Best Bites

Best neighborhood eats: 6 hot restaurants in Preston Center

R&D Kitchen makes its own veggie burger, topped with tomato, Romaine and slicedavocado.
Photo by R&D Kitchen
California Pizza Kitchen was among the first to put chicken on a pizza.
Photo by California Pizza Kitchen
Hopdoddy Burger Bar has a dozen burger options and excellent French fries.
Photo by: Ardenstreet
Be Raw's best-selling dish is its coconut kale enchiladas.
Photo by Marc Lee
Photo courtesy of Sevy's
Spoon brought great seafood - and foodies - to Preston Center.
Photo by Teresa Gubbins

Perched on the border of Preston Hollow and the Park Cities, Preston Center is about as North Dallas as it gets, with an ebb and flow of the locals depending on time of day.

In the morning, it's moms in Lexus SUVs, grabbing juice at Jamba or Gem after dropping off the kids at private school. Lunch is a madhouse: The neighborhood is surrounded by offices, so by noon, 20-and 30-somethings in blue shirts have descended upon Chipotle and Pei Wei, hoping to get out in an hour for $10 or less.

In the afternoon, high schoolers swarm in. At dinner, the swells hit Hillstone, families sup at Rathbun's Blue Plate Kitchen and oldsters split $15 lasagna at Bowen's Cafe Expresso.

But there's one group that Preston Center hadn't seen much of: the proverbial foodies. No instagrams of pork belly, no "checking in."

And then Tesar arrived. Followed by Sprinkles – first the cupcake ATM, then the ice cream. Lines formed. Photos appeared on Facebook. The air began to change. Soon the area will be home to one of the biggest foodie openings of all: True Food Kitchen, the restaurant chain with a menu overseen by author Andrew Weil, M.D.

Preston Center has arrived. Here's where to get a bite:

Be Raw Bar
This minimalist spot specializing in raw (uncooked) dishes not only blazed a trail for vegetarian and vegan dining, it also set the stage for Preston Center to be a place for healthy eating a la The Gem and True Food Kitchen. Tacos, Thai noodles (made from zucchini) and the best-selling coconut kale enchiladas are magical creations, chased by a selection of fresh-squeezed juices and elixirs.

California Pizza Kitchen
It's a chain, it's from California and it's been around for years. But California Pizza Kitchen remains cutting-edge, 30 years after it was founded. The fusion of cuisines, upscale ingredients and modern-casual combination of salad and pizza are all basic CPK components. The trademark barbecue chicken pizza still feels fresh, and there's a whole-wheat crust. CPK's arrival helped make Dallas the pizza-savvy place it is today.

Hopdoddy Burger Bar
It's a chain and it's from Austin, and yet Hopdoddy is so Preston Center. Its menu is simple: burgers done fancy, over-the-top milkshakes and beer. It meets the needs of the neighborhood yet draws in the burger bunch. You get to wait in line (which has actually become a recreational activity for foodies), plus doting service, a lively atmosphere and a check that won't break the bank.

R&D Kitchen
The little sibling of Houston's nearly outdoes its big brother. R&D Kitchen is less formal with a modern menu that lets you stop at a salad or go for meatloaf with mashed potatoes. You can even get an omelet for dinner. R&D doesn't judge. Everything's made in-house and it's all good, from deviled eggs to a veggie burger with avocado to a three-layer carrot cake. California chic atmosphere makes you feel instantly more attractive, even if you're waiting for a table (which you probably will).

Sevy's
Reliable, good-natured and always accommodating, Sevy's is the chef-driven hangout that every neighborhood would love to have. Whether lunch or dinner or a glass of wine at the bar, the place is always hopping. Game and meats are a thing here, but seafood such as the crab-stuffed sole seems to be even better. The foodie-friendliness here is almost a secret, until you taste the creamy corn chowder, savory shrimp cakes and luscious three-citrus pie.

Spoon
Regardless of what else is in Preston Center, it boasts what Conde Nast Traveler called one of the best new restaurants in the world: Spoon. Chef John Tesar's version of Le Bernardin, Spoon has elegant, pristine seafood and desserts by David Collier. Tesar is a nut, but he's a Northeast native who knows his fish, whether it's a lobster roll, soft-shell crab or oysters with tomato consomme.

unspecified series554589755

Wine Bar News

Sultry Mexican wine bar-cocktail lounge to open in Dallas' Bishop Arts

Valle

Valle Bishop Arts

There's an exciting new bar spinoff coming to Dallas' Bishop Arts: Called Valle, it'll open at 509 North Bishop Ave. #C, in the former Bishop Cider Taproom, where it will serve as a sultry Mexican wine bar and cocktail lounge.

Valle is a sibling to Vinito, the Mexican wine and beer shop that opened at 939 W. Jefferson Blvd. in 2023, from partners Arturo Flores and Eduardo Mendoza.

With Vinito focused on retail sales, Flores & Mendoza decided to spread the love for Mexican wine by offering a place where patrons could sit down and enjoy a glass or bottle, plus beer, agaves, and craft cocktails as well.

"We've loved championing Mexican wines at Vinito and thought we could take our customers to the next experience," Flores says.

Vinito offers more than 100 labels of Mexican wine in every varietal: tempranillo, malbec, rose, sparkling, chardonnay, chenin blanc. Prices are reasonable, with many bottles in the $30 range, topping out at $120 for a Monte Xanic Gran Ricardo vintage 2021. They also have all the classic Mexican beers: Modelo, Bohemia, Corona, Dos Equis.

At Valle, they'll offer wines by the bottle plus a dozen wines by the glass, and flights that celebrate regions of Mexico. The menu also has a special category dedicated to "Agaves," with tequilas, mezcales, and sotol; and a handful of craft cocktails such as a margarita, paloma, and a carajillo de olla, a coffee cocktail with tequila, Spanish liqueur Licor 43, and cold brew.

"We know that not everybody drinks wine, and we want people to feel welcome and have options," Mendoza says.

They'll do snacks and finger foods, like chips & salsa and nuts, but the space has no kitchen and the focus will be on the bar. They'll be open daily from 4 pm to midnight, and until 2 am on weekends. They're hoping to launch their soft opening in the next week.

Mendoza has a strong hospitality background, and was previously general manager at Meso Maya, where they met; Flores worked there while pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering. During the pandemic, they started having conversations over wine and became inspired.

"When people think about Mexico, they think about beer, mezcal, tequila, but not wine, and we wanted to change that," Mendoza says.

The bar is named for Valle de Guadalupe in Mexico, the "Napa Valley of Mexico" and the region where the majority of wine in the country is grown. They're planning to offer a wine club, with exclusive tastings, events, and new bottles available to participants.

They've also partnered with relevant businesses such as Santitos, a syrup company based in Oak Cliff that makes syrups with Mexican-inspired flavors; and Four Corner Brewery, whose Firme Azul beer they'll serve and donate the proceeds to a Hispanic scholarship fund. They're getting coffee beans from Caffetio Co., based in Austin but born in Monterrey, Mexico.

“We are big advocates for the Hispanic community, and our partnerships reflect that," Flores says.

For the location, they were aided by Amanda Moreno-Lake, President of Redevelopment and Partner at Jim Lake Companies, and a big supporter who helped them find their spot for Vinito as well.

"I saw the vision and plans and knew I wanted to help Eduardo and Arturo," she says. "Sometimes small businesses need that chance to grow and succeed."

Flores says they've completely redone the 700-square-foot space, with bar seating for 10, four high-top tables, and a lounge area with leather chairs and coffee table.

"It's intimate," Flores says. "Where Vinito is light and warm, Valle is dark and cozy, with a deep green and gold palette — like the evil sister of Vinito."

oak cliff openings wine