Downtown News

Dallas' iconic underground downtown restaurant Dakota's rises again

The steak will be back but they'll also have new menu items including sides galore.

Photo courtesy of Dakota's Steakhouse

A legendary downtown Dallas steakhouse will rise again: Dakota's Steakhouse, the distinctive subterranean restaurant at 600 N. Akard St. which closed in 2020 after 37 years, will reopen on Monday, September 13 under new ownership, and with a new chef.

The new owner is restaurateur Meredith McEneny, who assumed controlling interest in January 2021. McEneny is married to Tim McEneny, a hospitality veteran who currently owns Sloane's Corner and who previously founded restaurants such as Dish and Jalisco Norte (since acquired by Local Favorite Restaurants).

Meredith, who has worked with her husband for more than a decade, says in a statement that she had a soft spot for the historic restaurant.

"The closing of Dakota's hit especially hard for me as I spent many nights celebrating special occasions there," she says. "After a refresh, we are excited to open these doors again and continue Dakota’s legacy for another 37 years."

Dakota's casts a magical spell because of its transformative nature. To get there, you must take a canopied glass elevator to an underground oasis with an 1,800-square-foot al fresco courtyard, 20-foot 5-tiered granite water wall, multi-tiered landscaping, and lava rock fire pit.

Between the patio and the New Orleans vibe of the restaurant's interior, Dakota's has always made the list for most romantic dining spots. It was also an employer to many a F&B professional over the years, including Tim McEneny, who oversaw its operations from 2009 to 2019.

Meredith gave the kitchen an overhaul but kept the dining room and patio features which include vintage black-and-white photographs, Italian Carrera marble, and gas lamps.

The new chef is Ji Kang, who is chef at Sloane's Corner and Pizza Leila, who was tasked with creating a menu that kept its original staples — steak from the renowned Allen Brothers and seafood — but also adding new entrées as well as a big array of sides such as broccolini, roasted parsnip, and Yukon potato puree.

New dishes include Lobster & King Crab Rigatoni, served with ‘nduja, PEI mussels, cherry tomatoes, English peas, basil and toasted breadcrumbs; and beef Wellington with puff pastry, mushroom duxelles, prosciutto and bordelaise and Roasted Bone Marrow, served with a braised oxtail and beet marmalade.

The lunch menu is especially key given the restaurant's downtown location and features Steak Frites cleverly priced at $19.84, to symbolize the year the restaurant debuted.

Other lunch items include:

shaved ribeye sandwich with arugula, gruyere cheese and horseradish
Buttermilk Fried Chicken with honey mustard aioli and B&B pickles
Turkey Club with house made smoked turkey breast, bacon, bibb lettuce, heirloom tomatoes, and dijonnaise.

Hours will be Monday-Saturday 11 am-2:30 pm, and dinner from 5-10 pm, with a happy hour from 4-6 pm on weekdays.

downtown openings

Chocolate News

Richardson dessert shop Chocolate Drip lays out eye-catching treats

Chocolate Drip

Chocolate bear with pistachio sauce at Chocolate Drip

A dessert shop in Richardson has become the toast of the sweets world: Called Chocolate Drip, it opened in August at 1057 S. Sherman St., in a center east of US-75 near Spring Valley Road, where it's rolling out some eye-catching chocolate treats.

Chocolate Drip is a passion project from Mohammad Quzmar, a Palestinian-born owner who moved to Dallas four years ago and taught himself to cook through tinkering. That experimentation has translated into a constantly evolving menu, with new creations appearing whenever inspiration strikes — earning him a growing reputation as something of a modern-day Willy Wonka.

"Chocolate is my passion. I just love being in the kitchen and creating,” he says.

The cafe's offerings are extensive, from sweet breakfast staples like pancakes and waffles to off-menu items teased on the café’s Instagram, such as the Dubai Drip platter — an interactive fondue plate with fruit, brownies, waffles, marshmallows, to be dipped into melted chocolate and pistachio cream.

Many of his items have the kind of eye-catching twists and table-side presentations that draw attention on Instagram, such as the cruffle (a waffle made from a croissant) topped with spaghetti-like strands of gelato, which a server extrudes through a potato ricer right before your eyes.

Other signatures include a teddy bear made of chocolate mousse and kanafa, finished with pistachio sauce for $13.30, and crepes filled with a brownie, with pistachio and chocolate sauce for $15.

Prices are not cheap but these are ultra-decadent items with generous portions, often meant for sharing.

The drink list is ambitious, spanning coffee, matcha, smoothies, milkshakes, and nonalcoholic mocktails. It's obvious Quzmar is having fun, rolling out his versions of viral items like the famous s'mores hot chocolate pioneered by New York dessert shop Glace, which features a cap made of marshmallow meringue that’s torched and topped with a chocolate bonbon.

There are also a few savory offerings like egg-and-cheese crepes, a salmon croissant, and a turkey waffle. Those in the know also come to order Middle Eastern treats like salab, a creamy milk drink topped with cinnamon; and Om Ali, a sugary pudding with nuts, dried fruit, and coconut.

Named after the Gen Z slang for “cool” or “stylish,” Drip is meant to be a hangout spot more than a quick dessert stop, Quzmar says — a place to linger over brunch, then return late night to a place that feels buzzy and fun sans alcohol.

“Everyone who works here is either family or treated like family and everything is homemade with love," he says.

desserts openings