Closure News

Award-winning Dallas restaurant-bakery on Greenville Ave has closed

Carte Blanche

One of Dallas' most acclaimed restaurants is closing: Carte Blanche, the fine-dining restaurant and bakery from husband-and-wife Casey and Amy LaRue, has closed.

According to a note from the couple, they received an offer for the location and decided it was the wisest course to accept the offer and close up shop.

"We have been considering what to do with this space for quite some time. While our dinner service is great, it struggles in this area, as most people don’t come to Greenville for a fancy dinner," their post said.

No other establishment in Dallas has earned more local and international acclaim in recent years than Carte Blanche. They were the first stand-alone restaurant to achieve Forbes Five-Star in Texas for two years in a row, in 2022 and again in 2023 — and were also the only Dallas restaurant to earn the prestigious 5-diamond award from AAA.

The Five Diamond ranking put Carte Blanche — and Dallas — in the same field as nationally renowned restaurants such as Le Bernardin, Jean-Georges Restaurant, Per Se, The French Laundry, Joel Robuchon in Las Vegas, and Restaurant Guy Savoy at Caesars Palace.

They were also nominated for multiple Tastemaker Awards including Best Restaurant, Best Chef, and Best Pastry Chef.

Awards sound nice, but anyone who partook of their exquisite multi-course tastings knows that the awards were well deserved, with one impeccable bite after another, delivered by a doting staff.

Their bakery, overseen by Amy, an accomplished pastry chef, was putting out pastries on a level that exceeded anything in Dallas: the best croissants, handmade doughnuts from scratch, tarts, and Danish in all kinds of flavors, both savory and sweet.

The couple said they considered turning the location into a bakery but decided against it.

"Our bakery does well, but transitioning to a 100 percent bakery would require a significant investment in expensive equipment," their note said. "Both options would also necessitate substantial structural upgrades."

"After many discussions and chats with others, we received an offer to sell the space and let someone else take it over. The timing felt right, so we decided to move on," they said.

"We’ll be sharing our future plans soon, but for now, we have some great staff who need new opportunities. Please message if you are looking for staff for your restaurant. We’ve been fortunate to work with some excellent people."

They're cutting a break for oenophiles: They'll be selling off their remaining inventory of wine at cost, on Saturday-Sunday June 8-9 from 1-3 pm.

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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