Craft Beer News

Pioneering craft beer bar in Uptown Dallas will pour its last pint

They also did beer flights.

Freetail Brewing

After a decade in business, one of Dallas' pioneering craft beer destinations is closing: Common Table, a consistently popular craft beer haunt in Uptown Dallas, will close on January 26.

Owner Corey Pond confirmed in a Facebook post that the restaurant-bar was facing a lease renewal and decided to call it quits.

Common Table also posted a note on its Facebook page, saying, "Unfortunately we’ve reached the end of our life in Uptown Dallas. Our lease renewal is coming up and the building is in need of significant repairs and we’ve been unable to reach an agreement with our landlord. Sunday, January 26 will be our last day."

Pond says he's hoping to find a new location for the Dallas outlet. There's also a Common Table in Frisco, which co-owner and chef Rodman Shields says is doing very well.

Craft beer was hardly a thing when Common Table opened in 2010 in the elegant old home on Fairmont Street previously occupied by another revered spot, Lola, the restaurant where chef David Uygur once cooked.

It felt like a neighborhood bar but with superior food and drink. They always had a great menu with standout dishes such as their pretzel bites and Cobb salad. And they wisely showcased the front patio facing the sidewalk, making the place feel even more like someone's home.

But their major draw was their extensive tap list and selection of beer, with rare and much-desired beers from up-and-coming breweries around the country. They hosted countless rare tappings, starring brewers who would come in from out of town, as well as unique dinners with beer pairings. If St. Arnold was going to do a vertical tasting of every prized "Divine Reserve" beer it ever brewed, then Common Table was the place to do it.

For now, they're going to make the coming week a "celebration of the past 10 years," and all the wonderful times.

It stands to be a worthy event to attend, given the many spectacular craft beers from Texas and around the country to be found in their cellar.

"It goes without saying this weekend’s Hip Hop Brunches will be extra on fleek so get in on that if you can," the post says. "We’ll close for the final time Sunday night at midnight if you wanna be here to help turn out the lights."

craft-beer closings

Pasta News

Acclaimed team opens Tutto Gustoso Italian at Watters Creek in Allen

Tutto Gustoso

A new Italian restaurant with a high-powered culinary team has opened in Allen at Watters Creek Village: Called Tutto Gustoso Italian Restaurant, it's a contemporary Italian spot located at 842 Watters Creek Blvd., in the former Cru Wine bar space which closed in mid-2025 after 16 years.

Tutto Gustoso is from General Manager Leo Gravina, a native of Italy who is well known to Allen diners via Numero 28, the Italian restaurant he oversees at The Village at Allen; and executive chef Enrico Glaudo, a global culinarian, also from Italy, who previously helped open Ocean Ranch, an Italian restaurant on Greenville Avenue which has since closed.

Credentials
The famously charming Gravina previously worked for the Bice Group, the acclaimed Italian restaurant company founded in Milan in 1926, and was part of a team of Italians who opened a location of Bice in Uptown Dallas in 2006. He's since worked for hotel groups including Hilton and the Gaylord, and served as director of operations for the Lombardi Group for five years.

Glaudo started his career in the kitchen at age 14, and is well known in southern California's cosmopolitan Italian restaurant scene, having earned acclaim as a chef at restaurants such as Primi where his authentic Italian cooking dazzled critics. He first came to Texas nearly a decade ago by way of Houston, where he served as executive chef of Hotel Granduca Houston.

“Our goal is simple,” said Gravina, “to make our guests feel like they’ve stepped into a trattoria in Italy, where every ingredient is fresh, every pasta is handmade, and every meal is shared with joy.”

Menu
The menu at Tutto Gustoso celebrates Italy’s regional diversity, featuring handmade pastas, fresh seafood, Italian meats, and artisanal breads prepared daily.

Highlights are as follows:

Antipasti: Focaccia and dips featuring olive tapenade and spicy whipped ricotta, or Burrata Caprese — burrata mozzarella with basil oil and balsamic pearls. Polpette al Sugo (beef meatballs in marinara); Olive Ascolane (stuffed fried olives), and Fritto Misto with crispy calamari, zucchini and oyster mushrooms.

Pasta: Tagliatelle Bolognese with beef sauce, Ravioli Pere e Ricotta pear and ricotta-stuffed ravioli in a creamy walnut sauce, and Spaghetti Chitarra alle Vongole Rosse with Italian clams and Calabrian chili.

Risotto: Barbabietole Pistachio e Gamberi (roasted beet risotto with shrimp and Sicilian pistachio) or Porcini e Mirtilli (porcini mushrooms and blueberries).

Secondi: Main courses include Brasato al Barolo—tender short ribs braised in Barolo wine; Tagliata di Manzo, a 14-oz grilled New York steak with Tuscan beans and balsamic arugula salad; Salmone alla Senape Dolce; Filetto di Branzino; Pollo alla Milanese.

Pinsa & Piadine: By day, Tutto Gustoso serves light piadine—Italian flatbread sandwiches with gourmet fillings such as Parma (prosciutto, goat cheese, and candied figs) and Mortadella (burrata and pistachio pesto). At dinner, Roman-style Pinsa flatbreads take center stage — crispy, airy, and topped with Calabrese (spicy salami, San Marzano tomato, honey drizzle) or Modenese (prosciutto di Parma and stracciatella cheese).

Designed for both casual lunches and refined dinners, Tutto Gustoso offers a warm, contemporary setting with Italian charm, perfect for date nights, family gatherings and weekend aperitivos on the patio.

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