Tam’s Egg Roll

Tam’s Egg Roll looks dark from the outside and way too small to even have an actual kitchen in it, but open the door and you’re immediately transported to a land of stir-fried goodness. Sure, there are some giant creepy masks and giant handheld fans on the walls (put there…

Urbano Cafe: A Delightful Treat in a Plain Brown Wrapper

While waiting outside for our table at Urbano Café, we noticed a gentleman, probably in his 60s, stumble out of the restaurant and turn a collapsible cooler upside down to dump the ice that formerly chilled white wine. He was followed by several more parties of AARP members, something that…

New Restaurants are Blossoming This Spring

This March kept true to the saying “in like a lion, out like a lamb,” kicking off with a four-alarm fire on Lower Greenville on March 2. The fire started in Terrilli’s and soon destroyed Hurricane Grill, Mick’s and Greenville Bar & Grill only a few weeks before one of…

Green House Truck: Roving Wonder is Blooming in University Park

There are few food-truck options in Dallas, aside from the work-site roach coaches shilling prepared pablum. That’s not to say I don’t have affection for them. It’s worth risking life, limb and stomach lining for something potentially amazing. Dubious attention to health codes be damned. But the tide is turning…

Naga Thai Battles the Victory Curse With Some Tasty, Spicy Fare

N9NE tried it. Now they’re no more. Nove Italiano tried it. Now they’re no more. Now Naga Thai is trying it, opening a restaurant in the overpriced abyss known as Victory Park. Einstein once said that one definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and…

Yourway Burger is the Perfect Spot for Cheap, Picky People

If you’re one of those picky-as-shit people when it comes to ordering your food, one of those people who takes 30 minutes to order a burger and you “hold” and “on the side” so much stuff that it ends up just being a grilled cheese sandwich, Yourway Burger is the…

Artin’s Grill Brings a Touch of the Sublime to Plano Dining

Artin’s Grill is a gush of earnest, approachable sophistication wreathed in a blast of hickory smoke. At Artin’s, no detail is overlooked: faux wood parquet tiles line the section dividers, only they’re made of brass, which means the faux is fancier than the thing being faked. The banquette complex is…

First Look: Artin’s Grill

Recently, we made a post-rush-hour journey up to Plano for dinner at Artin’s Grill, the newest addition to the Shops at Legacy. Artin’s had its soft opening in mid-January, and the restaurant is now serving its full menu of American food with Asian and Latin influences for lunch and dinner.Situated…

DISH Suffers From a Lack of Focus on Getting the Food Right

The egg must not be cold. Here we are in Oak Lawn’s dishiest new restaurant, DISH (the insistent capital letters an attempt to elevate the generic name). It is a frigid Saturday morning, and at 11:30 a.m., we two are the only patrons in a 5,500-square-foot space that seats about…

Tramontana: A Restaurant Made for Grandma

This ain’t your mother’s bistro. No, it’s your grandmother’s. And if you visit Tramontana of an evening, though not too long past the witching hour of 8, you’ll likely see a few other people’s grannies here too. They’ll be accompanied by nicely dressed adult grandchildren and, if some have been…

Big Al’s Smokehouse is a Little Cheesy

I wanted a light lunch the other day, so I went in search of barbecue. Felt like a two-meat kind of day, ya know? I heard Big Al’s Smokehouse was a thing to behold, so it was ironic to me that I was having a hard time seeing it as…

Ristorante Nicola Ready to Lure the Park Cities Crowd

This week marked the soft opening of Ristorante Nicola, the “sister” restaurant of Nicola’s Ristorante Italiano in the Shops of Legacy in Plano. Located in the Preston Commons office building, the new restaurant occupies what once was a bank lobby. Like the Legacy location, Ristorante Nicola features a large antipasto…

There’s Light at the End of the Tunnel – Swear

The month of February definitely saw more restaurant closings than openings, with a few scheduled debuts pushed back to March. A new Italian restaurant opened in Coppell (Maurizio’s), while another one will be opening shortly in North Dallas (Ristorante Nicola). The masterminds behind Nandina and Jasmine opened up Naga Thai…

Dr. Bell’s BBQ

If Dr.Bell’s BBQ were a chick, she’d be a total slut. For months, all I’ve been hearing is “Dr. Bell’s is freaking awwwwesooome,” “Dude. Dr. Bell’s. You have to go there.” “You feeling sad? Dr. Bell’s will cheer you up. Won’t cost you much. Way cheaper than going to the…

First Look: Naga Thai Kitchen & Bar

Thursday night was the grand opening bash at Naga Thai Kitchen and Bar, and the who’s who of Dallas was out in full force for the event in Victory Park. Who are we kidding? We don’t know the who’s who from the who’s not, but there was a red carpet…