Hot Food Headlines

Fletcher's corny dog bombshell and more top restaurant stories of 2015

Editor's note: It's no surprise that Dallasites are serious about their food, and there were plenty of big developments in the world of restaurants and bars. From a beloved diner's big move to the shakeup of a State Fair staple, here are the biggest food and drink stories of the year.

1. Top Dallas breakfast spot forced to move due to rent hike. A new landlord put Crossroads Diner on the move. The critically acclaimed breakfast spot across from Presbyterian Hospital will relocate to the corner of Preston and Campbell roads in early 2016.

2. Dallas restaurant scene gets hit by three unforeseen shut-downs. While Dallas diners enjoyed lots of prosperous restaurant openings, we also suffered a series of shut-downs in summer 2015.

3. Trouble resurfaces on Cane Rosso Lakewood's beleaguered patio. The sadly troubled patio at Cane Rosso in Lakewood received another drubbing from the unsupervised offspring of East Dallas' finest.

4. Where to eat in Dallas right now: 10 best restaurants for cheap dates. The most sought-after request for restaurant recommendations generally goes like this: "I'm looking for a restaurant that's nice for a date, but not too fussy. I want a nice night out with a cocktail and a decent meal. I want to dress up. I want good food. But I don't want to break the bank." If you want cheap dates, we found 10 restaurants right down the middle.

5. State Fair of Texas kingpin Fletcher's does the unthinkable with new corny dog for 2015. Fletcher's, the original food vendor at the State Fair of Texas, debuted an exciting new product for the 2015 fair: a veggie corny dog.

6. Where to eat in Dallas right now: 10 restaurants to go with friends. For our October 2015 rendition of Where to Eat, we got all inclusive and thought about where we want to go with friends.

7. Say ciao to one of Dallas' oldest and most loved restaurants. One of Dallas' oldest and most venerated restaurants, Pietro's Italian Restaurant, went on the market in September, signaling one last chance for meatballs with signature red sauce.

8. Where to eat in Dallas right now: 10 hot restaurant picks from top local foodies. For our November 2015 chapter of Where to Eat, we took our cues from Dallas' top foodies. We consulted some of the city's most frequent diners, the ones who make a point to stay on top of what's new. We bowed to their prowess and put these restaurants on our must-visit list.

9. Where to eat in Dallas right now: 10 restaurants to take your out-of-town guests. December is the month for holidays, and for many people, holidays mean visitors from out of town. To help you with your hosting duties, we identified restaurants that can handle a group, have a holiday flair, or represent what's going on in Dallas right now.

10. Where to eat in Dallas right now: 10 new restaurants for on-top-of-it foodies. For the June 2015 rendition of Where to Eat, the theme was all about new. In a propitious set of circumstances, early summer had plenty of contenders.

Fletcher's corny dogs made a big change this year.

Photo courtesy of Fletcher's

Fletcher's corny dogs made a big change this year.

where-to-eat lists state-fair bests

Hummus News

Revered family-owned Mediterranean restaurant debuts in North Dallas

Samantha Marie Photography

Zon Zon food spread

An upscale Mediterranean restaurant is coming to North Dallas from a trusted name: Called Zon Zon, it'll open at 5455 Belt Line Rd. #130, in the Work/Shop center, and it's hospitality group Yela Concepts led by Yaser Khalaf (Darna, Baboush), together with his son Mak Khalef in their first collaboration.

According to a release, it'll open on December 22.

Named for Mak's sister Zaina (“Zon Zon”), the restaurant will be open for lunch and dinner with a refined take on Mediterranean dining, rooted in tradition but with modern influences.

"We tried to merge what embodies Mediterranean cuisine with dishes that people in Dallas love," Mak says. "A lot of the dishes we have on menu are Mediterranean but have American and Texan influences."

Mezze favorites include hummus topped with green shatta and extra-virgin olive oil; baba ghanoush with charred eggplant, tahini, dukka, and pomegranate; crispy cauliflower with saffron labneh; tuna neya with tahini, mixed pickles, and Aleppo pepper; and kibbeh with ground lamb, onions, pine nuts, and dill labneh.

Salads include seared tuna salad with freekeh and golden beets; Tahini Caesar with tahini–Caesar dressing and za’atar croutons; and roasted beets with burrata, oranges, and pistachios.

Entrées include roasted chicken with garlic-batata and pomegranate jus; chicken shish kebab over saffron rice with almonds and raisins; hanger steak shawarma frites — a clever twist on steak frites with hand-cut fries; ZZ’s Wagyu cheeseburger with smoked provolone and house pickles; Prime ribeye with za’atar chimichurri and heirloom carrots; and apricot lamb couscous.

The beverage program complements the menu with a Mediterranean-focused wine list and creative cocktails such as the coffee-kissed Midnight Istanbul and ZZ’s Margarita, with burnt pineapple and ras el hanout.

Designed in collaboration with Dallas-based Coeval Studios, the restaurant features a 2,130-square-foot interior with an expansive 735-square-foot patio that seats 76, for a total occupancy near 100.

The restaurant boasts an open kitchen, while decorative finishes include modern woodwork, rich textures, and Middle Eastern-inspired details — stylish yet inviting, with a setting that feels like home.

“The inspiration behind Zon Zon came from wanting to create the kind of place we’ve always wished existed — a neighborhood Mediterranean spot that feels both familiar and exciting - we wanted to create a comfortable space where guests can meet up with friends or neighbors on a regular basis,” says Yaser in a statement.

Mak went to college to sudy biomedical engineering, but says he couldn't resist the lure of the restaurant world in which he grew up.

"Zon Zon is a reflection of everything we love about food," Mak says. "What makes this especially meaningful is building it with my dad — bringing our family’s story and passion to the table."

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