One Arts Plaza Closure

The Greek is latest restaurant to fail at One Arts Plaza

Count The Greek as the latest failure at One Arts Plaza: The Mediterranean eatery shut down on March 14.

The restaurant was owned by Costa Arabatzis and Mary Cloutier-Arabatzis, who also own Ziziki's. Speaking on behalf of One Arts Plaza owner Billingsley Company, Lucy Burns called The Greek a "wonderful restaurant and great team."

Just not wonderful enough to endure a space that has already seen two other restaurants come and go. The space started out as Dali Wine Bar, which lasted two years before owner Paul Pinnell was sent packing. That was followed by chef John Tesar's excellent burger joint The Commissary, which lasted a year.

The Greek did well enough at lunch, but dinner business was painfully slow, unless there were events in the Arts District. The place also had a greasy smell, as if the kitchen weren't cleaned nightly.

The shuttering was so abrupt that staffers at the sibling restaurant Ziziki's in North Dallas were unaware on Saturday that The Greek had closed. Employees of The Greek were not told of the closure ahead of time. At dinner on March 12, a server hinted that change was in the air, sharing that he'd heard a new chef was being considered for a possible conversion to a seafood restaurant.

One Arts Plaza still counts Tei An, Jorge's Tex-Mex and Fedora among the living, while the former Cafe Des Artistes/Screen Door space remains dead.

"We are looking forward to announcing a few new exciting concepts," Burns said. "Some are new to Dallas and others new concepts from established local operators."

One Arts Plaza spokesman Hamilton Sneed was unable to elaborate on the details of the closure, other than to say it was "a decision mutually made." When asked why the closure took place Friday night, he said "I cannot comment on that."

As for details of the coming-soon concept, he said, "I can't comment on that until I'm able to do so," and said that "several new concepts would be coming in the next couple of weeks to replace those restaurants that have closed."

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Omakase News

Downtown Dallas restaurant Sauvage expands with new dining twist

Sauvage

A downtown Dallas restaurant famous for its multi-course tasting experience is letting its hair down: Sauvage, the high-end mom-and-pop restaurant near the Statler Dallas hotel, has a new dining option that gives a smaller, more casual taste.

The restaurant opened in September with a set menu featuring 16 to 18 courses — wild game, seafood, vegetables, and dessert — all cooked via grill and smoker.

While 16 courses might sound like a lot, the courses are mostly small bites. However, owners Casey and Amy LaRue received feedback from diners wanting a smaller option.

"We were getting a ton of messages from guests who want to stop by just to try one dish, a bite, or a specific pairing without committing to the full tasting — so we built something for exactly that," Casey says.

They've introduced a new three-course "Cocktails & Bites hour" featuring three dishes, each paired with its own cocktail, served from 5–6 pm on weekdays.

Last week’s menu consisted of:

dry-aged red snapper crudo with La Chinola Way, a cocktail featuring passionfruit, mezcal, lime, and ginger
foie gras & truffle on house-baked croissant with Pendennis Club, a gin sour with apricot liqueur bitters
jerk-spiced shrimp with Clarified Paper Plane, a bourbon cocktail with Aperol, Amaro Nonino, and lemon juice

The new offering continues their pattern of pairing courses with cocktails rather than wine — an approach they've embraced since opening. "Limiting pairings to wine can get boring — it so often ends up being one expensive red after another," Casey says.

You can make a reservation on Tock, or just walk in and grab a seat.

Caviar
They've also added a new version of their classic menu: no caviar.

"Some love having caviar integrated into the menu, but others prefer to skip it, whether for taste or dietary reasons, but still want the full value of the experience," Casey says. "With such a small counter, this put us in a strange position: do we give everyone caviar whether they want it or not, or do we remove it entirely and lose a core part of our menu?"

Thus, a new menu without caviar, priced at $195, with an optional caviar course available for those who want it for $245.

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