The October Hit List: FireBird Fowl, Republic, La Mina, and More

The latest see-and-be-seen stop in The Village is this clubby Mexican hideaway, which has style to spare. Dark-wood accents, string lights, and stained glass plays nicely along with signature dishes including hamachi aguachile, blue crab tostadas, and tacos by the dozen — camarones mole poblano, barbacoa, and cochinita Pibil plus more — on housemade corn tortillas. You’ll surely wake up at brunch here, with the spicy Bloody Maria married with the chilaquiles rojos. Or maybe you might be sweet on the horchata-soaked French toast. It’s nearly impossible to go wrong in a place so right-on.

Is this new avian-focused restaurant a flight of fancy? Hardly. From emu fajitas to ostrich tacos, virtually no bird goes untouched here. Starters include a queso with ground ostrich and quail poppers with duck bacon and bourbon cream cheese, and charcuterie boards focus on quail, duck, emu and goose. The sandwiches tread familiar, more pedestrian, territory (Nashville hot chicken, anyone?) and there’s a story there: the owners had wanted to open a spicy chicken sandwich shack, but too many had come home to Dallas to roost.

Sister is, well, the new sister restaurant to Design District-heavy The Charles. But this baby is hardly naive, with an Italian and Mediterranean-inspired menu that aims to “seduce the senses and be a little edgy while still approachable,” all in a location that once housed the legendary The Grape. Yet this new offering from Duro Hospitality hopes to vibe as more neighborhood-eatery than fine-dining establishment. Expect wood-fired meats, fish, and pasta, with Greek and Lebanese accents.

Along this revitalized stretch of Knox Street, the RH Rooftop Restaurant is an elegant exclamation point to the revamped Texas flagship RH store. Part of a $40-million effort, this outdoor dining concept is similar to those at other RH outposts across the country, and the menu reads virtually the same, from a decadent lobster roll with fries to a burrata and roasted pepper appetizer. Yet the bright space is also, perfectly, so Dallas. It’s see-and-be-seen, but the food is worth trying in the face of a surfeit of attitude.

The beloved barbecue chain has finally opened on Lower Greenville, making Dallas the only other location outside of Southern California where you can savor this 70-year-old Japanese tradition. Most of the fun centers around the action — grilling at your table beef, pork, veggies, and seafood — but the quality is revelatory too. Sirloin, tri-tip, U.S. Prime and U.S. Kobe rib eye, and short rib are top-notch, while beef tongue and Kuroge wagyu (black hide Japanese beef) are flavor bombs — especially when dunked in the signature dipping sauce.

At this modern Brazilian restaurant from notable chef Junior Borges (Uchi, FT33) expect to be delighted — starting with the bread. Yes, bread. Pillowy clouds served with marbled butter, whipped ‘nduja, ricotta and green garlic relish, the starter sets the bar for your meal, which gets even more inventive. Just on the “snacks” part of the menu alone, there’s also a tapioca Brazilian cheese fritter and Beach Cheese on a Stick, the stuff of cheese dreams, while the sesame garlic pancake piques palates across the dining room. Larger plates riff into further greatness, from the wagyu picanha with an eggplant caponata to whole grilled octopus with more of that green garlic, plus a chile vinaigrette.

This popular TCU-area outpost from restaurateur-about-town Felipe Armenta showcases the cuisine of his San Angelo youth — with a decidedly upscale varnish. The menu is condensed list of Mexican cuisine favorites, from fajitas to carnitas to enchiladas. The latter, with fresh crab, features a trio of enchiladas blanketed with three separate sauces (spicy almond, poblano, and sour cream), and is a decadent display of refined perfection. On the “botanas” menu, make sure to order the short rib sopes and queso compuesto, and bring a friend or three to share/inhale it all.

Republic bills itself as a bar-centric restaurant, with food that has a Texas kick. No one may know how to do that better than chef Kent Rathbun (Jasper’s, Abacus), who shares oversight with chef Ray Skradzinski here, cookin’ up “culinary masterpieces” for lunch like the Truck Stop Burger (two 4-ounce patties with sharp white cheddar, caramelized onions, and garlic aioli), a chicken-fried steak rib eye, and — perfect for this month — an Oktoberfest Platter with housemade bratwurst, pork spare ribs, and apple-braised cabbage with German potato salad. Dinner gets a bit fancier, with steak frites and a “colossal” gulf shrimp and grits on standby, should you forget to eat your weight in potato cheddar pierogi or pepper jack tots.

This brand-new outpost of James Beard-nominated chef Omar Flores’ burgeoning Tex-Mex mini-empire is a welcome sight in Town Square. Queso (add chorizo, chopped brisket, or even grilled mushrooms with garlic) is darn-near compulsory, yet there are plenty of nachos, tostadas and combo plates to spark interest. 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 latest edition to Mule Alley’s multimillion-dollar overhaul of this tradition-rich neighborhood is Sarah Castillo’s newest location. The stylish space offers plenty of room to take in her array of tasty fast-casual tacos, from chipotle brisket to bourbon black bean, fish with chimichurri to beer-braised carnitas. Elotes and queso blanco (with Chihuahua cheese) make the margaritas go down easy. Or is it the other way around?