Where to Eat

Where to eat in Dallas right now: 5 cool new restaurant discoveries

Veal osso bucco with polenta from Cathedral Italian Bistro.

Cathedral Italian Bistro

The arrival of August means a new edition of Where to Eat, CultureMap's monthly feature on best restaurants to try. The theme is new openings, but not just any run-of-the-mill newbie. These are new restaurants with a little twist.

Here's where to eat in Dallas right now:

Atipico
The name means "atypical" and it's an accurate description of this independently owned restaurant from Mexico City that just opened at the Union building near downtown. It boasts a sprawling, ever-changing menu including bowls, salads, and entrees, catering to a variety of dietary preferences, plus juice, coffee, wine, and cocktails. For breakfast, there's the Atípico Bowl, with fruit and granola. At lunch, it's a sirloin burger stuffed with cream cheese, cheese fondue, arugula, and dried tomato. Dinner is fettuccine with a three-cheese blend of Roquefort, gouda, and parmesan served on artisan bread.

Autonomous Society Brewpub
New craft beer spot just opened in a charming little brick building in the Cedars District outside downtown. Autonomous is the brainchild of Dean Weaver, a home brewer for more than 30 years who has earned accolades and awards for his brand, called Deanitude, which makes European-inspired beers such as pilsners, saisons, IPAs, and porters. The brewpub is an outgrowth of that venture and will create a place where beer fans can enjoy his beers as well as those from other craft brewers, along with some bites.

Brentwood
New concept from Dallas-based Vandelay Hospitality Group is in the former Houston's location near Addison at 5318 Belt Line Rd. and picks right up where Houston's left off, with dishes such as a brown rice veggie burger, French dip, Prime rib, San Francisco ribeye, filet with tomato gorgonzola salad, and Durango chicken topped with salsa verde. They're aspiring for a "sophisticated lounge" vibe and that includes a dress code of sorts: collared shirts and pants for men, no hats, no tank tops, no overly provocative clothing, athletic wear, and flip-flops as too informal.

Cathedral Italian Bistro
New restaurant in Plano is from chef Luke Rogers, an energetic enthusiast who appeared on Food Network's Chopped. featuring housemade pasta, pizza, Italian entrees, steaks, and desserts. Signature dishes include Bistecca Fiorintina, a 38-ounce Prime porterhouse steak, veal osso bucco with creamy mascarpone polenta, vegan roasted cauliflower with garbanzo beans medley, and whole branzino, roasted in their stone hearth oven with succotash, caper butter, and charred lemons. There are cool garlic knots by pastry chef Daniel Rosales, served with wagyu beef tallow "candles," which Rogers calls just a different highly creative take on bread and butter.

LimeHoney Modern Mexican Restaurant and Bar
New fast-casual Mexican restaurant from a pair of industry veterans just opened at The Shire at CityLine, the mixed-use retail and office property in Richardson, where it's doing a lighter menu than your run-of-the-mill Tex-Mex or Mexican establishment. Dishes include Elote Ribs, Chicken Skewers, Mexican Shrimp Cocktail, Ceviche, Tuna Crudo, and Brisket Enchiladas featuring brisket from sister restaurant 42 BBQ Smokehouse + Market.

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Burger News

Fun family-owned Big Mike's Bar and Grill from TV star debuts in Plano

Tommy LeBeouf

Big burger from Big Mike's in Plano

A charming family-owned restaurant with TV star ties has debuted in Plano. Called Big Mike’s Bar and Grill, it's an elevated sports bar that just opened at 3200 Alma Dr., in a former Pancho's Mexican Buffet where it's serving tasty Angus burgers and beer-battered onion rings, hand-battered in-house.

Big Mike's is from husband-and-wife Mike Cancelmi and Jennie Marie; she gained fame as the star of the 2018 TLC show Mama Medium. The couple is from Rochester, New York, but fell in love with the Dallas area with their four sons after visiting a friend in 2021.

Their signature Big Mike's burger is a biggie: a half-pound patty with cheddar, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and a fried egg on a brioche bun, served with choice of hand-cut fries, tater tots, or sweet potato fries, for $18.

They bring their Northeast influence with dishes such as a Reuben sandwich with corned beef on marble rye, and their own version of poutine, the Canadian specialty, which they make with fries, cheese curds, brown gravy, and thick-cut crumbled bacon.

One dish reflects their hometown roots: Called the Trash Plate, it's inspired by the Garbage Plate, a sloppy comfort food dish that's the unofficial signature dish of the city of Rochester.

Big Mike's version combines macaroni salad, home fries, and choice of hot dogs from Rochester-based Zweigle’s (which they fly in from New York), or two smash burger patties with hot sauce, mustard, and onions.

Their menu also features a few entree items like NY strip steak, their priciest item at $35, served with garlic mashed potatoes and Brussels sprouts; and chicken-fried steak with mashed potatoes and green beans for $24. Portions are abundant.

Big Mike's family: Mike and Jennie Marie and their four sons.Big Mike's

“I created the menu based on things I like to eat," Mike says. "Everything we make is made from scratch, the way I would do it if I was cooking for my friends."

They host weekend brunch on Saturday and Sunday until 2 pm with a cinnamon roll skillet, frittatas, avocado toast, and a hash version of the Garbage Plate with home fries, mac salad, onions, diced Zweigle's hot dogs, eggs, and meat hot sauce. There are mimosas — they have a full bar — and they also do a daily happy hour from 3-6 pm with appetizer specials and domestic beers for $3.50.

Mike's background as a former contractor can be seen in the restaurant's spiffy remodel. The space sits 270, with enough room to host events that include karaoke every Wednesday, live music during brunch, and a ticketed group psychic event where Jennie Marie draws from her TV show days, performing readings and mediumship, with food and drink.

The restaurant has a wonderful family-oriented atmosphere. Many of their employees are friends of their sons from school or ice hockey, giving the restaurant a comfortable, homey vibe.

“We try to visit every table — that personal touch is important to us," Jennie Marie says. "We want that hometown feel, get people what they want so they come back."

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