nataly Keomoungkhoun
The seared scallop taco at Resident Taqueria. We recommend this place by saying that they can turn anything into a great taco, and there’s no better example than the scallops they were serving in February. (And hopefully still are.) Seared just as perfectly as they would be in a good French restaurant, the scallops are folded into tortillas with grilled kale and salsa macha. It’s a perfectly composed bite. My only regret is that I only ordered one instead of, like, five. — Brian Reinhart
Fried Stuffed Quesadillas at José. The barbacoa quesadillas at Jose are money. (But they looked, in my opinion, closer to an empanada than a quesadilla.) An order comes with two quesadillas with crunchy blue corn masa exteriors. Inside is a heaping of shredded braised brisket and melty Chihuahua cheese. When you bite into one of the quesadillas, a trail of cheese follows as you pull away. Another perk: the quesadillas taste even better the second day as leftovers. — N.K.
Food News
Al Biernat diagnosed with ALS: The legendary restaurateur behind his namesake steakhouse, told the Morning News he was diagnosed with ALS. He’s not going to be selling the restaurant, he says, but is letting his nephew Brad Fuller run the business.
Baby Back Shak Burns: The beloved barbecue joint in the Cedars caught on fire late February and suffered significant damage. It’s temporarily closed for now, but there are plans to reopen.
Lee Harvey’s Super Bowl Ad: Just behind Baby Back Shak is Lee Harvey’s, a dive bar that caught a different kind of heat this month. The bar was featured in a Super Bowl ad from Christian nonprofit He Gets Us. The nonprofit has been backed by funders who are against contraceptives and transgender bathrooms, and who support criminalizing homosexuality. Lee Harvey’s got dragged. The bar later posted on Facebook that it gave permission to a photo crew to shoot inside, but didn’t know the client or how the image would be used: “We do not endorse, align with, or support this campaign or client in any way.”
Stiffler’s Mom’s Cookie Factory: State Fair of Texas concessionaire Tammy Stiffler, who makes giant, delectable cookies at the Fair, just launched an online shop. Tammy and her husband, Rick, are the team behind Big Tex Taste Award winners Fried S’mores, Fried Lemonade, and Fried Pumpkin Pie. The cookies are insanely good if you haven’t tried them. If you’re dying to, check out their site. (One of each for us, please!)
Openings and Closings
Birdcall: The chicken sandwich shop opened a new location Feb. 19 in Richardson. It’s the third in Texas for the Colorado-based chain. 507 W. Belt Line Rd., Richardson.
Brass Tap: A new Brass Tap will open in Plano on March 15, according to a press release. The craft beer bar will have 40 local beers. 5805 Preston Rd., Ste. 594.
Cafe Nubia: An African-Mediterranean restaurant called Cafe Nubia opened in Far North Dallas in February. Its menu is inspired by both of those unique cuisines, and it includes lamb sliders, kebabs, oxtail, and falafel. 3920 Rosemeade Pkwy.
Indochine Bistro: A neat new Southeast Asian restaurant hit Oak Lawn in the former Green Papaya space, according to CultureMap. The restaurant serves a variety of Vietnamese, Thai, and Lao dishes such as Lao sausages, curry bowls, and vermicelli noodle bowls. Catch us here very soon. 3211 Oak Lawn Ave., Ste. B.
JingHe: The new restaurant at Mockingbird Station opened Jan. 6 to serve Izakaya-inspired food. Izakayas are Japanese bars or lounges, whose word translates to “stay-drink-place.” Expect to come and hang around for a while. JingHe will have grilled menu items, and sashimi, noodles, desserts, and a miles-long sake list. 5321 E. Mockingbird Ln., Ste. 105.
Kirameki: The swanky cocktail bar at Tastu Dallas recently closed for an unknown reason. (We didn’t know until dining there that it had shuttered.)
La La Land Kind Cafe: The latest La La Land location opened in Plano at the Park Boulevard and Preston Road intersection. Perfect lattes all around. 2301 Preston Rd., Ste. A, Plano.
The Landmark Prime Rib: The dining room at the Warwick Melrose reopened in February after about four years, and it’s now focused on prime rib. The restaurant using a refurbished carving cart to dole out prime ribs to diners in any way they choose. Read this Eater story to learn more about it. 3015 Oak Lawn Ave.
The Liam’s Steakhouse: A new steakhouse debuted in the West End. It’s called The Liam’s Steakhouse, and it’s in the former T.G.I. Friday’s location. The menu has “organic” and regular cocktails, halal steaks (cool), Texas prime beef steaks, pastas, and more. It’s currently open for lunch and dinner. 1713 N. Market St.
Mābo: A very fancy and expensive yakitori omakase spot opened in Dallas’ Preston Center in February. At Mābo, chef Masayuki Otaka, who was at Teppo before it closed in 2022, will serve more than a dozen courses of grilled meats and vegetables, and perhaps one sashimi course. It’s $200 a person. 6109 Berkshire Ln., Ste. B.
Medina Oven: The Moroccan restaurant in Victory Park closed at the end of January after about 11 years.
North Italia: A new North Italia location will open March 6 at Galleria Dallas, the third for North Texas. 13270 Dallas Pkwy.
Pur Noire: Houston’s first Black-owned winery is opening a tasting room in Dallas. Pur Noire’s Victory Park outpost will open next summer. 2336 Victory Park Ln.
Saravanaa Bhavan: A South Indian food chain opened CityLine in Richardson. Saravanaa Bhavan has more than 300 vegetarian items (!) including rice dishes, vegetable curries, appetizers, desserts and coffee. 450 State St., Ste. 100, Richardson.
Spiral Diner: The vegan diner announced on Facebook it was closing its Denton location after its lease was up. The family of vegan restaurants includes Dreamboat Donuts and Maiden, all of which are now in Fort Worth. Employees told the North Texas Daily that they weren’t notified that the restaurant would be shuttering.
SoCo Coffee House and Bistro: The coffee house announced on Facebook it was closing its shop in Lake Highlands, citing lack of business.
The Taco Stand: The Taco Stand, a family-run street taco joint based in La Jolla, opened its first location in Texas. Tacos include al pastor, pescado, and carne, and the menu also has burritos, volcans, and quesadillas served on handmade corn tortillas. 3227 McKinney Ave.
Taipo: A cool new fast-casual Nepalese spot with a speakeasy opened in downtown Arlington. Taipo serves momos (dumplings), noodles, skewers, and stir-fried proteins. The speakeasy has a limited food menu plus cocktails. 200 E. Abram St., Ste. 140.
Tande Thai: A new Thai restaurant is headed to The Colony this spring. It’ll open at Grandscape, the massive development along State Hwy. 121. Menu items include pork belly lettuce wraps and short ribs coated in Panang curry. 5754 Grandscape Blvd., Ste. 105, The Colony.
Urbano Cafe: So, turns out Urbano Cafe is not closing after all. The News reported the cafe was purchased by Pasha Heidari and Sina Heidari of Las Palmas, Bowen House, and Mike’s Gemini Twin Lounge. Read about it here. 1410 N. Fitzhugh Ave.
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