Where to Eat

Where to eat in Dallas right now: 5 most-hyped new restaurants in March

Piccata with mashed potatoes and capers from Belse.

Courtesy photo

The March edition of CultureMap's monthly Where to Eat in Dallas considers a quintet of restaurants that have opened surrounded by a puff of hype.

After a year of the pandemic, "hype" feels like a quaint, obsolete thing, a throwback to a time before the virus decimated a bunch of restaurants and businesses, and everything was go-go-go. It's hard not to feel nostalgic for those times, and even despite things like the arrival of vaccines, we're unlikely to go back to "normal" for a while.

In that context, the idea of hype is almost comforting, a reminder of a time of plenty. Here's five restaurants, bathed in hype:

Belse
New plant-based restaurant in downtown Dallas has a few things going for it, hype-wise. It's downtown. Vegan has been No. 1 dining trend among trend trackers for at least three years in a row. And it comes with celebrity aura: It's a spinoff from the owners of Little Pine, founded in Los Angeles by electronic musician Moby (who is no longer involved, but still good for name-dropping purposes). Belse has enough hype that it has rankled some in Dallas' vegan community; but its refreshingly matter-of-fact approach with dishes such as a flight of ketchups served with French fries makes it feel like a restaurant that just happens to be vegan.

Bonchon
International brand known for its Korean fried chicken just opened a location in Addison, which on its own is only moderately interesting, but it represents a kind of second coming for the concept. The restaurant is a new smaller fast-casual format, so that's a little buzzy. It's also the first to open in DFW since the 2019 appointment of Flynn Dekker, a former marketing chief for Wingstop, as their new CEO. Dekker lives in Dallas, and the company's headquarters are now based here -> local buzz. Their chicken is double-fried, with a garlicky red sauce that's unique. A pity that with the downsizing, the menu has also been shrunk.

Monarch
Downtown restaurant with ah-mazing skyline views is located at The National, a confusing constellation of residences-plus-hotel boasting at least three other eateries. Monarch is their only restaurant to feature a chef from out of town on the marquee, the gregarious Danny Grant, who is based in Chicago and has Michelin stars, and will surely drop in once a month to wow the locals with his boyish charm. It's also the latest newcomer to Dallas that vows to change the local Italian scene, via dishes like a $55 lasagna and a $12 side of charred asparagus. Prior suitors have not been lucky, but hope springs eternal.

Nusr-Et Steakhouse
Flashy steakhouse in downtown Dallas featuring Turkish chef Nusret Gökçe, nicknamed Salt Bae, is the glorious pinnacle of hype. (And this is even without the whole lawsuit thing.) There are Nusr-Et luxury steakhouses in many big cities, and now Dallas has its own. His technique for salting steaks, which involves salt running down his forearm, has become an Internet meme. Does it matter that his steaks, including a tomahawk steak pointlessly coated in 24K golf leaf, costing $1,000 (a bargain $275 without the gold leaf) look greasy and awful? Not a chance. Getting him to do the sprinkle salt routine at your table, then feed you a slice too big to eat in one bite, is the Holy Grail.

The Second Floor at The Exchange
Newly-opened eatery in the AT&T Discovery District has not one but two concepts with two chefs, Peja Krstic and Brian Zenner. Double the chefs, double the hype. People, this is no mere restaurant. Rather, it's a "collaborative space composed of three contributing parts": Ounce, with Zenner at the helm, is tapas-style new American. Ichi Ni San, with Krstic, is "contemporary" Japanese inspired. Hard Shake is the bar with craft cocktails. If you can't pull them in with one, then maybe you can with two, and definitely with three.

where-to-eat

Closure News

Mexican bar and restaurant on Dallas' Ross Ave closes after only 4 months

dallas.culturemap.com

A Mexican hangout from San Diego has departed Dallas: El Chingon, which served Mexican food, cocktails, and a clubby atmosphere near downtown at 3404 Ross Ave., closed on Sunday, September 6, after a mere four months.

The venue, which opened its doors on May 1, blamed the closure on the city of Dallas' code compliance department, citing repeated procedural issues that ultimately persuaded the operators that closing was the only option.

The short lifespan has to be a record, especially given the extensive investment made on the space — an abrupt ending to what was a prolonged birthing by GBOD Hospitality Group, the San Diego owners, who invested more than four years and millions of dollars to get it open.

"Our goal was simple: give Dallas the best, most Chingón experience we possibly could," their statement said. "And Dallas showed up for us…. Unfortunately, almost from the beginning, operating that vision became a constant fight with the City."

"We dealt with repeated Code Compliance visits, citations, and ongoing challenges to our Certificate of Occupancy and restaurant use," their post said. "Over time, it became increasingly clear that El Chingón simply was not what the City wanted us to be. Events, programming, dancing, the way we used our space — nearly every part of the experience became another opportunity to find fault with our identity."

El Chingon operated as a high-energy restaurant, bar, and nightlife destination known for its “Bad Ass Mexican” cuisine. The concept was founded in San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter in 2017, where it built a following for its lively programming and street-food menu of tacos, burritos, and shareable bites.

It's part of GBOD Hospitality Group, a San Diego outfit founded by brothers Raymond and Patrick Davoudi, with third partner Joe Santos, who owns San Diego bars such as Havana and Prohibition Lounge. Dallas was the third El Chingon, following San Diego and Fort Worth, where a location opened in 2020 and has not experienced the issues that befell the Dallas outpost.

The company first acquired the Dallas location in 2022, and began what felt like a never-ending period of reconstruction and renovation of the rundown brick structure, first built in 1945, which years ago had been home to a wholesale floral shop.

"We made changes," they said. "We worked with City officials. We worked with the neighborhood. We hired consultants and attorneys. We met with elected officials. We repeatedly tried to find a reasonable path forward while continuing to operate the restaurant we spent millions of dollars building. Instead, the scrutiny intensified."

"Eventually, there comes a point where fighting City Hall becomes a bigger part of running the business than serving the people who came through our doors. So, City Hall wins this round."

They've since put the property up for sale but did hint that they might reopen, stating that "we have not given up on Dallas."

"We still believe in this city. We still believe there is a place here for what El Chingón does. And we hope that in the coming years, we will have the opportunity to invest in Dallas again and once more be part of this community," they said. 'For now, thank you, Dallas. For every taco. Every tequila. Every celebration. Every packed night. Every memory. Stay Chingón. This isn’t goodbye forever."

downtown closings