Downtown News

Italian restaurant from Chicago to open in century-old Dallas building

The pizzas sound divine.

Courtesy of Etta

A chef-owned Italian restaurant from Chicago is coming to downtown Dallas: Called Etta, it's from chef Danny Grant and will open in the East Quarter, the development on the easternmost side of the Central Business District.

According to a release, Etta will open in 2022. It's going into a century-old two-story building at 2203 Commerce St., where it will span 11,000 square feet, including a second-floor patio.

Etta East Quarter represents the third concept in Dallas from What If Syndicate, the national hospitality group from Grant and partners David Pisor and Jim Lasky. In March, they opened Monarch and Kessaku, two restaurants inside The National building. Both the National building and East Quarter are projects being developed by Dallas-based Todd Interests.

Food
The menu will feature local and seasonal fare including:

wood-fired pizzas
house-made pastas
salads
dishes to share

Etta's sibling Monarch is also Italian-leaning but more high-end; Etta has a neighborhood restaurant theme with "affordable" prices.

Pastas such as orecchiette with fennel sausage run from $18 to $25. A wild mushroom pizza with "melted" onions, goat cheese, black truffle, and raclette cheese is $22. A pancetta pizza with pistachio pesto, English peas, mint, and pecorino is $22 and sounds divine.

There are two family-style dishes to share including the signature Pig Picnic, a $62 feast with pork loin and pork belly alongside vegetables, lettuce cups, bread, and sides such as dill spiced yogurt, chimichurri, serrano, Veracruz oil, drippings, and garlic butter.

The restaurant will be open daily for dinner and will also serve weekend brunch.

Neighborhood
The East Quarter comprises 18 charming brick buildings that used to be automobile showrooms, centered around the Meletio building, now being restored and developed by Todd Interests, along with a new 20-story mixed use development with retail, office, and residential space.

The Etta building has a historic garage and an adjacent alleyway space which What If is working to find unique ways to use.

In a statement, Grant calls the development "progressive and incredibly thoughtful" and says they're honored to be a part of it.

downtown

Steakhouse News

Al Biernat's takes its legendary Dallas steakhouse to Fort Worth

Steak at Al Biernat's restaurant in Dallas

Al Biernat's Facebook

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One of Dallas' top steakhouses is expanding west: Al Biernat's, the acclaimed steakhouse with two locations in Dallas, is taking its magical ambiance, old-world elegance, celebrity cachet, doting service, and impeccably-prepared food to Fort Worth.

The restaurant - which will be the third location for the local chain - will open at 913 Houston St., across from where Fort Worth's new Convention Center ballroom is being built.

Restaurant co-owner Brad Fuller confirms the opening, noting that they are in the very very early stages of the process, with an opening date still TBD.

"We just signed the lease and are in space planning and design, but hope to share more information with details and renderings once we have them," he says.

Fuller says that Fort Worth had always been on their radar.

"This opportunity arose last summer, and [co-owner] Jeannie [Biernat] and I both love the building and its potential," he says.

Al Biernat's has been serving Dallas the highest quality steaks and seafood since 1998, when founder Al Biernat opened the first location at 4217 Oak Lawn Ave., where his standard of excellence and doting charm made it a destination for special occasions, marriage proposals, Park Cities swells, and celebrities in town including Conan O'Brien, Tom Brady, Brooke Shields, Jamie Foxx, Will Ferrell, and more.

They went on to open a second location, Al Biernat's North at 5251 Spring Valley Rd., in 2017, successfully recreating the same formula as the original in Oak Lawn.

Signature dishes include a 30-ounce porterhouse, filet mignon with lobster thermidor — featuring Prime aged beef — along with Chilean sea bass and their legendary coconut cream pie. Like most steakhouses, they possess a well-stocked wine list, and also frequently host spectacular wine dinners.

They've earned countless nods and awards, from Open Table's Icon Awards to consecutive Wine Spectator Award of Excellence honors, and have been home to many acclaimed chefs over the years.

They've also been one of the most nimble steakhouses in DFW, embracing changing trends such as alcohol-free mocktails. They were the first (and only?) steakhouse to offer a standalone vegan menu with dishes such as grilled portabella mushroom enchiladas. Biernat always wanted to be with the times, not behind the times.

Tragically, he passed away in 2024 after being diagnosed with ALS — but the restaurant has continued to thrive under the watch of Brad Fuller, the director of operations and Biernat's nephew; with Biernat's wife, Jeannie, his daughter Kaitlin Biernat Connell, son Jess Biernat, and Jess' wife, Erin.

And it's just possible that Al is still very much with us in spirit.

"Today is Al's 71st heavenly birthday, and my Aunt Jeannie and I feel it's 'very Al' that this news would be breaking today," Fuller says.

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