The August Hit List: Wicked Butcher, Carte Blanche, Loro, and More

This downtown Fort Worth restaurant in the Sinclair Hotel is finally hitting its stride, after a pandemic pause. The all-day venue bills itself as an American steakhouse, with the butcher cuts taking prime real estate on the menu. But the real decisions come down to the sauces: do you top a 32-ounce Tomahawk chop with a black-peppercorn sauce or chimichurri? Or will you choose herb, Worcestershire or lobster butters? Other innovative nods include the tuna pizza appetizer and the corn crème brûlée dessert, all to be enjoyed in a glossy dining room that complements the architecturally forward, yet mod, building.

This new-to-Dallas offshoot of the popular Austin concept, a Tyson Cole (Uchi)/ Aaron Franklin (Franklin Barbecue) meaty mash-up, brings Asian smokehouse fare to the fore. There’s coconut rice, but with brisket; kettle corn studded with brisket burnt ends and togarashi; and oak-smoked salmon with a cucumber-yuzu broth, among other fusion food. With an inviting patio and communal tables, diners are already excitedly digging in with steak knives and chopsticks at the soon-to-be iconic old East Dallas location.

Sfereco anoints the humble meatball to star status at both the year-plus-old restaurant in the Statler Hotel downtown, and at the new location in Lewisville. So much so that “Balls” headline their own section of the menu (Italian, chicken ricotta, burnt end, etc.) and feature dedicated sauces (spicy agro-dolce, romesco, veggie ragu, etc.). But there’s plenty more to enjoy here, from the customizable pizzas, including a cauliflower-crust option, to the condensed-yet-mighty pasta lineup, including a showstopper wild mushroom ravioli with caramelized leeks and onions and a Champagne brown butter sauce.

This admirable restaurant is one-part professional training venue for marginalized youth and one-part fine-dining haven for seasonal food. With a new American menu featuring food from local farms and ranches, the current seasonal offerings span shrimp and corn fritters; sweet tea-brined pork chops; local Bonton Farms shishitos with togarashi; and a coffee-rubbed New York strip steak from 44 Farms. With a clever wine list separated by price, and starting at $20 bottles, it’s clear the mission here is to include everyone.

At James Beard-nominated Omar Flores’ Muchacho, Tex-Mex is fair game, and the results are better than average. The Preston Center mainstay revels in its queso (add chorizo, chopped brisket or even grilled mushrooms with garlic), yet there are plenty of nachos, tostadas and combo plates to go around. Flores embraces the unusual — how ‘bout some octopus fajitas? — and tips the sombrero to interior Mexican fare too, with his chicken mole poblano. Clearly it’s all irresistible: the restaurateur’s second location for the concept debuts this month in Southlake Town Square.

(Top) Chef Tiffany Derry’s latest foray is a welcome sight in Farmers Branch, a quiet enclave that seems to leave the big openings to other ‘burbs. But Derry’s “homage to modern Southern cooking” is making noise for its vibrant menu spanning from fried shrimp and grits to My Mother’s Gumbo, not to mention jerk lamb chops paired with black-eyed peas. The family-style duck fat fried chicken is a nod to Derry’s other venture, Roots Chicken Shak, and it proves the chef can do wonders with minimal ingredients — kinda like on that TV show on which she earned kudos.

Dallas Summer Musicals are back, and so is Crystal Terrace. The Fair Park buffet restaurant offers pre-show meals, some tailored to the shows themselves. This month, “Wicked” (sensing a theme here?) descends on the venue, and the menu ranges from composed salads such as an heirloom tomato caprese, to grazing fare (charcuterie, hummus and pita), and the heartier carving stations (pepper and herb-crusted beef strip). The dining room boasts views of the park’s cascading water features, all the better to enjoy before the State Fair returns tens of thousands of people to the venue next month.

Shoals may be the only “modern neighborhood juke joint” that serves empanadas in the world, and the cocktail bar-and-more revels in the distinction. Inspired by Southern rock of the ’60s and ’70s, the Deep Ellum haunt fuses the funk with Latin American-influenced plant-based cuisine, which works to effortless effect. Highlights include the arepas with jackfruit, a Beyond burger with Peruvian aji crema, and the mushroom and lentil empanadas with a chimichurri — all terrifically creative renditions.

This fine-dining addition to the Dallas landscape offers rotating four- and 12-course tasting menus in the tradition of Thomas Keller’s Per Se and Daniel Boulud’s Daniel, which happen to be two places chef Casey LaRue has worked. He and wife Amy own Carte Blanche, which aims to have a more casual approach — even if the restaurant serves dishes dressed with foam, not to mention an agnolotti dish with black truffle and chive blossoms. It helps that in the morning, the space doubles as a French bakery, serving decadent pastries and artisanal donuts.

Call 214-434-1538 for reservations.

Totally vegan can be totally delicious, according to Deric and Brooklynn Cahill, vegan chocolatiers who moved to the area from Boston in 2019, and who first found success making their own sweet treats because, well, there weren’t any out there that they liked. Their new Flower Mound venue sells the chocolate, and has a kitchen, plus a sober bar with craft mocktails. Salads, wraps, sandwiches, and bowls make up most of the menu, but dessert distracts. There are s’mores and chocolate fondue boards, plus chocolate-covered strawberries and a chocolate flight. All of which means you’ll be on a heart-healthy sugar high for the rest of the foreseeable future.

Call 469-293-8259 for reservations.