Opening News

Stunning Latin restaurant El Carlos Elegante makes Dallas Design District debut

Pretty and eclectic plateware is one of the many beautiful design elements.

El Carlos Elegante

The latest super-chic restaurant from Dallas-based Duro Hospitality has arrived. Called El Carlos Elegante, it's their Mexican-inspired restaurant in the Dallas Design District, at 1400 N. Rivertfront Blvd., just a tortilla toss from its sibling restaurant The Charles.

According to a press release, El Carlos aims to capture the essence of Latin culture, in food, cocktails, and interior design.

Diners can expect large cuts of Argentinian-style wood-fired meats and fish, crudo, house-made tortillas, traditional masa-based dishes, seasonal craft cocktails, and a standout Mezcal program, including no-additive natural Mezcals for true enthusiasts, as well as a global list of wines and champagnes.

Menu highlights include:

Surf & Turf One-Hitter: A5 Wagyu, Ostera Caviar, Crispy Shell
Beef Aguachile: Charred Onion, Soy, Fresno
Mole Negro Masa: Ricotta Tamale
Chorizo Molotes: Refried Beans, Salsa Roja
Mayan Hummus: Sikil Pak, Baby Carrots, Pepitas
Pork al Pastor: Pork Blade Chop, Pineapple, Adobo
Osso Bucco Carnitas: Veal Shank, Costeño Rojo
Whole Fish: Mint Mojo, Fennel, Herbs

Duro Hospitality Group has become one of the hottest entities in Dallas restaurants right now, with a portfolio that includes The Charles, Bar Charles, Sister, Café Duro, and Casa Duro.

Duro's Benji Homsey says in a statement that on this one, they "colored outside of the lines."

"Each one of our concepts possesses unique personalities, and El Carlos represents a new character in our portfolio, whose story is told throughout the design of the space as well as represented on the menu," Homsey says. "The entire experience at El Carlos is unlike any other in Dallas, and we hope everyone loves it just as much as we do."

The space is designed to feel multi-generational and cozy.El Carlos Elegante

Rendered by Corbin and Ross See of Sees Design, the inspiration for the restaurant's design came from the idea of a Mexican hacienda handed down through multiple generations. Decorative elements include midcentury modern pieces, unexpected color combinations, eclectic textiles, and furniture sourced almost exclusively from Mexico.

A front courtyard contains an oversized fireplace and retractable roof, while the interior features a second fireplace, plus colorful custom wallpapers, ironwork, and a tableau of El Carlos "Family Portraits."

A private dining room houses a custom Pierre Frey mural and opens to the back courtyard, which also includes a retractable roof.

Ross See says they started with four walls and built from there: front and back courtyards, fireplaces, and fountains. Corbin See says their vision was similar to Sister in some regards.

"We wanted it to feel multigenerational and cozy," Corbin says. "The space has a residential feel, and we aimed for the pieces to feel collected and added over time. The dishes, for example, aren’t all matching. It’s an eclectic mix so it feels replaced over time."

Check it out at dinner: El Carlos is open Sunday-Thursday from 5-10 pm and Friday–Saturday from 5-11 pm.

openings

Tres chic

Deep Ellum bar duo to open bohemian French restaurant in Bishop Arts

Courtesy Peter Novotny

The in-progress exterior of Trapeze

A new French-inspired restaurant and bar from the team behind two Deep Ellum hot spots will soon make its debut in Dallas' Bishop Arts District: Called Trapeze, it will open this spring in a cute bungalow at 240 W. 8th St.

Trapeze is from Peter Novotny and Dan Murry, who operate popular Deep Ellum haunts Ruins and Armoury D.E. They have been remodeling the old Bishop Arts bungalow extensively for their newest restaurant venture.

“It’s basically going to be kind of a French bohemian bar and restaurant, with real emphasis on the bohemian,” Novotny says. “It will kind of feel like an old-fashioned bohemian artist’s enclave.”

Matt Battaglia, the founder of the now-defunct Denton music festival Oaktopia and current tour manager for musician Marc Rebillet, is also involved in the project.

The space itself underwent a massive revamp that’s been in the works for months, including a few weather-induced delays. And because Trapeze is located in a conservation district, that construction had to be done in a way that would maintain the home’s original look.

“It’s basically a complete renovation,” Novotny says. “They had to rebuild the entire structure. The whole exterior is all new.”

Novotny says that the inspiration for Trapeze comes from Oak Cliff’s own historical French influence. That will be reflected in the space’s “quirky” vibe, which he says will be very colorful and in keeping with the bohemian theme.

The neighborhood was once home to the French utopian community La Reunion, which sprouted up around 1855.

“We’re trying to do a tribute to the French history of Oak Cliff and Bishop Arts, and our goal is to capture the things we love about regional French cuisine and culture,” he says.

To head up the kitchen at Trapeze, Novotny and Murry tapped Jeremy Spector, a New York chef who’s worked in much-lauded kitchens like Balthazar and Gramercy Tavern, along with owning and operating his own restaurants in the city, as culinary director. Spector is developing the menu for the restaurant, which will serve classic dishes from the different regions of France, along with flavors inspired by France’s once-vast colonial empire, including Moroccan cuisine.

As one might expect from two Deep Ellum bar experts, the cocktail program at Trapeze will be serious. Expect classic French cocktails, New Orleans-influenced libations, and an extensive list of cognacs, rhum agricoles, and “many other classic French spirits and liqueurs,” Novotny says. The bar will also offer a solid menu of aperitifs and digestifs, along with cocktails mixed with absinthe, cognac, and Chartreuse, and French and “French-adjacent” cider and beer.

Novotny and Murry are shooting for an opening date in April, just in time for what will hopefully be good spring weather.

bishop arts deep ellum openings