For the May edition of Where to eat in Dallas right now, our monthly column offering recommendations on the best dining options, we revisit a classic theme: patios.

One might say that patios is too obvious a theme. But sometimes the obvious needs to be said. Also, have you been outside today because it is gorgeous out.

Besides, this list has fresh patio choices. It bypasses better known (though impressive) patios like The Rustic in Uptown and Katy Trail Ice House and anything in the Harwood District and Truck Yard on Greenville Avenue (which recently got a refresh).

The patios on this list are either new or else underdog patios that haven't yet shown up on a Dallasites101 list.

What do you want from a patio?

• the opportunity to sit outdoors
• a view that is appealing or unusual in some way
• comfy accommodations and decor
• a place to drink, usually

For our May where to eat, we spotlight six new and/or hot patios:

Carbone/Carbone Vino
Italian-American duo from New York's Major Food Group, consisting of fine-dining restaurant Carbone and its more casual sibling Carbone Vino, sit side-by-side in Dallas' Design District with an enclosed patio in between. It's a well appointed space which almost manages to approximate a streetside vibe, thanks to cute awnings and some strategic landscaping, like a Hollywood set. The views consist entirely of other diners, fitting for such a see-and-be-seen place, as you dine on pasta, pizzas, and wine.

Komodo
Buzzy restaurant and bar from Miami-based Groot Hospitality recently opened in The Epic office tower on the edge of Deep Ellum - the first outside Florida - where it's serving a Southeast Asian/global menu of dishes such as Peking duck, salmon tacos, miso Chilean seabass skewers, and plant-based Kung Pao chicken plus a full sushi bar. Most of the action is inside, where diners can get an eyeful of Komodo's illuminated “bamboo” cutout columns and hanging ducks on display. But there's a sprawling patio at the entrance afford a bird's-eye view of who's coming and going and offers a respite from the buzz within.

Mexican Sugar Uptown
Pan-Latin concept from the Front Burner Society restaurant group (Whiskey Cake, Sixty Vines, Ida Claire, Son of a Butcher) just opened its third location in the McKinney & Olive building at 2355 Olive St. #155, where it continues its mission to celebrate Mexican culture and cuisine. The restaurant features an "Agave Library," with more than 150 tequilas and mezcals, served in margaritas and agave tasting flights. It's a two-story space and the patio is on the second floor, with wide-ranging views of the Uptown high-rise skyline including buildings like the Hotel Crescent Court. It's surely a pleasant space but what gives it that something extra is the row of treetops in the foreground, adding a little frame of nature to the urban setting.

Glorious patio at Thunderbird Station.CultureHype

The Porch
One would expect a place called The Porch to have an outdoor presence, but this Henderson Avenue staple first opened before outdoor space became a necessity. It recently re-opened following a two-month renovation, and that inluded the addition of a beer garden with pergola, porch swing, cornhole, and climate-controlled patio. They also updated their menus, under the guidance of culinary director Coner Sergeant, and Porch execu-chef Dalia Rivera. It keeps favorites such as the spinach-parmesan dip and short rib stroanoff, but adds new items including brisket tacos and enchiladas and giant pretzels. The bar program overseen by uber-mixologist Gabe Sanchez features spiked iced teaa plus low-ABV cocktails and zero-proof mocktails.

Taquero
Well-liked taqueria known for stellar tacos and culinary prowess relocated in 2020 from West Dallas to a cool old building on Ross Avenue that was once a tire store and was previously occupied by Pints & Quarts, a clever burger stand from Brooke Humphries. It's right at the intersection of Greenville Avenue, and fronted by a patio that looks out at one of the most high-profile and central intersections in Dallas. If you want to be in the thick of the action, this patio is it. All you need is a rib eye steak taco with tomato, avocado, and Mexican chimichurri, and a La Mezcalita cocktail with Espina negra mezcal, orange, lemon citrus, and agave honey.

Thunderbird Station
Hospitality veteran Kim Finch (Double Wide, Single Wide) took over this 1922 building - originally home to the Riegel's Gulf Service auto shop for 62 years - in 2020, where she created a charming retro destination in between Deep Ellum and Exposition Park that hits the right note on every front: from its throwback comfort-food menu (bologna sandwiches, Frito pie) to its fun cocktails and ice-cold frosty mugs for beer, to the totally chill, everyone's-welcome vibe. The patio is splendid: fringed by grassy plants, outfitted with picnic tables, fire pits, all beneath a soaring triangular rooftop extension topped by a neon thunderbird, which is the logo for the classic American car but surely looks like the legendary creature in Native American culture.

For the April edition of Where to Eat, CultureMap's monthly column offering recommendations on the best restaurants to try every month, we hit a category that's a perennial fave: plant-based dishes.

Plant-based is the low-key version of vegan. Both categories skip meat and animal products, but "plant-based" does it without the whole judgy element, IE cruelty to animals. Come on, who needs the guilt.

Plant-based options have recently emerged in shocking places. For example, who would expect to find plant-based dishes at a churrascuria, a concept known for its skewered meats? That's just one of the surprises on this list.

Here's where to eat in Dallas if you're seeking surprising new plant-based menu items:

Crown Block
Newly opened restaurant atop the blinky Reunion Tower in downtown Dallas has an entire standalone plant-based menu with tempting dishes including roasted cauliflower with pine nuts, pomegranate seeds, scallions, golden raisins, sumac vinaigrette, and tahini cream; Cavatalli pasta with kale, English peas, blistered tomatoes, artichoke, and Pecorino cheese; and a Roasted Vegetable Pot with cauliflower, artichokes, carrots, lipstick peppers, fingerling potatoes, sea beans, in miso & vegetable broth with toasted sourdough bread. Sides include pretzel-crusted onion rings, triple cooked fries, roasted carrots, and asparagus with cured lemon & Medjool dates. Starters include avocado aburi with horseradish, wasabi pickle, & crispy onion; avocado crunch sushi roll with cucumber, mango, & crispy puffed rice; a charcuterie board called Farmers Market Stand with roasted/pickled/fried vegetables, hummus, and smoky onion dip; and arugula-kale salad with crispy artichokes, snap peas, cured tomatoes, Pecorino cheese, & Marcona almonds.

Fogo de Chão
Churrascuria-style restaurant concept from Brazil known for its dedication to meat took the world by surprise in March with the revelation that they'd expanded their menu in an unprecedented new direction with the addition of plant-based options including tofu. Fogo already had some vegetarian dishes such as the Cauliflower Steak, but they added two new plant-based options, available for lunch, brunch, and dinner as an alternative to the full churrasco experience: Chimichurri-marinated tofu served atop black bean pasta with green onion, Napa cabbage, pickled onions, and carrot ginger-miso dressing; and power vegetable bowl with eggplant, mushrooms, zucchini, asparagus, and peppers, served with chimichurri spinach rice.

Komodo
Shiny-glamorous bar-restaurant from Miami is newly opened in the Epic building on the outer edge of Deep Ellum where its bells & whistles include a two-story space with eye-catching illuminated “bamboo” cutout columns and music from an in-house DJ. Their menu features Southeast Asian dishes interpreted with a global approach, including a full sushi bar, but they also have two incredible plant-based entrees: Wild Mushroom Lo Mein, featuring black truffle mushroom pasta, and their signature Daring Plant Based King Pao Chicken with shiitakes, bok choy, lotus root, and cashew. Daring Foods is the plant-based chicken company backed by celebrities such as Drake, and it is an amazing fake, with a grill-marked crust and a chewy meaty center. Komodo also offers an Asian twist on steakhouse-style sides such as vegetable fried rice, and Wokked Vegetables, a killer medley with bok choy, mushroom, carrot, and baby corn.

Moxie's
Moxie's is famous for being owned by Tom Gaglardi, proprietor of the Dallas Stars and brought from Canada to the U.S. by franchise group Eatz Hospitality. They have three locations in North Texas, including Uptown, Plano., and Southlake. They're sometimes lumped in to the sports bar category, but they're on the swanky side, and unlike your typical sports bar, they have some serious plant-based options including vegan pot stickers, vegan tofu lettuce wraps, a vegetarian power bowl with cauliflower rice, and a Beyond Burger.

Oomi Kitchen
Digital food hall at 3510 Ross Ave. is the first restaurant outside of South Central Texas to offer menu items from Earth Burger, an award-winning plant-based fast food chain founded in San Antonio in 2014. Earth Burger is known for its burgers made with plant-based patties, chik-n, and “fishless” filets. At Oomi, they're offering burgers such as the Ranchero topped with cheese, fried onion haystack, pickles, and BBQ ranch, plus chicken sandwiches, fries, and tater tots. Earth Burger is embarking on a national expansion with assistance from Sinelli Concepts, the Dallas group founded by Jeff Sinelli that owns Which Wich Superior Sandwiches.

Vegan Heat
New pop-up is a recently transplant from California from enthusiastic vegan chef Renee Pugh, with a menu whose options include crispy Jamaican jerk chicken breast or Jamaican oxtails, with sweet potato waffles & Southern grits; BBQ rib sliders with purple slaw, smothered mac & cheese; and green beans & rice. It's never the same since she rolls out new specials almost weekly, such as sausage lasagna roll-ups with garlic ricotta cheese, served with sweet corn and garlic bread. Stay tuned to their updates on their Instagram page. They serve dinner Wednesday-Friday, 5-9 pm, and Sunday brunch 12-3 pm. You can pull up at The Cookline, at 2011 W. Spring Creek Pkwy. #2000, or else order on DoorDash.

XOXO Dining Room and Garden
Fun gal-centric spot at 3121 Ross Ave. describes itself as a place where classic American cuisine meets pink and girly aesthetics, and who are we to argue. This temple of fuschia, magenta, crimson, and salmon comes with all sorts of rest stops and vignettes for fun photo ops, and their menu has shareable plant-based options including hummus with veggies and pita bread, and Impossible meatballs with yogurt sauce, labneh, and microgreens.

Yard House
Most of the buzz around this public house concept from Darden Concepts, with two DFW locations in Addison and Toyota Music Factory in Irving, centers on their 100-plus beers on tap, including a rotating lineup of seasonal and limited selections, delivered perfectly chilled. Less fuss is made of the fact that they have an entire dedicated Gardein menu featuring a dozen dishes made with Gardein plant-based products. There's orange chicken, Gardein Cobb salad, Gardein chicken tenders, and Gardein Nashville-style hot chicken, which you can order in a sandwich or with pancakes, a twist on chicken & waffles. There are chicken nachos, a mac & cheese studded with chicken, and a BBQ chicken pizza.