1410 C Fitzhugh
214.823.8550
Who to know: I cried
when panini palace Urbano Paninoteca on McKinney Avenue closed. I’m smiling
once again now that owners Kristen
and Mitch Kauffman opened a place on
Fitzhugh. What’s different about this bôite, nestled in East Dallas between
Jimmy’s Food Store and Spiceman’s F.M. 1410? “The big thing is BYOB,” says Mitch.
“People are bringing multiple bottles of wine.”
From my notebook: In what was most recently the unglamorous
Ted’s Hamburgers, the Kauffmans restored the original building’s aesthetics by
making four layers of linoleum and the boarded transom windows disappear, and
restoring the original pressed-tin ceilings … Mitch is working the panini press
and skillets during lunch but works the dining room at suppertime, when you can
go for à la carte entrees and sides from the chalkboard … Residents of Swiss Avenue,
Munger Place and Lakewood are regulars … Jackie
Kennedy, the sought-after labor and delivery nurse at Baylor Hospital (who
was also mine), stopped in for a panini at lunch … My beloved parmesan-crusted
chicken salad ($8.95) is still on the lunch menu — whew … Take note of the
photography by Scott Harben and Trevor Kobrin, showcasing opposing
themes of desertscapes and Scottish castles. I think the photographs complement
the white tablecloths and black-stained concrete floors nicely.