Dallas' 15 Most Anticipated Fall Openings

Fall is (sort of) in the air, and with the changing of the seasons comes a slew of new restaurant openings. The coming weeks and months will see new projects from superstar chefs Stephan Pyles and John Tesar, a near-complete overhaul of One Arts Plaza, and makeovers of not one but four hotel restaurants.

Here, in no particular order, are the new restaurants slated to open in the coming months:

1. Spoon Bar & Kitchen
Location: Preston Center
Description: Finally, after no shortage of drama, John Tesar's highly anticipated new restaurant is expected to open in Preston Center sometime this fall. The menu will focus on sustainable seafood and there are plans for a raw bar, a private wine room, and an open kitchen with counter seating.
Opening Date: October

2. The Front Room: A Park Cities Diner
Location: Hotel Lumen (University Park)
Description: The new hotel restaurant will feature a modern American menu with an espresso bar and handcrafted cocktails, "retro-chic" decor and covered courtyard seating. Tim McEneny and Doug Brown (the team behind Dish) have appointed Scott Townend (formerly of Craft Dallas) as executive chef.
Opening Date: August

3. Charlie Palmer Steak
Location: The Joule
Description: Charlie Palmer is expected to close at the end of this month and reopen three weeks later as Charlie Palmer Steak. Winn Meat Company will provide the meat and the dry-aging, and the steaks will be broiled at an insanely hot 1400 degrees. Oh, and "there will be no foam".
Opening Date: September

4. Max's Wine Dive
Location: West Village
Description: Coming to the West Village space vacated by Borders bookstore back in April, Max's is a "chef-driven" restaurant and bar that will feature gourmet comfort food like Kobe burgers and fried chicken in an "unpretentious" atmosphere; it will also offer retail wine sales. Max's has existing locations in Austin, Houston, and San Antonio.
Opening Date: September

5. Pop Diner
Location: West Village
Description: A new 24-hour diner is planned for the space next door to Max's; no word yet on when that project will open.
Opening Date: Unknown

6. Meze
Location: One Arts Plaza
Description: From the ashes of John Tesar's failed One Arts Plaza burger joint The Commissary will rise a new Greek concept from the owners of Ziziki's.
Opening Date: Mid-September

7. Ocho Kitchen + Cocktails
Location: Preston Center
Description: A new venture from Brian Black of Mi Piaci and Chef Eric DiStefano of Santa Fe's Coyote Cafe, Ocho will offer Santa-Fe style Tex-Mex and a two-story tequila bar.
Opening Date: Mid-September

8. Se?r
Location: Hilton Anatole
Description: The 27th floor of the Hilton Anatole formerly occupied by haute cuisine temple Nana will now house a high-end steakhouse. Much ado has been made about the silly name.
Opening Date: October 1

9. FT33
Location: Design District
Description: The much-anticipated new project from Matt McCallister will open in the Design District sometime in October. Brady Williams has departed the Spillers Group (Oddfellows, Eno's, Union Bear) to come on board as sous chef, while Ryan Tedders from Grace in Fort Worth will act as general manager. According to a press release, the restaurant will have an "industrial design aesthetic" and the menu will feature items such as "Short Stack of Uni and Chive Pancakes with bonito aioli and yuzu kosho" and "Pork Jowl with parsnip, black truffle, parsley, and mango", in addition to a selection of bar snacks such as wild boar sloppy joes.
Opening Date: October

10. Cook Hall
Location: W Hotel
Description: A casual gastropub from NYC-based Culinary Concepts featuring craft cocktails and "shareable small plates", it will replace Tom Colicchio's ill-fated Craft (which is scheduled to close September 15). Belinda Chang of New York's Monkey Bar and The Modern will oversee the beverage program.
Opening Date: November 7

11. Bread Winners
Location: Northpark Center
Description: A third location of the favorite brunch destination will replace Alberto Lombardi's Cibus (which closed in July) on the mall's first level.
Opening Date: Mid-September

12. Cafe Des Artistes
Location: One Arts Plaza
Description: Alberto Lombardi's new French-Californian brasserie at One Arts Plaza will replace Screen Door, which shuttered last month.
Opening Date: October

13. Stampede 66
Location: Uptown
Description: Stephan Pyles' long-awaited new restaurant at mixed-residential development Park 17 will feature modern takes on traditional Texan cuisine (think chili, stews, chicken and dumplings, chicharrones, fried chicken) with a focus on Gulf seafood and Texas-sourced products.
Opening Date: October

14. Peavy Road
Location: East Dallas
Description: Marc Cassel (formerly of the Green Room and Park) will open a global seafood shack in the same East Dallas shopping center as Good2Go and Goodfriend. No opening date has been announced yet, but the build-out is currently in progress.
Opening Date: Unknown

15. Shark Bar
Location: The Shops at Willow Bend (Plano)
Description: A 13,000 square foot new nightlife concept that will feature bottle service, a waterfall, and a 750-gallon aquarium.
Projected Opening Date: August 24

— Whitney Filloon