But no takeaway tamales

Peak & Elm, La Popular Tamale sibling, will bring Mexican food to New East Elmdistrict in February

Father-and-son Jesse Moreno Sr. and Jesse Jr. stand outside their newrestaurant, under the vintage Peak & Elm sign.
Photo by Robert Bostick
The Morenos pulled away decades of sheet rock and grime to find a glass-brickwall at the front of the space.
Photo by Robert Bostick
One of the most appealing features of the adjacent bar is the series of vintagedoorknobs they installed as purse hooks.
Photo by Robert Bostick
Jesse Sr. points out the wood-working trim they added to a beam by therestaurant's entrance.
Photo by Robert Bostick
A courtyard behind Peak & Elm may provide the restaurant with a space for anenclosed outdoor patio down the road.
Photo by Robert Bostick
Jesse Moreno Jr. and his father, Jesse Sr., clad the front of the bar at Peak &Elm with weather-beaten slats of wood.
Photo by Robert Bostick
Among the treasures at the Peak & Elm building are ample windows including thesetransom-style windows at the top.
Photo by Robert Bostick

If flashy West Dallas development isn't your thing, then maybe you're more of a New East Elm person. Centered around the intersection of Peak and Elm streets, this emerging neighborhood on the eastern edge of Deep Ellum already boasts a few artists and the It'll Do Club, a newly renovated bar run by the Barcadia folks.

Another brick will soon be laid with the opening of Peak & Elm, a Mexican restaurant from father-and-son Jesse Moreno and Jesse Moreno Jr., owners of La Popular Tamale House.

Opening date is February 8, which just so happens to be Jesse Jr.'s birthday.

Father-son owners Jesse Moreno and Jesse Moreno Jr. don't have a finished menu yet, but they know it will include tamale pie as a signature dish.

La Popular, which includes the original at 5004 Columbia Ave. and a branch at shed #2 in the Dallas Farmers Market, has been serving some of Dallas' best tamales since 1984. Jesse Sr. was "buying local" and going artisanal long before they became foodie trends.

But Jesse Jr. had a vision for a sit-down restaurant and a neighborhood destination.

"I wanted to have a place where you can sit down and have a drink," he says. "This is not just about us; it's about the neighborhood."

Jesse Sr. says he just wants to help his son realize his dream.

"My satisfaction is seeing people happy," he says. "I cook from the heart, and that's something I like about the current generation of foodies. Their appreciation hits me deep down."

Father and son worked on a menu, then found this unpolished diamond at 132 N. Peak St. with a vintage sign out front. Dating back to the early 1900s, the building has been a record store, office supply place and, most recently, a restaurant called Victor's Cafe, says Jesse Jr.

He and his father tore away decades' worth of sheet rock and grime to unearth a glass brick front wall and a surprisingly intact green-tiled floor, which they'll happily keep. They share a reverence for the building's history and have done a careful renovation to capitalize on what they have.

They're especially tickled by the fact that the restaurant sits across the street from the East Dallas railroad barn, a depot for Dallas' old street car line.

The restaurant comprises about 1,500 square feet and will seat 75, with a narrow adjoining bar which they've clad with weather-beaten strips of wood. The talker is the series of recycled doorknobs, some recovered from the building, which are nailed to the bar as thoughtful catch-alls for purses.

The Morenos don't have a finished menu yet, but they know that it will be Mexican. It will have small and large plates, including tamale pie as a signature dish. In addition to a full bar, there'll be aguas frescas and a house sangria.

What Peak & Elm will not offer is tamales.

"We're going to do an authentic tamale pie, and we'll have one La Popular-style tamale plate," Jesse Jr. says. "But no takeaway tamales. I think it's important not to crowd what we already have and to reinforce that this is something different and special."

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Holiday Dining

These Dallas restaurants are open for dining on Christmas Day 2024

STK

STK Steakhouse

Dallas restaurants are almost always ready to serve — with one exception: Christmas Day. Most restaurants close, whether it's because of fewer customers or just to give their employees the day off.

But there are still the brave, the few, who persevere with hospitality and lavish spreads — and those generally get rewarded with mobs of diners grateful for a place to grab a bite.

That is what this list is about: Dallas restaurants that are open on Christmas day. (This list does not include Christmas Eve or Christmas to-go.)

Here's what's open in Dallas on Christmas Day:

Bacchus Kitchen and Bar. Grapevine restaurant is offering a four-course Christmas Day feast featuring frisèe & arugula salad, leek & potato cream soup, Prime rib roast, truffle mash, Brussels sprouts, and chocolate marquis paired with layers of chocolate ganache. $95. 5-9:30 pm. 817-251-3040.

Bar Louie. Four-course dinner for two features one bar bite to share, choice of soup or salad, entrée, and one dessert to share. Options include citrus grilled salmon, parmesan crusted chicken, and cinnamon donut holes. $75-$85 at select locations. 3-10 pm. Park Lane 469-638-8050, Las Colinas 469-472-1050.

The Crescent Club. Hotel Crescent Court restaurant will host Christmas brunch featuring holiday specials and desserts. $150, or $60 for 11 and under. 10:30 am - 3 pm. 214-871-3200.

Cut & Bourbon. Live! by Loews Arlington restaurant is hosting Christmas brunch and dinner with specials like Beef Wellington, and a traditional dinner menu of king crab legs, New York strip, and salmon. Prices are a la carte. Brunch is 9 am-2 pm, dinner 5 pm-10 pm. 682-277-4950.

Del Frisco's Double Eagle. Christmas feast features 38-ounce bone-in New York strip King cut and side of sweet potato casserole for an additional $19. $195. Dinner 2-8 pm. Dallas 972-490-9000, Plano 972-312-9115.

Salmon at Bar LouieCourtesy photo

Del Frisco's Grille. Holiday feature filet mignon and lobster tail, apple cranberry cobbler, and red velvet cheesecake. 12-8 pm. Plano 469-661-8012.

Dolce Riviera. Brunch buffet includes omelet bar, bruschetta bar, carving station, and dessert station. $95, or $35 for 12 and under. All reservations require a $50 deposit. 10 am-4 pm. Harwood District 469-458-6623.

Ebb & Flow. Open with the regular menu featuring toasted ravioli, Cubano egg rolls, salmon piccata, and a brown sugar soy-glazed porterhouse pork chop with mashed potatoes and sautéed spinach. 3 pm-2 am. Available at both Dallas 972-913-2322 and Plano 972-483-2266.

Ellie's Dallas. Three-course prix fixe menu for dinner features winter greens salad, gnocchi, slow-cooked beef picanha, sea bass, and buche de noel sponge cake, plus a la carte selections and festive cocktails. $95. 972-629-0924.

Farena. Loews Arlington Hotel restaurant is offering an Italian Continental breakfast buffet featuring baked pastries, seasonal fruits, and traditional breakfast dishes. The traditional dinner menu includes a classic Margherita pizza, veal milanese, prime 10-ounce filet mignon, and Executive Chef Tony France's Christmas special, herb crusted osso buco. $35 breakfast buffet; a la carte dinner pricing. Breakfast buffet 7 am - 12 pm, dinner 5-10 pm. 682-318-2810.

Fearing's. Christmas brunch features seafood raw bar, kale & spinach sesame salad, fruit & berries, bagels & spreads, smoked salmon, and meat carving stations. $185. 214-922-4848. 11 am-2:30 pm.

Hall Park Hotel. Newly opened Frisco hotel wll offer a grand buffet in the seventh-floor ballroom with a hot cocoa bar, carving station, desserts, juice and coffee, and dedicated kids' buffet station. $99, or $27 for 12 and under. Buy tickets here. 11 am–3 pm. 469-922-2442.

Harwood Arms. Pub will be open on Christmas Day and feature a traditional roast. $30-$50. 11 am-2 pm. Harwood District 214-273-5151.

Knife Italian. Ritz Carlton-Las Colinas restaurant is offering a pre-fixe menu featuring cream of wild mushroom soup, winter salad, Dr Pepper glazed ham, and 60-day dry age 14-ounce ribeye of beef. $159. Lunch 12-10 pm. 972-717-2420.

Kona Grill. Special menu includes roasted turkey, baked glazed ham, prime rib, and pumpkin pie. Holiday cocktails will also be available for $16 each. 11:30 am-11 pm. Dallas 214-369-7600, Plano 214-945-2500.

Monarch. Holiday specials include pork belly porchetta with creamy fennel salad, chestnut agnolotti with parmesan, brandied chestnuts, and Meyer lemon, and The Grinch, a chocolate cake with strawberry filling and chocolate ganache. Plus a custom Monarch crystal ornament as a festive keepsake. Prices are a la carte from $28-$45. 4-9 pm. 214-945-2222.

Montage. JW Marriott Dallas Arts District hotel restaurant is hosting holiday brunch including a seafood tower, charcuterie board, omelet station, chilaquiles station, and carving stations featuring bone-in prime rib and roasted pork loin. $75. 10:30 am-2 pm. 214-736-7760.

NDA Brasserie. Harwood District spot will serve a three-course brunch with a champagne activation and custom mimosa bar. $75, or $40 for 12 and under. All reservations require a $50 deposit. 10 am-3 pm. 945-910-4671.

Pyramid. Fairmont Hotel restaurant is hosting Christmas brunch featuring made-to-order omelets, Viennoiseries, avocado toast, lobster roll, smash burger, braised short rib, and smoked prime rib. Prices a la carte. 10 am-3 pm. 214-720-2020.

Ryder Grille. Frisco restaurant has holiday specials including Prime Rib with rosemary fingerling potatoes, pork belly, creamed spinach served in cast iron, glazed carrots, creamy horseradish and au jus for $48; and lamb chops with polenta, glazed carrots, roasted cippolini, and lamb jus for $44. Texas Pecan Pie with Bourbon whipped cream will be available for dessert. 7 am-9 pm. 469-888-5850.

Sanjh Restaurant & Bar. Elevated Indian restaurant has a Christmas buffet featuring Mulligatawny soup, paneer shashlik tikka, chicken haryali tikka, and ajwaini fish tikka. Plus live stations with made-to-order dosas served with sambar and chutney, omelet station, and a roasted counter with turkey and assorted breads. Desserts include plum cake, stollen, and a chocolate and candy station. $65, or $32.50 for 12 and under. 11 am-3 pm. 972-239-1800.

SER Steak + Spirits. Holiday specials include $18 roasted chestnut mushroom soup, market price Texas Wagyu Chateaubriand, and an "Underneath the Tree" dessert with ginger sable, peppermint mocha gateau, rompope, and praline bonbon. 5-10 pm. 214-761-7479.

Stillwell’s. Hotel Swexan’s steakhouse will offer a Christmas dinner including a la carte dishes and classic Beef Wellington. $95. 469-405-1911.

STK Steakhouse. Uptown steakhouse is open for Christmas Day with Wagyu, prime rib, holiday cocktails and the Holiday Features menu, with premium Wagyu cuts and caviar. Prices are a la carte. 11 am-10 pm. 972-842-9450.

Sushi Marquee. Frisco sushi restaurant will be open Christmas Day serving regular menu, including sushi, rolls, and ramen. 3 pm-2 am. 972-833-1608.

TK's Addison. Comedy club will do a three-course dinner with choics from lobster bisque or Caesar salad, filet mignon with crusted potato croquet and bernaise sauce, butternut squash ravioli with brown butter sage sauce, or Bay of Funday salmon with garlic whipped mashed potatoes & roasted red-pepper sauce. Third course features creme brulee or bananas Foster bread pudding with boozy caramel sauce. $75. 5-9 pm. 945-800-7668.

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