Italian Restaurant News

Italian restaurant to open in ex-Flora St Cafe in Dallas Arts District

Which fork will win?

Photo courtesy of La Stella Cucina

The day draws slightly closer for big Italian in downtown Dallas: La Stella Cucina Verace will open in the Dallas Arts District, featuring Italian chef Luigi Iannuario and maitre d' Riccardo Ravaglia bringing regional Italian food, lifestyle, and culture to Texas, which is no small task to take on.

According to a release, the restaurant will open "this winter," so, sometime after December 21 but before March 20, 2022.

They'll open at 2330 Flora St. #150, in the space also known as the former Flora Street Cafe. Their original plan was to reopen in the Da Mario space, and thus the name, "La Stella," which translates to "the star."

But negotiations took too long, and they were able to seize the Flora Street space; Flora Street closed in January 2020.

The release says that La Stella will bring a classic, honest, and simple approach to Italian cuisine, replicating regional Italian dishes like never before in Dallas, a bold quest.

Iannuario was born and raised in Italy and received his culinary arts degree in Milan while working under renowned chefs such us Gualtiero Marchesi at L’Albereta, a three-star Michelin restaurant in the Franciacorta area. He worked in kitchens throughout Italy and Europe, including for Giorgio Armani as executive sous chef of Emporio Armani Caffe in Milan, and was most recently executive chef at Da Mario at The Star in Frisco.

Managing Partner Riccardo Ravaglia has 22-plus years of experience, including various Cipriani establishments in New York and worldwide, such as the Rainbow Room and Harry Cipriani on 5th Avenue. He also worked at Da Mario.

Beverage Director John Dal Canton is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, who moved to Italy to learn about viticulture and viniculture then worked for Tom Colicchio's Craft restaurant in Dallas and Los Angeles. He was most recently food & beverage manager of the Cowboys Club in Frisco.

For the bar program at La Stella, his wine list will feature highly allocated regional wines, including older vintages of Super Tuscans and Barolos, with a focus on organic and biodynamic wines, plus Italian renditions on modern and classic cocktails.

Food
The menu will be chef Iannuario's reinterpretation of comforting recipes from regions across Italy with a modern twist. Signature dishes include:

Gnocco Fritto con Salumi e Formaggi Misti
Paccheri All’Astice, made with pasta imported from Gragnano Napoli
Fra Diavolo with lobster, tomato, and lobster fumetto
Risotto Oro del Maestro
Pesce Al Sale
Gnocchi Gratinati
Costoletta di Vitello Alla Milanese

La Stella will also offer a dry-aged meat program, including imported prosciutto sliced tableside. Desserts include Semifreddo alla Nutella con Meringhe e salsa caldo al cioccolato fondente and Faby's tiramisu.

Atmosphere
The 5,000-square-foot restaurant will espouse a warm, contemporary atmosphere coupling modern elements with a timeless Italian charm, with cozy booths, an open dining room with chic tables, and the bar serving as a centerpiece, with a privacy screen for private parties in the back.

downtown openings

Hot Dog News

Portillo's hot dog chain opens first airport shop in Dallas-Fort Worth

Portillo's

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Travelers taking flight can now get a hot dog: Portillo’s, the fast-casual chain from Chicago, is opening the first-ever Portillo’s airport location in Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.

The new location is one of two — along with another in The Villages, Florida — that will feature a new small, dine-in only format. It won't have the traditional drive-thru. Because there is no drive-thru at the airport, see. See what I'm saying.

Unlike traditional Portillo’s locations, the airport restaurant will feature a smaller, walk-up accessible footprint with multiple ordering touchpoints – including at the register, self-order kiosks, and order ahead for pick-up.

There will also be a variety of seating options accommodating more than 50 guests as well as a grab-and-go area — useful for travelers taking food on the plane, to their gate, or for leisurely meals during layovers or the unfortunate flight cancellation.

Portillo's partner for the DFW Airport location is PhaseNext Hospitality, whose president and CEO Roz Mallet says she is "thrilled to partner with Portillo's on this first airport location."

“As a fan of the culture, food, and history of Chicago, I have also been a longtime fan of Portillo’s,” Mallet says.

Guests can expect signature Portillo’s items like Chicago-style hot dogs, Italian beef sandwiches, char-grilled burgers, and Portillo’s "famous" chocolate cake.

Hot dogs come in regular, chili cheese, Polish sausage, and Maxwell Street Polish sausage which has mustard and grilled onions.

Their Italian beef sandwich features thinly sliced roast beef served on French bread, which is then dipped in hot gravy. You can order it dipped with sweet or hot peppers and mozzarella.

Portillo's first entered the Dallas market with a location at the Grandscape development in The Colony in January 2023. They have seven other locations in DFW, in Allen, Arlington, Denton, Fort Worth, Grand Prairie, Grapevine, and Mansfield.

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