Keys to the Door: Owner/chef Franchesca Nor.
High Dive: Short Stop, Food From Galilee, The Festive Kitchen — Snider Plaza brims with speedy eateries for a quick lunch or to-go dinner. I’m now adding a delightfully fresh, order-at-the-counter restaurant to the list: Dive Coastal Cuisine. Created by chef Franchesca Nor, a former favorite server at Neighborhood Services, Dive occupies the old Dunkin’ Donuts space on Rankin Street and boasts dizzying, delicious chalkboard selections. “It’s traditional coastal things that I put my twist on,” says Nor. “Hence, the name ‘Coastal’ — I can’t pin it to just one coast!” Nor, a California native, packs her menu with skinny dips such as Moroccan spiced carrot with Lavash crackers ($4); a ceviche of the day with plantain chips ($10); and a seared Ahi tuna wrap with wasabi cucumber slaw ($9). The counter is open seven days a week, 11 am to 9 pm, but there are 13 tables if you wish to stay, making it easy for one to snag a spot in the midst of Nor’s beachy decor — high, wooden-slat ceilings and giant clam shells filled with succulents. It’s one fresh culinary getaway.
3404 Rankin St. in Snider Plaza, 214.891.1700; dive-dallas.com.
Image: Interior, Dive Coastal Cuisine. Photo by D. Lacey.