The Dallas Restaurants We’re Loving Right Right Now — and What to Order at Each Hot Spot

From Yela Concepts (the hospitality group behind both Plano’s Darna and West Village’s Baboush), this new neighborhood Mediterranean restaurant brings modern Lebanese cuisine to North Dallas.

Recommendations: If you love red meat, start with the hummus bel filet. Filet mignon tops a heaping portion of hummus with chili peppers, pickles, and pine nuts. A stunner of our dinner was crispy cauliflower — a massive portion of turmeric-za’atar rubbed florets arranged to look like one large cauliflower head and served with an addictive saffron labneh. For mains, you can’t go wrong with the apricot lamb couscous with roasted pepper couscous and toasted sesame seeds. I had the leftovers for breakfast the next morning. The chicken shish kebab is also a great choice, perfectly cooked skewers served with saffron rice. The menu offers three desserts (all sound wonderful), but we had to go for the baklava for our first visit. Three rolled pieces came out filled with burnt pineapple and mixed nuts, and served with vanilla gelato.

Just opened in the Centrum building in Uptown Dallas (in the former Steel space), this new upscale Mediterranean restaurant comes from restaurateur Mo Kamal (Open Sesame). Mo’s sister, Chef Zeina Kamal, is running the kitchen, serving authentic Lebanese recipes. Designed to look like “a modern Babylonian retreat,” the Babel space features a warm neutral palette accented by pops of color. The menu includes mezze, grilled meats, seafood, and vegetarian dishes.

Recommendations: Hummus comes in three kinds (classic, basil, and spicy) with the option of adding beef tenderloin or roasted beets for an extra cost. During our dinner visit, we opted for the spicy, and it had just the right amount of kick. Plus, the pita that it’s served with is fluffy and fresh. Also, make sure to try the shish Barak — warm beef dumplings served in a garlic yogurt. The Rosewood wagyu New York strip is the way to go at Babel for red meat lovers. Make sure to ask for the garlic sauce and pair it with the garlic mashed potatoes and Brussels sprouts for a classic meal. The chicken tawook is another great option. The server cuts open the pita-covered dish tableside to reveal a hefty portion of chicken and basmati rice. Lastly, baklava and pistachio cheesecake were presented as the two dessert choices. As soon as he asked, our server and I both answered at the same time: pistachio cheesecake.

This favorite Dallas Italian restaurant recently launched Sunday brunch from 11 am to 2 pm, and we got to taste a whole spread of the new menu. These are our top picks from Via Triozzi’s Italian-inspired brunch menu.

Recommendations: Always order the burrata is a new motto of mine. The one at Triozzi comes with roasted butternut squash, shaved speck, and garlic oil and is absolutely delicious. Pair with the Montasio Frico — a sort of potato pancake made with Yukon Golds, Montasio cheese, and caramelized onion. For starters, you also can’t miss artichoke and fennel salad with fried crispy capers and Parmigiano-Reggiano. And then there are the plates (piatti) and paninis. Our favorites included the mushroom toast atop housemade focaccia with a ricotta scramble and porcini béchamel, and the Italian sausage & egg panini on pane Bianca with provolone and giardiniera — both perfect savory dishes. Dessert is also a must on Via Triozzi’s brunch menu. The zeppole and cinnamon focaccia are both delightful options, but we couldn’t help indulging the most in the Italian toast with pistachio tiramisu cream on Empire Baking challah.