Where to Eat

Where to eat in Dallas right now: Best restaurants for holiday dining

Even on Christmas, you gotta eat.

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Small is the word for Christmas 2020, with festivities scaled down and fewer out-of-town guests. Whatever the size of your celebration, you'll still want to throw down a feast — the food may well be the high point during these austere times.

For our December edition of Where to Eat, we offer suggestions for every category of holiday dining, whether it's lunch, tea, or takeout. (Click here for a complete list of restaurants offering Christmas fare.)

Breakfast: The Commissary
Downtown Dallas cafe has a clever to-go package called "A Christmas Morning Bagels & Bubbly." It includes a dozen bagels, cream cheese, lox, garnishes, and a bottle of Louis Roederer Brut Reserve for $100. Order online by December 21 for pickup December 24 from 8 am-4 pm. Curbside pickup or free validated parking in the Metropolitan Parking Garage at Field and Main Street. 214-827-2927.

Lunch: Georgie By Curtis Stone
Travis Walk restaurant is among those that are open on Christmas Day, when they'll be serving a lunch from 11 am-3 pm that includes choices from: citrus salad, parsnip soup, caramelle pasta, Akaushi prime rib, Berkshire ham, pescatarian kingfish "ham," vegan choux farci with lentils and root vegetables, pastrami-spiced carrots, Brussels sprout casserole, pomme puree, chestnut mont blanc, and chocolate marquise. $90, or $50 for 12 and under.

High tea: Ritz-Carlton Dallas
This tea is not available on Christmas Day - it's definitely a holiday kind of offering, available for a limited time. The tea takes place in the hotel lobby and includes tea, mini sandwiches, scones and more. $75 includes a glass of champagne; $35 for 12 and under. December 12-13 and December 19-20. 214-922-4848.

Fine-dining: Morton's The Steakhouse
Open for dine-in on Christmas Eve 4-10 pm and Christmas Day 12-9 pm, serving three-course Chateaubriand menu with winter salad, Chateaubriand for two, black truffle mashed cauliflower, creamed spinach, and sour cream mashed potatoes, and La Bête Noir. $75 per person, minimum of two people, also available to-go.

All day options: Statler Dallas
Restaurants at this downtown hotel will be open with regular menus on Christmas Day as follows: Overeasy from from 6:30 am-3 pm; Sfereco from 11 am-9 pm; Scout from 4-10 pm; Boubon & Banter from 6 pm-midnight.

Take-Out: Ranch at Las Colinas
The Ranch's ready-to-heat Holiday Curbside Kit feeds four and includes choice of smoked turkey breast ($90), smoked ham ($90), or smoked tenderloin ($150, with shrimp cocktail, buttermilk chive whipped potatoes, smoked jalapeño sausage gravy, sauteed green beans, grilled asparagus, cornbread muffins, and dinner salad with honey herb vinaigrette. Order online by December 22 at 12 noon. 972-506-7262.

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Knife's out

Knife Italian by chef John Tesar closes at Ritz-Carlton Las Colinas

dallas.culturemap.com

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A Dallas celebrity chef restaurant has closed: Knife Italian Steak, a culinary venture from John Tesar, has shuttered at The Ritz-Carlton Dallas, Las Colinas, after two-and-a-half years.

The Dallas Business Journal first reported the news, which was confirmed to CultureMap with more details by a spokesperson for the hotel.

"As part of the ongoing evolution of The Ritz-Carlton Dallas, Las Colinas, following its recent $65 million transformation into a premier luxury resort destination, Knife Italian Steak concluded its run at the property on October 6," the spokesperson says.

Knife Italian opened at the luxury resort in March 2024 as the latest in a series of Tesar's Knife restaurant concepts, which included Knife Steakhouse in Dallas and Plano, and Knife & Spoon at The Ritz-Carlton Orlando Grande Lakes in Orlando.

Knife Steakhouse at The Highland Dallas hotel closed in August 2025 after more than a decade and was replaced by a restaurant called The Reserve at the Highland; the Plano and Orlando Knife locations remain open.

Chef John Tesar of Knife steakhouse in Dallas Knife chef John Tesar in the meat room. Photo by Marc Lee

The Knife Italian menu in Las Colinas was designed with family-style dining in mind, with dishes to share. There were crudi with yellowtail, kingfish, and lobster, plus oysters and a selection of Passmore Caviar specifically created for Knife Italian.

Steaks and meats were the focal point, with steaks dry-aged onsite ranging from 45-240 days. The Bistecca a la Las Colinas was an ode to the Bistecca alla Fiorentina, featuring a 48-ounce 44 Farms Dry Aged Porterhouse carved tableside.

The 170-seat restaurant featured an eclectic theme with vibrant hues, from a striking magenta sofa to towering palm trees, tied together by original artwork by Thomas Schoos. A Pink Champagne Bar beckoned with a psychedelic sofa, birds-eye maple side table, and a captivating pink bubble light fixture.

Knife Italian Steak opened shortly after the Las Colinas hotel - previously a Four Seasons - rebranded and reopened as a Ritz-Carlton property in January 2024.

The evolution of the hotel continues, and that includes the hotel dining options. A concept called The Dining Room has moved into the Knife space.

"As the resort is preparing for the next chapter of its culinary experience, The Dining Room at The Ritz-Carlton has opened in that location," the spokesperson says. "Guests can continue to enjoy breakfast, lunch, dinner, and special occasions in a sophisticated yet welcoming setting featuring Italian-inspired cuisine, premium Texas steaks, pristine seafood and a vibrant raw bar."

There are bigger plans with a different celebrated chef on the way, which the spokesperson declined to divulge just yet.

"The resort is currently developing an exciting new signature restaurant concept to launch early in 2027 — created in partnership with an acclaimed chef — that will further elevate and expand the culinary offerings for guests and local patrons alike," she teases. "Additional details will be announced at a later date."

The resort currently has three other dining experiences for guests: Bar Juniper, poolside Aire Libre, and Campo Coffee & Provisions.

As for Top Chef alum Tesar, he's reportedly landed at Palladino's Steak and Seafood, where restaurateur Joseph Palladino has tapped him to help expand the restaurant across the country. The steakhouse opened a Dallas location in July after a New York outpost earned raves.

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Teresa Gubbins contributed to this story.

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