Best New Restaurants

Dallas-Fort Worth claims most of the best new restaurants in Texas

The time has come for Texas Monthly's annual Where To Eat, i.e., the best new restaurants of the last year. Food critic Patricia Sharpe evaluated establishments across the state, opened between November 1, 2013, and October 31, 2014, to determine her list for 2015, and four in Dallas-Fort Worth made the cut.

Speaking of cut, Knife came in at No. 7 out of 10. "Among Texas steakhouses, Knife stands alone," Sharpe writes. And she has more gushes for John Tesar's "modern palace of protein," including a "revelatory" ham tasting and the "most famous steak in Texas," aka, a tomahawk rib-eye aged 240 days.

Gemma on Henderson Avenue, which both D Magazine and Dallas Morning News crowned Restaurant of the Year for 2014, was the highest-ranking DFW establishment at No. 3. It has "evolved from a halting start into one of Dallas' most sought-after dining destinations," reads the entry.

At No. 6 is San Salvaje, the "riotously decorated venture" from Stephan Pyles. "Despite the unfamiliar words on the menu, many of the dishes are surprisingly comforting," the article reads.

Le Cep, the "unlikely dining venue" in Fort Worth, snuck in at No. 10. "Perhaps the greatest novelty of dining here is that the chef is actually in the kitchen, as opposed to on TV or off at some posh gala," Sharpe writes about this French fine-dining restaurant in Cowtown's cultural district.

Dallas-Fort Worth also had the most honorable mentions: Blind Butcher and Oso in Dallas and Righteous Foods and Clay Pigeon in Fort Worth.

Houston has three restaurants in the top 10, including Caracol (No. 1), Pax Americana (No. 4) and Coltivare (No. 8). Austin had two: Olamaie (No. 2) and Odd Duck (No. 5). San Antonio took the No. 9 spot with Starfish.

Knife, which ranked No. 7 on Texas Monthly's list of best new restaurants, doesn't scrimp on salads despite its emphasis on steaks.

Photo by Marc Lee

Knife, which ranked No. 7 on Texas Monthly's list of best new restaurants, doesn't scrimp on salads despite its emphasis on steaks.

unspecified

Sushi News

Dallas sushi restaurant Oishii opens in ex-Pei Wei at Preston Forest

Plano gets what everyone wants.

undefined

Sushi is now being served at Preston-Forest in Dallas, thanks to chef Thanh Nguyen, who has opened a new location of his vastly popular Oishii restaurant at this buzzy intersection.

Located at 11700 Preston Rd. #650 — also known as the former Pei Wei space — Oishii Preston Forest has opened on September 20, ready to serve sushi and Pan-Asian cuisine to the North Dallas and Preston Hollow areas.

The restaurant is beloved for its imaginative rolls, hospitality, and broad menu with not just sushi but also Vietnamese and Chinese dishes, including classics like orange chicken. They serve as a convenient lunch spot with reasonable prices on favorites like the spicy salmon cabbage salad and sushi lunch platter. At dinner, it's specials like Peking duck, coconut sea bass, crab & Chinese asparagus soup, and the Royce sushi roll drizzled with truffle oil.

Scoring the Pei Wei space was a coup; it closed at the end of February after 20 years. Oishii was courted by the landlord, who wanted a traditional full-service restaurant in the space.

Nguyen previously worked at restaurants such as Nakamoto in Plano and Steel, before taking over a former Vietnamese buffet on Wycliff Avenue to open the first Oishii in 2003. The concept has maintained a devout following even through an expansion of new locations at SMU, in Plano, and Grapevine.

The menu at Preston Forest will feature many of the same innovative dishes served at the four existing Oishii locations such as the 42 Roll, Tribeca Roll, Royce Roll, Himalayan Roll, On the Border Roll, and Thanh Scallop Roll.

Oishii also has popular off the menu dishes including the Dallas Roll, Mustang Roll, Main Street Roll, and Salmon Tomato Sushi. They have a full bar, and their most popular cocktail is their Lychee Martini.

According to a representative from the restaurant, chef Thanh is debuting a new Preston Roll in honor of the newest location.

All locations are introducing a new wine menu with a Reserve List of special occasion wines; as well as a new Specialty Cocktail Menu, with Asian-inspired cocktails including Asian ingredients such as Japanese whisky, sake, shochu (rice liquor), yuzu marmalade, and sesame. The Nigiri Negroni for example contains sushi rice and soy sauce.

The chain also has a popular half-price bottle wine program, offered at different locations on different nights:

Mondays: Oishii SMU Boulevard (Dallas)
Tuesdays: Oishii Preston Forest (Dallas), Oishii Parkwood Boulevard (Plano), and Oishii Highway 114 (Grapevine)
Wednesdays: at Oishii Wycliff Avenue (Dallas)

Happy hour is available at the Plano and Grapevine locations only, Monday-Thursday from 5-6:30 pm at the bar and sushi bar with $3 to $9 small plates, $9 glasses of select wines, and $10 specialty cocktail drinks.

openings