It's certain to be one of Dallas' biggest foodie stories of the year: A new cafe coming to town, opening under the direction of an internationally acclaimed chef. Called Cafe Dior by Dominique Crenn, it'll reside inside the recently-opened Dior store at 58 Highland Park Village, with a menu overseen by Michelin-starred chef Dominique Crenn.

Café Dior by Dominique Crenn is described as a place where "the artistry of haute couture meets the culinary brilliance of Dominique Crenn," with a menu that reflects Crenn’s inventive approach by combining French influences with a modern twist.

The Dior team has not shared a menu or official timetable, but the staff is already assembled (they recently held a group lunch at Profound Microfarms in Lucas) and a representative says that the opening is penciled in for the end of February or beginning of March. According to a story in WWD, the opening date is February 22.

Crenn is a native of France who became the first female chef in the U.S. to achieve three Michelin stars, at her San Francisco restaurant Atelier Crenn.

Atelier Crenn features multi-course tasting meals, polished service, and an elegant setting. It exists at the highest realm of restaurants in the U.S., next to names like Eleven Madison Park in New York and Alinea in Chicago.

Beyond the Michelin stars, Crenn has earned numerous accolades such as coming in at No. 10 on Robb Report's 50 Most Powerful People in American Fine Dining, James Beard Awards, and appearances on multiple TV shows including The Next Iron Chef, Chef’s Table, and Top Chef France.

Boutique cafes
Cafes located inside department stores date back a century to places like The Walnut Room which opened in a Marshall Field's store in Chicago in the early 1900s, and Dallas' iconic Zodiac Room which opened at the downtown Neiman Marcus store in 1953 — serving as a socially acceptable and chic place where women could congregate outside the home.

The "cafe inside a luxury fashion house" is a more recent trend, capitalizing on foodie culture and Instagram potential — and more importantly, allowing customers who may not be able to afford the merchandise to experience the store in a less expensive and social manner.

There are boutique cafes at stores by Prada, Tiffany & Co., and Chanel. But few do it with more panache than Dior, whose cafes have their own longstanding and revered status.

For one thing, there is scarcity: Dallas will join an exclusive list of cities that include London, Paris, Miami, and Tokyo, that will be home to a Café Dior. Each location has a distinction: "Monsieur Dior," the nickname for the cafe in Paris, walking distance from the Champs-Élysées, is a tourist destination unto its own. The Dior Cafe in Tokyo has a sweet tie-in with French pâtissier-chocolatier Pierre Hermé.

Fresh perspective
Attracting the participation of Dominique Crenn would be a major get for any port in the world, but especially for Dallas, which stands to benefit greatly from exposure to her sensibilities, touching on global issues like sustainability, treatment of animals, and the impact we have on the planet.

She also embraces — even embodies — a more careful and thoughtful approach to food, viewing it not just as a mode to fill your stomach but as a way to tell stories and fill your spirit.

While Dallas is best known for its steakhouses, Crenn famously removed meat from her menus a few years back as a protest against factory farming, calling it an "insanely complicated" matter, both in how meat is processed as well as its impact on the environment. Atelier Crenn does serve seafood in addition to vegetables, and also uses dairy products, but from two specific dairies in the area.

While Dallas is not the most environmentally conscious city, Crenn has made her restaurants plastic-free. This means they have removed single-use plastics from their restaurant — the first restaurant in the U.S. to do so. That means no straws, and if you want to get food to go from her restaurants, you're encouraged to bring your own container.

Cafe Dior by Dominique Crenn may not follow stringent guidelines like these, and Crenn will not be on the premises — there's a Dallas-based company that will be overseeing day-to-day operations — but ideas like this represent a valuable and hopefully influential contribution to the dialog in Dallas dining.