The May Hit List: Cry Wolf, Krio, The Mexican, and More

Dining at chef Ross Demers’ unpretentious storefront in East Dallas feels like hanging out in a scene from That ‘70s Show. At the same time, it’s where some of Dallas’ most upscale and inventive dishes are being served from a constantly changing menu.

When the staff returns from a late spring break on May 9, expect to be wowed and entertained as per norm by the retro playlist and whatever Demers decides to put on the wood-fired grill. Pastry chef Diana Zamora plans to go full throttle with cookies, like a huitlacoche thumbprint cookie with huitlacoche caramel, roasted peanuts, and smoked sea salt. Cry Wolf’s characteristic boundary-pushing ingredients will also appear in the form of her duck fat sugar cookie with duck fat-salted buttercream frosting and whiskey-macerated strawberries.

Opened in March 2020 by New Delhi-born brothers Vipul Jain and Abhishek Jain, Delhi6 is turning the posh suburb of Highland Village onto North Indian food. Unlike many Indian restaurants, Delhi6 offers a selection of single malt and blended scotches from Scotland and India, along with a playful cocktail list that includes a chai-tini with Sumrus chai cream liqueur and a “naughty” mango lassi with mango rum cream.

The Jains purposely tone down the spice for the Sunday buffet in order to initiate milder palates and children to the flavors of Indian dishes like palak paneer, samosas, and tandoori wings cooked in a real tandoor (clay) oven. Every other day of the week, dishes from the a la carte menu are cooked to order and can reach atomical South Indian levels of heat, if desired.

More info here.

Due to open the first week of May, Dreamboat Donuts & Scoops will bring vegan apple fritters, croissants, sundaes, and donut ice cream sandwiches to Fort Worth’s buzzy Southside district. The grab-n-go shop is helmed by executive chef Parker Howard, who was a mainstay at the beloved and bygone Spiral Diner. In addition to soft serve and rotating ice cream flavors, Howard plans to feature his vegan, yeast-raised, gluten-free donuts, a rare treat for those with restrictions.

Featuring pink Formica countertops and white tile floors with multi-colored sprinkles, the decor by Kara Keith is as whimsical as the menu. Dreamboat will mark the first opening at the mixed-use development, PS1200, where vegan tasting menu concept, Maiden: Fine Plants & Spirits, also from the former Spiral Diner team, is projected to open soon.

More info here.

For a taste of Asian Cajun, arguably one of Texas’ most exciting homegrown cuisines, snag a table at Kriō in Bishop Arts. Decorated in inviting, soothing pastels, this approachable eatery from owner Connie Cheng is serving food that’s bright and slightly spicy— and swimming in garlic and butter.

In addition to having one of the city’s more exciting brunches, there’s also a variety of boiled seafood that can be seasoned with C’Asian dry rub; “Connie Sauce” with green onion and coconut milk; or an all-encompassing “One Love” option with all of the above and a dose of Krio’s garlic bomb spice blend. A creamy, not-too-sweet conclusion that’s sure to delight is the lavender-hued taro mud pie with a sprinkling of purple taro sugar. Oh, and did we mention beignets?

It’s hard not to become distracted by pretty people and high-end art while walking through the mansion-like Design District restaurant, The Mexican. With a cigar lounge and three elegantly-appointed private dining rooms, it feels like being invited to a party at a wealthy magnate’s home in Mexico. That’s not coincidence: The restaurant is investor Roberto Gonzaléz Alcalá’s way of placing Northern Mexican food in Dallas’ high-end fine dining leagues.

The Mexican is the place for margaritas that range in price from a $16 frozen with a grand mariner topper to a $250 “Pancho Villa” with citrus gold salt and top-shelf Clase Azul Ultra Añejo tequila. To sip Mexican spirits straight up, ask Tequila sommelier Leonardo Alejandro Vargas for a suggestion from the 150 tequilas and mezcals available. Main courses are meaty and mesquite-y, and flashy desserts with pyrotechnic candles are quite literally served with flare.

As Dallas and Fort Worth boom with glitzy new Italian restaurants, Denton is quickly becoming the home base for casual, solid, down-home Italian. Picone, which opened in January by chef Tony Neglia, is the newest example.

The Italian American menu features hearty, grill-heavy dishes, like a prodigious, crunchy, and cheesy chicken Parmesan with Neglia’s mother’s Sunday sauce. The burnt carrots with Calabrian chile hot honey and house made lemon ricotta will change your relationship with carrots forever. But what’s drawing visitors are sandwiches like a brisket chopped cheese or a spicy buttermilk hot chicken with mashed potatoes and Dr. Pepper pickles. Smashbugers get creative treatment too, like a recent special that wedged a creamy polenta cake between thin, cheesy patties on buns decorated with the sweet Sunday sauce and pesto aioli.

Best way to check the latest is on Instagram.

Always a favorite among ladies who lunch, The Porch reopened in March with new menu items like a poke bowl, a giant pretzel, and a double-decker “standard burger” on airy buttered brioche. But don’t fret: they’ve kept old standards like the beef Stroganoff and buttermilk fried chicken salad.

Dallas-famous bartender Gabe Sanchez revamped the cocktail menu, adding spiked iced teas with Jamaican rum, or hibiscus-infused Tequila and grapefruit cordial. Necessary for any restaurant desiring to be on trend, there are mocktails. And for those looking for something in-between, check the low-proof options on the “All the Fun Without the Hangover” section.

Regulars will discover olive green booths in place of the old red, along with new, comfy circular booths in the bar. The awning on the people-watching porch now rolls away for nice weather, and to further accommodate outdoorsy guests, they’ve installed a new, shady beer garden, complete with a swing and a cornhole set.

Since the pandemic jilted restaurants and upended all previous operation standards, there’s been a dearth of places to visit for lunch, even in office-concentrated places like downtown. This makes Sassetta’s new lunch menu that launched in April an exciting return to “normal.”

The debonair dining room next to the Joule will now serve salads, pizzas, and fresh pastas for a midday break. Perhaps you’ll want a $5 glass of rosé with a shrimp panzanella salad. Or maybe it’s Friday, and your table will be in need of a half-priced bottle of wine for enjoying alongside duck bolognese cavatelli with soffritto and black truffle shavings, or the slightly spicy, steaming lobster spaghetti topped with pistachios. And the real pro tip: Their Lunch Pronto! comes with a half salad and a pizza or a pasta for $25.

Portland, Oregon’s quickly acclaimed Kann has made a stand for Haitian as the next great American cuisine, and if you want a local taste, make a point to find Sophia’s Haitian Cuisine, a food truck that circulates around Dallas’ northern suburbs.

After moving from Haiti to New Jersey to Celina, owners Kavin and Sophia Adisson started serving pâtés and award-winning hot dogs topped with pikliz, a tangy Haitian slaw, in 2020. A scoop of pikliz also tops the newly added loaded plantains with pork chunks or chicken, and Kavin says fans are asking for more rasta pasta (pasta salad) and macaroni gratiné. Coming soon are beignets.

Sophia’s can regularly be found at Celina’s Friday Night Markets in the city square, which this month occurs on May 5. Bring mom out for on-tap beers and Haitian food on Mothers Day weekend, and say hi to the Adissons, who love to talk about Haiti. They’ll be at What’s on Tap in Highland Village on May 13 and Rollertown Beerworks in Celina on May 14.

Follow Sophia’s on Instagram for more dates and times.

Before Weinberger’s Deli moved from Chicago to Grapevine in 2002, Dan Weinberger’s father, a butcher, founded his first concept with a store called Chicken Parts in 1952. He discovered sandwiches were the key to success, and his deli-sandwich shop blossomed into what is now one of the most crowded places on Grapevine’s historic Main Street.

With 120 possible sandwiches, it’s difficult to choose one — and hence a justification for many return trips. The categories are manifest: deli, beef, cheesesteaks, subs, Cubanos, turkey and chicken, sausages, a “super” column, pork and ham, “crazy ass,” veggie, gyro, and meatloaf— each with about six options. That’s not counting the specials board, where maybe there’s a cowboy pot roast sandwich with smoked gouda, or a “dragon’s breath” with hot ham, shaved pork, avocado, serrano salsa and provolone. Get the picture? Pro tip: to avoid the line, order ahead from the deli’s website.