We are back with Where to Eat, CultureMap's monthly column highlighting the top restaurants to check out. For September, we are both looking ahead and looking back. It's a little bit nostalgic, a little bit optimistic, as we ruminate on the hottest openings of summer '24 before we transition into fall.

Here's where to eat in Dallas right now:

Doughbird
Latest concept from Arizona-based Fox Restaurant Concepts just opened at Inwood Village, not far from its hippie sibling Flower Child. While originally positioned as a place for rotisserie chicken and pizza, Doughbird has shifted slightly towards a more generic "American classics" profile, with popular items like steak frites and crispy chicken parmesan. They still emphasize pizza, though, and do what is said to be a decent rendition of Detroit-style pies.

Even Coast
Steak and seafood restaurant that opened in August in the new Work Shop complex at Prestonwood Boulevard is from chef Omar Flores, founder of chicken restaurant Whistle Britches and Big Dill Hospitality. It's an upscale but casual concept with steak and seafood — Prime ribeye-Delmonico, bone-in ribeye, Texas redfish, Chilean salmon, lobster roll — that harks back to Driftwood, the high-end seafood restaurant he once helmed in Oak Cliff a decade ago.

Haunted Castle Cafe
Mysterious restaurant that dubs itself "the spookiest cafe in Plano" finally opened after much anticipation from local horror fans. The menu has a surprisingly interesting range of offerings from short ribs to ribeye with creamy eggplant to pistachio crusted rack of lamb, plus burgers, fresh salads, and fun themed cocktails. The food is better than it has to be, given that much of the attraction seems to lie in its spooky, haunted-castle atmosphere.

Kanpai Coffee + Beer Garden
Casual new concept is a combination coffee shop-beer garden, from a team that includes award-winning Austin chef Michael Carranza. It just opened quietly in Deep Ellum, in the former Mama Tried space, where it's serving a menu of Asian-inspired dishes and innovative creations such as Frito pie, with sushi rice and tuna tataki, and an egg sando with Kewpie mayo, plus coffee and a hospitable welcome to hang all day.

The Kati Roll Company
Buzzy Indian restaurant from New York just opened a spinoff in Plano, featuring its unique and irresistible kati rolls, a unique street food from Kolkata, India, that's a wrap or burrito, with a flatbread closing various fillings — but in kati rolls, the wrap part is a buttery Indian paratha flatbread, whose crisp and flaky texture makes all the difference. There are more than a dozen rolls including Chicken Tikka Roll, and Aloo Masala Roll with mashed potato, tomato, and green pepper.

La Casita
Long-awaited opening of La Casita inside the Half Price Books flagship on Northwest Highway arrived in late August. They're doing pastries and a big coffee program, along with sandwiches and savory items like avocado toast, mushroom toast, potato sandwich, turkey club, Cubano, Nashville hot chicken, chicken tiki masala, chicken parmesan, a burger, and an LCB burger. This marks their third location, the original in Richardson and a similar cafe in Rowlett, called La Casita Coffee, that they opened in January 2023.

La Rue Doughnuts
The hottest opening of the summer has to be this doughnut shop in Trinity Groves which opened August 29; unsurprisingly, they sold out the first day. The shop specializes in doughnuts: raised, cake doughnuts, and their signature crullers, in chef-driven flavors such as strawberry shortcake brioche, butterscotch, and pumpkin spice cake. They also do two savory items per day such as a recent Chicken & Pepper Pocket brioche with Oaxaca cheese and a jalapeño chimichurri.

Moaks Family Texas BBQ
Barbecue restaurant in the West End in the former Sonny Bryan’s spot is the latest from West End king Jay Khan (RJ's Mexican Cuisine, The Liam’s Steakhouse, Chet’s Dallas, and 3 Eleven Kitchen & Cocktails) and VP of Operations David Cole. Their menu of smoked meats and sides includes a brisket, chicken, sausage, baked potatoes, chicken-fried chicken, and classic desserts, including banana pudding and churro bites.

Nuri Steakhouse
Upscale steakhouse concept in Uptown Dallas from JOA Grill owner Wan Kim finally opened after two years (and many millions of dollars) in the making. The menu blends Asian, New Orleans, and Southern flavors for a switch from the typical American steakhouse. Dishes include Korean-style lobster, prime filet, Japanese Wagyu, and a chef's tasting board with handpicked chef selections. They also have a unique Earl Grey crème brûlée for dessert.

San Martin Bakery
International family-owned bakery from Guatemala opened its long-awaited second DFW-area location at 5407 Belt Line Rd. in Dallas in the Work Shop center, in a space that was previously Coal Vines Pizza. San Martin is a sophisticated bakery and cafe serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner, including exotic offerings like Salvadoreño: Corn tortillas stuffed with cheese topped with two fried eggs and ranchera sauce, served with a side of refried beans, plantains, and cabbage slaw. Their bakery is a serve-yourself feast with pan dulce, croissants, and pastries at bargain prices.