Highland Park Village news

2 of Dallas' hottest chefs partner up for Italian restaurant nirvana

Highland Park Village gets red-sauce Italian à la Carbone’s.

Photo courtesy of Carbone's

Two of Dallas' most popular chefs have formed a partnership and will open two restaurants in Highland Park Village. The chefs: Nick Badovinus (Neighborhood Services, Montlake Cut, Off-Site Kitchen, Town Hearth) and Julian Barsotti (Sprezza, Nonna, Carbone's). The concepts are two Italian food restaurants, side by side, allowing diners to savor two different styles and settings.

Fachini is an Italian restaurant from Julian Barsotti, a best chef nominee in our 2017 Tastemaker Awards, that will do "old school, upscale Italian-American dining" and red-sauce classics. Fachini is Barsotti's paternal grandmother's maiden name. Barsotti says he's been waiting for the perfect space.

"Highland Park Village's unique history and prime location lends itself to what I see for Fachini: a romanticized-retro version of the classic, upscale red-sauce Italian-American joint," he says in a release. Confusing, since most red-sauce Italian-American joints are not upscale, but perhaps he'll give it an up$cale twirl.

The food will be "generous, technically precise renditions" of classic dishes. As generous as Buca di Beppa? They're very generous. The menu will include antipasti, salads, macaroni, seafood, veal, steaks, and dessert. Dishes include table-side Caesar, 100-layer lasagna bolognese, whole Maine lobster fra diavolo, and prime-bone-in beef tenderloin à la pepe. Do you suppose there will really be 100 layers on that lasagna?

Perfect Union Pizza Co. is the latest concept from Nick Badovinus, and the release has much positive blah-blah about its bold, straightforward, and honest flavors; its light and sunny atmosphere flowing from the inside of the space to the patio; and the raw woods and warm whites found on the West Coast that inspired the decor.

There is also a quote about the name: "We really wanted the name of the restaurant to reflect how passionate we are about the partnership between us and Highland Park Village, and these restaurants in particular," Badovinus says.

All of that sounds super-duper, but the important thing here is the pizza: Badovinus' creation of Fireside Pies single-handedly changed pizza in Dallas. Much anticipation about this pizza.

In addition to pizza, the menu will include oysters and rotisserie chicken. Pizza and chicken is also the duo that's being featured in the brand-new concept from Fox Restaurant Concepts, so buzz-buzz there. Perfect Union will also have crudos, chopped salads, "spaghettis," a robust assortment of wines, effervescent cocktails, and beers on tap.

The release quotes leasing director Stephen Summers saying that the opportunity to collaborate with two of the most successful chefs in Dallas is incredibly exciting for Highland Park Village, but says nothing about where exactly the restaurants are going.

But Nancy Nichols at D says they'll take over the two-story spot that was once Village Kitchen, Toko V, and Village Marquee, with Perfect Union on street level, in the space occupied by KT Burger, and Fachini going into the old 5 Creeks Tavern, which closed in July 2016.

Perfect Union Pizza Co. is slated to open in late summer. Fachini opens in the fall.

chefs pizza

Bar News

Rodeo Dallas bar takes party to Uptown Dallas at new location

Rodeo

Rodeo bar is open in Uptown

A bar with Deep Ellum roots is expanding to Uptown Dallas: Called Rodeo Dallas, it'll open at 2922 N. Hall St. in the space previously occupied by Palms Bar. According to co-owner Joseph "JD" Ybanez, it'll open on November 28.

The first Rodeo location in Dallas opened in 2023 at 2724 Elm St. from Ybanez and partner Josh Reagan, a pair of hospitality veterans whose prior venues include Longshots in Dallas, plus two locations of Varsity Tavern, in Fort Worth and in Tempe.

Ybanez' first bar was Trophy Ranch in Fort Worth which had a mechanical bull. "That's where I learned how popular it was," he says. (He also became familiar with Fort Worth's bar scene and went on to open a Rodeo spinoff in Fort Worth's West Seventh district in 2024.)

In August 2025, the Deep Ellum location became the focal point of neighborhood concerns about crime and was closed via an order from the Dallas city attorney. Ybanez says the city is scapegoating Rodeo for other problems in the neighborhood, and that the Deep Ellum location isn't going anywhere.

“This is not a relocation,” he says. “We maintain an ongoing legal dispute with our landlord Asana Partners regarding the re-opening of our Deep Ellum establishment. The Uptown location represents an expansion of the brand.”

Prior to opening Rodeo in Deep Ellum, they opened a predecessor in Tempe in 2018, called Rodeo Ranch. It served as a template for the concept, with an "adult playground" with mechanical bull, bottle service, girls in bikinis, DJs, dancing, and light show.

According to Ybanez, visitors to the Uptown location can expect to take these factors to the next level.

“The Uptown space offers an expansive back patio,” Ybanez says. “This area will feature a massive video wall, optimizing it for communal sports viewing. Furthermore, we have executed a comprehensive refinement of our food menu, which we are confident will elevate the guest experience."

The menu is rendered by Donde Los Tacos, the highly regarded Mexican taqueria in Oak Clifff, with $3 and $4 tacos, like trompo, barbacoa, and suadero. The Uptown location will also serve brunch with dishes such as chilaquiles.

"We have meticulously preserved the core of the Rodeo experience: the unparalleled atmosphere and vibes, our commitment to genuine hospitality, the homegrown character of the brand, and the inclusive spirit that welcomes every member of the community," Ybanez says.

uptown openings