Local ‘Disruptors’ Hope to Redefine Fine Dining in Dallas With New Kind of Tasting Menu-Only Restaurant

It’s starting to feel like new restaurants feel the need to bring something entirely out of the box to the Dallas food scene to stand out amongst an ever-growing slate of openings.

Less than two weeks ago, we learned that a new Korean omakase restaurant called Jo’Seon will debut in the Design District with “multiple large projection screens with AI-enhancements [whatever this means], 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.”

And in early 2026, another new restaurant offering VIP car service (is this becoming a thing?) and challenging the fine dining norm is headed to the Design District.

What Does a ‘Rebellious’ Tasting Menu-Only Concept Look Like?

Led by James Beard Award-winning chef RJ Cooper and General Manager/Level II Sommelier John D’Alexander, and owned by Dallas entrepreneur John McKeel and his sons, Cole and Clay McKeel, Punk Noir is a new tasting menu-only restaurant opening at 139 Turtle Creek Boulevard, Suite 130.

“Punk Noir is a rebellion against the ordinary,” says Cole McKeel in a press release. “What initially inspired us to open this concept were our personal experiences traveling across the USA, Europe, and Japan. We’ve eaten at many Michelin-starred restaurants, even some ranked among the Top 50 in the world. So many of them had amazing food, but the experience often felt flat — stiff, quiet, and even intimidating. We wanted to create something different: food that is just as refined and world-class, but an experience that is unforgettable, irreverent, and full of energy.”

There only only 26 seats per seating (with two or three seatings per night) to create exclusivity at Punk Noir, but the space is actually 9,500 square feet. A 20-course tasting experience will take place through multiple spaces — “from a dramatic communal dining room with projection-mapped visuals and graffiti art led by the “Mistress of Ceremonies”, to an open kitchen where Chef Cooper presents select courses, to an intimate neon-lit dining room, before concluding the evening in the Noir Lounge.”

This lounge will seat 46 people and offer craft cocktails alongside “mini tasting” menus for those not opting for the full experience.

As for the VIP car service that guests can book, a black SUV will chauffeur guests to the restaurant and drop them off at a private ramp where they will be escorted inside to begin the experience.

Disrupting Dallas Dining

The team brought on Chef RJ Cooper to lead the 20-course tasting menu. In 2007, he won the James Beard Award for Best Chef Mid-Atlantic. His concepts include Rogue 24 in Washington, D.C., Gypsy Soul, and Nashville’s Saint Stephen and Acqua.

Punk Noir’s menu will combine “global influences, cutting-edge gastronomy, and [Chef Cooper’s] own personal inspirations.” Ingredients will be sourced from Italy, Japan, Central America, and more. Dishes will also be paired with wine, cocktails, and zero-proof drinks.

Responsible for curating the wine and cocktail menus at Punk Noir, D’Alexander has worked at several Michelin-starred restaurants like Everest by Chef John Joho, Sixteen by Chef Thomas Lents, Grace by Chef Curtis Duffy, and more.

“We are disruptors,” states John McKeel. “We are here to challenge our guests’ conventions of what elevated dining should be. We provide an experience that is surprising, provocative, entertaining, and delicious.”