La Bombaci

Acclaimed chef Anthony Bombaci will fire up stove at Carso Mediterranean Grill

Chef Anthony Bombaci is back.

Photo courtesy of Hilton

Award-winning chef Anthony Bombaci, executive sous chef at the Hilton Anatole, has been promoted to the role of executive chef at the new Hilton Plano Granite Park, scheduled to open August 28.

With the opening of the Hilton Plano Granite Park, Bombaci will oversee all culinary operations at the new hotel including a full-service restaurant called Carso Mediterranean Grill and an accompanying take-out eatery called Carso Market.

"I am really looking forward to focusing on the Mediterranean cuisine I so love to cook," Bombaci said in a release. "I can’t wait for Carso to open, I think our diners are going to be very impressed by what we have planned."

Bombaci was executive chef at Nana, the predecessor restaurant to SĒR Steak + Spirits. During his time at Nana, the restaurant was named one of the Top-50 American Restaurants by Gourmet Magazine, received a “Five-Star” cuisine rating from the Dallas Morning News, “Four-Diamonds” from AAA, “Three-Stars” from the Mobil Travel Guide and earned the Wine Spectator Best of “Award of Excellence.”

In 2006, Bombaci was named one of Esquire’s “four chefs to watch.” Following his time at Nana, Bombaci was promoted to chef de cuisine and later executive sous chef at the Hilton Anatole.

"We are really proud of Anthony and are excited to see him advance in his career," said Harold Rapoza, general manager of the Hilton Anatole. “This is an exciting opportunity for him to be in charge of his own hotel, and I am looking forward to seeing what he is able to bring to the burgeoning culinary scene in Plano.”

Located at the intersection of the Sam Rayburn Tollway (S.H. 121) and the Dallas North Tollway, the 262,500-square-foot Hilton Plano Granite Park will include 299 luxury rooms and 35,000 square feet of conference space. In addition to Carso Mediterranean Grill and Carso Market, the hotel will feature a large bar area, a retail shop, a fitness center and an outdoor pool and lounge. A pedestrian boardwalk along the complex’s central water feature connects the hotel to its conference center and surrounding office buildings.

“I could not be more pleased to welcome Chef Bombaci to the Hilton Plano Granite Park team,” said Saundra Goldman, general manager of the Hilton Plano Granite Park. “Anthony’s background developing his unique brand of Mediterranean cuisine in Europe is a perfect fit for the world-class restaurant we intend to open at our new hotel.”

Located in the master-planned Granite Park community at the Sam Rayburn and Dallas North Tollways in Plano, Texas, the full-service Hilton Plano Granite Park hotel is scheduled to open late-summer of 2014.

Food and beverage outlets include Carso Mediterranean Grill, a full-service restaurant and Carso Market, offering freshly-prepared grab and go items.

chefs

Closing News

Mediterranean restaurant in Dallas' Deep Ellum to close after 11 years

Zatar

Chicken at Zatar

A restaurant in Deep Ellum will close after more than a decade: Zåtar Lebanese Tapas & Bar, which opened at 2827 Commerce St. in December 2016 as a rare Lebanese restaurant in Dallas, has decided to close.

According to the owners, they're closing due to ongoing construction and other operational challenges, and will be closing by the end of August.

"This wasn’t an easy decision," they say. "Over the last two years, we’ve fought through one challenge after another. We poured everything we had into keeping our doors open because we truly believed things would turn around. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, the ongoing construction and other challenges have made it impossible for us to continue."

Zatar was originally opened by partners Marc Mansour and C.K. Khoury, both natives of Lebanon, with a menu that included tapas, specialty dishes, and Lebanese desserts such as the traditional knafeh. The restaurant stood out both for its authentic Lebanese cuisine and its welcoming ambiance.

Mansour and Khoury sold the restaurant in 2019 to restaurant veteran Sam Fawal, who also owns Pokeworks in Uptown Dallas and Addison. (Mansour and Khoury relocated to Atlanta where they are currently wowing diners with Bey Mediterranean, which they opened in Roswell in 2024.)

In recent years, Zatar shifted from its original focus on "authentic Lebanese" and more towards a casual destination with a nightlife component, including the addition of hookah pipes.

Meanwhile, the conversion of Commerce Street in Deep Ellum from one-way to two-way street has dragged on and on through multiple delays. Completion just got pushed back again to 2027 — which Fawal confirms was a factor.

"Yes, the continued delays with Commerce Street construction definitely played a big part in the decision," Fawal says. "It's been a frustrating situation, the project started in June, 2024 and it is still going. Unfortunately, I think we're going to see more businesses impacted by it."

His post gives thanks to the staff and to "everyone who walked through our doors, shared a meal with family and friends, celebrated special occasions, or simply made Zatar part of your life," before inviting fans to come visit before they close.

Fawal says they're finalizing the closing date, but anticipates on or around August 23.

"We still have a few weeks left, and we’d love the opportunity to see our customers one last time," he says. "Come enjoy your favorite dishes, have one more drink, smoke one more hookah, and help us celebrate the memories we’ve created together."

deep-ellum closings