Omakase News

New restaurant in Dallas Design District to do Korean twist on omakase

Jo’Seon Wagyu Omakase: Is it man or is it meat?

Jo’Seon Wagyu Omakase

There's a new kind of omakase restaurant coming to Dallas: Called Jo’Seon Wagyu Omakase, it's a Korean Wagyu twist on omakase and it will open in the Design District at 1628 Oak Lawn Ave., in the former Pakpao space.

According to a release, it'll open in fall 2025.

Jo’Seon (“Jo-Sun”), will be a luxury, wagyu-focused omakase concept with 12-course and 18-course menus blending Japanese A5 wagyu with the omakase experience in which the chef picks the menu, with Korean beef techniques and American influences.

The concept is from renowned executive chef & co-owner Danny Shin, a native of Korea who has worked in prestigious restaurants around the county.

Jo’Seon will source its A5 Wagyu from Japan, flying it in six days per week, with the certifications on every cut shown to diners before the meal.

The menu, which will rotate every two months, will highlight six A5 premium cuts in all dining experiences, inspired by Korea’s omakase culture, and pair dishes with popular ingredients including uni, truffle, scallops, rare seafood and more.

“Every element of Jo’Seon, from your arrival to your check presentation, is designed to be an experience unlike any other,” Shin says in a statement. “Jo’Seon is a luxurious, unforgettable dining experience that merges Korean culinary technique with modern hospitality, and we’re eager for Dallasites to step inside a new culinary world this fall.”

The restaurant will also be an immersive dining concept with multiple large projection screens with AI-enhancements, private rooms, butcher shop on display, and the opportunity to book private limo transportation service to/from your meal via the restaurant’s dedicated concierge team — resulting in a complete, sensory-driven experience they promise is like never before.

Partnering with Shin on bringing Jo’Seon to life is Dallas restaurateur Mike Baird and JP Park, general manager and beverage director. Park has a personal library of more than 150 cocktail recipes, and is known for layering obscure or modern ingredients subtly into classic cocktails. Jo’Seon’s cocktail menu will include both refined classics and progressive options using techniques such as smoking, clarification, and tableside delivery.

For those craving an even more intimate and curated experience, Jo’Seon will offer three private dining rooms, offering an elaborate 18-course tasting menu. Each room will feature its own private chef, providing an immersive culinary experience tailored to its guests.

openings

New 'cue

Seasoned pitmaster fires up Latin-inspired Texas BBQ for Uptown Dallas

Photo courtesy of Rodeo City Provisions

Meat platter with sides at Rodeo City Provisions.

A barbecue restaurant from Mesquite is coming to buzzy Uptown Dallas before the end of the year: Called Rodeo City Provisions, it will take over the short-lived NADC Burger spot at 2908 McKinney Ave.

The restaurant comes from Leo Morales, a seasoned chef and pitmaster. Born to a Colombian mother and a Mexican father and raised in New York, Morales draws heavily on his roots to shape the distinct flavors in his food.

Morales has worked in kitchens since he was a teenager, rising from dishwasher to director and operating partner at Barrel & Bones Craft Bar and Smokehouse, then general manager at Smoky Rose in Lakewood. He briefly owned his first barbecue spot in Fair Park, Parry Avenue Barbecue Company, which earned him a Rising Star Chef nomination at CultureMap’s 2022 Tastemaker Awards.

He later became chief operations officer for Refined Hospitality, overseeing culinary operations for the restaurants at The Statler and the Mesquite Rodeo. That experience paved the way for a return to barbecue in 2024, when Rodeo City Provisions debuted as a concession and suite vendor at the Mesquite Rodeo.

A year later, Morales expanded into a vacant space next to the arena (at 1818 Rodeo Dr.), opening a full-service restaurant under the same brand.

“We are a traditional Texas barbecue restaurant, where I put who I am into it, so I do a lot more than salt, pepper, and garlic,” Morales says. “We use spices like guajillo, chile de árbol, and achiote — real flavors that I grew up with.”

Rodeo City Provisions is going into the old NADC spot at 2908 McKinney Ave.Photo courtesy of Rodeo City Provisions

This approach shines through in a menu featuring prime brisket, ribs, pulled pork, turkey, and chicken by the pound, paired with Latin-inspired sides like creamed corn with queso fresco and Tajín, and borracho pinto beans. Beyond traditional barbecue cuts, the menu offers tortas, tacos, sandwiches, smoked brisket queso, and quesi-birria quesadillas.

Rodeo City Provisions also serves breakfast, including tacos, pork belly French toast, jalapeño cheddar sausage biscuits with gravy, and a loaded “Brekky Sandwich” stacked with chorizo, pork belly bacon, birria brisket, cheese, and a fried egg.

Prices are relatively affordable, ranging from $2 tacos and sandwiches for less than $15 to two-meat plates for $19 and three-pound meat boards that serve up to six people for $140. Weekly specials include pork belly burnt ends on Fridays and $20 racks of ribs on Sundays.

Just a year after launching the Mesquite location, Morales had an opportunity to expand to McKinney Avenue through longtime friends who own the building. The two-story space will feature counter service downstairs, with seating for about 50 guests. Upstairs, seating for roughly 80 will accommodate a hybrid service model, with full service and QR codes at tables for easy ordering. An outdoor smoke pit will sit next to the patio.

The Uptown location will serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner, along with a few exclusive menu items. Those include a turkey club stacked with smoked turkey, pulled pork, pork belly bacon, lettuce, tomato, and beef tallow mayo, plus a smoked brisket French dip on bolillo bread with Gruyère cheese and au jus.

Rodeo City Provisions in Uptown will be open 7 am-7 pm Tuesday-Sunday; closed Mondays.

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