Everyone wants to know what the latest, hottest spot is in Dallas. But some hot places you can't find on Eater's heatmap or in a list of new restaurant openings. Some openings are so cool that you might never find them. Unfortunately for Marcello Andres Ceramics, we've blown up their spot on the incredible Kiln to Table dinner series the team hosts for an intimate group of ten-ish guests in the Cedars. From the outside, you'd never guess that this workshop hides a showroom of stunning dishes and hosts some of the most impressive chefs in Dallas, who, owner Marcello Ortega tells me, often ask to use it as a pop-up space when they come to look at his plates. My interview with Ortega includes information on how to sign up and get yourself into one, plus a little preview: the summer series kicks off with chefs from Emmer and Rye Hospitality restaurants in Austin and San Antonio. Meet me at the dinner on June 1, where chefs from Isidore (one of the very best meals I've had recently in San Antonio) will tell me they have developed a completely new menu of dishes to debut.
La Neta y Cocina, the restaurant in the Epic that has disappointed me personally more than once, is closed. It's one of many closures this month. Still, for me, it represents the end of a saga of talking to an out-of-town owner that started with its opening and ended with a disastrous second meal after the entire front-of-house staff was replaced and a new chef was brought in. The food was better then, but the service was so abhorrent that the entire row of women sitting at the bar with me started comparing notes. While I am not disappointed that place is gone, there are several long-running spots that I'm sad to see go, not the least of which is Hypnotic Donuts. It wasn't great anymore, as anyone in East Dallas who had been there recently probably knows, but it was an essential part of the fun doughnut culture in this city. That hypnotic sign will be missed.
Elsewhere, I have a Tom Cruise update for you. While the PR team handling this one failed to provide photos or information in a timely manner, I did find one interesting tidbit. The owner of Pecan Lodge created a one-off sausage just for Cruise, inspired by the character he plays in the Mission: Impossible movies, featuring Hatch chile and queso Oaxaca. It will become a permanent menu item, and I will try it because that sounds great. No word, however, on whether Cruise ate it or not. I hope so.
Finally, I've updated our seafood map with a few new hot spots (more on my visit to Hugo's coming later this week, but that's an excellent little place). I also share a report from my colleague at Eater Chicago about the closure of CosMc's, which McDonald's tried and failed to launch in Chi-town and DFW. Having tried a few drinks there myself, I can tell you that just doing something weird at Sonic is better.
Keep it real,
Courtney E. Smith
Editor for Eater's Texas Region
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74098207/Copy_of__Kiln_7056_Shine_Jan_2025_PC_Dan_Padgett.0.jpg "The arms and hands of people seated around a long table are visible, with lots of ceramic dishware on the table.")
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74103256/WTF_Mulato_Chili_Braised_Beef_Short_Ribs.0.jpg "A silver bowl with short ribs")
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74098545/2216196282.0.0.jpeg "Image of Tom Cruise with his hands up.")
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/56755947/Dive_Coastal_Cuisine.34.jpg "A banh mi sandwich with fried oysters is served in a dish with chips and a dipping sauce.")
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74103393/IMG_0594__1_.0.jpg "A photo of the CosMc's sign with the sun in the background.")
