The January Hit List: Fond, Emilia’s, Culpepper Cattle Company, and More

We can’t overstate how fond we are of Fond by Jennie Kelly, previous leader of the supper club Frank, and Brandon Moore, former executive chef at Ocean Prime. They joined forces (and in matrimony) with pop-ups during the pandemic, and now their first brick-and-mortar is replete with meatballs, deep-dish pizzas, and sandwiches on housemade sourdough — all of which are sublimely capped off by the natural-leaning wine list. Kelly and Moore have recently sweetened the pot even more with Fond A.D. (after dark), a six-course tasting menu with wine pairings inspired by their travels.

A couple of pro tips here: First, bring the ticket from Santander Tower’s parking garage for free validation and forego the $17 fee. Second, don’t neglect to bag a bottle from the mini bottle shop when in for lunch or aperitivo hour. All bottles are 25% off with a food purchase.

Oysters, chilled crudo plates, fish and chips, and lobster rolls are hard to turn down, especially in a classy-casual setting, even more so when Greg and Nik Katz are involved. Dishing up fare from the brothers’ beachside upbringing in Cape Town, South Africa, Green Point is the Katz brothers’ third Oak Lawn restaurant after Beverley’s Bistro & Bar and Clifton Club. They’re helping to fill Dallas’ seafood dearth — and with cocktails that are on point, too, like the Flock of Seagulls, with vodka, grapefruit soda, and the mezcal-based Guava Mama.

After a brief dinner-only opening period, Green Point is now fully open for lunch and dinner every day of the week, making it a perfect stop-off when strolling Knox Street.

For soul food served cafeteria-style, with gravy-smothered pork chops and slices of meat loaf that are bigger — and almost as valuable — as a gold bar, there’s no place like Sweet Georgia Brown, opened around 30 years ago in South Dallas. The restaurant serving turkey wings, hot links, beef tips, and a litany of vegetables has always fallen under IYKYK (If you know, you know) status, but what is even less known is owner Walt Williams’ story.

After playing in the NFL in the ’70s and ’80s, and losing an estimated $480 million in a real estate development company when the market crashed, Williams took up hope by going back to one of his original loves: cooking. The to-go boxes spilling over with gravy and sauces (don’t skip the last bagging station) bring out a similar optimism for life.

Find more info here.

Legends never die if Elias Pope is involved. After growing up in Heath and taking his wife to Culpepper Steakhouse for prom dinner 25 years ago, Pope couldn’t bear to see his childhood steakhouse close. So for the first time, UNCO (creators of HG Sply Co. and Standard Service, among others) restored a concept rather than developing a new one.

Not too much has changed at the “new” Culpepper Cattle Company, aside from Tex-Mex dishes, more Tequila, and a refreshed paint job. Old-timers can still order a Rockwall Riviera (a very strong hurricane) at one of the four bars, including the “Beatle Bar,” said to have originated from a Beatles’ hangout in Liverpool. The East Texas provisions — which include USDA prime steaks, chicken-fried lobster, and classic Texas home cooking — are all blue-ribbon excellent.

Emilia’s at The Crescent Hotel currently houses one of the most happening bars in Fort Worth. Named for the first colony of artists to transform Texas art in the 1940s, the Circle Bar is a fine place to hydrate before heading into Emilia’s high-toned dining room for raw bar selections, wood-grilled steaks, and fresh pastas prepared with Texas grains. Executive chef Preston Paine’s affinity for Adriatic cuisine was bolstered by his time as a finalist on Food Network’s “Ciao House,” and at Emilia’s, he’s combining it with his love of Texas.

Located in the Cultural District, right across the street from some of the finest museums in the country, Emilia’s is ideal for a pre- or post-art day repast. Look for reservations in the ultra-posh dining room, the Blue Room, when it opens early this year.

Reservations aren’t required at Brandon and Henry Cohanim’s new cocktail bar in West Village, next to Namo, but sitting down to a “reserved” table at one of the velvet butterscotch banquettes is a surefire way to impress a hot date. No boring, throwaway garnishes will be found on the drinks here. Instead, the Cohanim brothers opted for ice and artisan-made, imported glasses as the eye candy for cocktails at Bar Colette. The drinks scientist hired to concoct elixirs like the Eau de Ranch —  with coconut-washed Tequila — and the Muffin Man with miso butter and Calvados, is Ruben Rolon, who previously led the bars of two top restaurants in Miami. Snacks rounding out the chi-chi tone include popcorn, steak tartare, and waffles and caviar, but you can also fill up with dry-aged duck breast and steak au poivre.

There are a few ways to experience the output at Zavala’s Barbecue, one of Texas’ finest barbecue joints. Zavala’s spice rubs are now in many grocery stores (Central Market and Texas Walmarts), and their ‘cue is also sold in Section 121 at Dallas Mavericks’ and Dallas Stars’ home games. But when you’re not at those places and just want a solid plate of spicy South Texas barbecue, head to Brisket Lane in Grand Prairie. Here is the only place you’ll find cheesy jalapeño hominy, sloppy Juans on tortillas, and pizza pepper sausage links that are very picante. They’ve also recently added an uncommonly sweet deal, especially with the increase in meat prices: A two-meat, two-side plate with a can of Coke for $25.

Find more info here.

Laid-back, high-grade comfort food and drinks await inside this nondescript storefront with a jewel-box dining room and heated patio. McRae’s comes from Mike McRae, owner of multiple Dallas-area concepts, including Stan’s Blue Note, the oldest continuously-running bar in Dallas. With five decades of hospitality experience under his belt, McRae knows how to run a successful restaurant and attract the best staff. Diners will be cozy and well-treated tucking into cocktails, Reuben fries, muffulettas, and bone-in pork chops; or for brunch, the Bloody Mary bar, croque madames, and eggs in purgatory.

Pro tip: The enclosed patio with a humidor is available to cigar smokers after the kitchen closes (9 p.m. on weekdays and 10 p.m. on weekends). BYOCigars or purchase one of three kinds from the bar.

Not even a year old, Renny’s is an instantly well-known favorite among North Dallasites. That’s because it’s from Mark Maguire, creator of long-running Maguire’s Grille, which was moved to Addison and renamed as Maguire’s Bistro a couple of years ago. At Renny’s, find hearty Southwestern-influenced fare (no small plates here!), and a speakeasy called, The Stache, which Maguire unveiled last fall. Named for Maguire’s father’s vigorous mustache, the Stache is manned by beverage director Samuel Peters, the mind behind drinks like the East of Eden with raspberry- and rose-infused gin and Chambord, and the Goodbye Sadness, a peanut butter-washed cachaça concoction.

The Stache is reserved for partners and friends of the restaurant on most days of the week, but reservations are open to the public on Wednesday and Thursday evenings.

Noodle fanatics — and who isn’t one?! — will be bowled over by Highland’s springy, hand-pulled wheat noodles from China’s Lanzhou region. The noodles are cut to your thickness preference, easily indicated when placing the order on your phone, and come dry in stir-fries, or in soups with meatballs, pork ribs, or slices of spiced beef. The signature way to eat them, however, at Chelsea Zhang’s first Texas restaurant, is in the beef noodle soup, with slow-cooked beef cubes, cilantro, scallions, and leeks. Zhang brought the noodles of her birthplace to Texas after realizing the Bay Area was saturated, and she has plans to spread the love to Austin and Houston soon.

Find more info here.