1. Chef Stephan Pyles offers his take on modern Texas cuisine at Stampede 66, which opened in November and serves refined takes on Texas classics such as sous vide honey-fried chicken. Decor includes stone columns, cowhide furniture, and a plasma screen that broadcasts chefs in the kitchen. A private dining room seats 36.
2. The Dallas branch of Eddie V’s Prime Seafood, a Texas chain, added three new private dining rooms in 2012. Lined with exposed brick, the three rooms seat 25, 30, and 50. The menu includes a raw bar and items like parmesan-crusted North Atlantic lemon sole.
3. Charlie Palmer at the Joule, named for the hotel in which it is located, is an expansion of the 1920s-era Dallas National Bank building, featuring limestone flooring and spinning turbines within covered ceiling lights. A private dining room seats 10. The eatery serves a classic steak house menu alongside modern dishes like bone marrow flan.
4. Open at the Hilton Dallas Park Cities hotel since October, Grain has a “cowboy chic” design including distressed hardwood floors, vaulted ceilings, antler accents, and Western wall art. The Texas menu offers items like a brisket burger topped with caramelized bourbon onions. A private dining room seats 12.
5. Chef Matt McCallister’s 80-seat FT33 opened in the design district in October. An industrial aesthetic is anchored by a 140-pound anvil sculpture and a barn-wood-supported marble bar. The menu presents seasonal options like charred octopus with braised bitter greens, cashew miso, and bacon. The restaurant is available for buyouts.
6. Ser Steak & Spirits opened in October on the 27th floor of the Hilton Anatole hotel. The sleek design includes high-back leather chairs, iPad wine menus, floor-to-ceiling windows, and a wood-lined bar backed by stone. The steak-centric menu leads with house-aged Wagyu beef. There are four private dining rooms, as well as a boardroom.
7. In August, the Front Room, a Park Cities Diner opened in Hotel Lumen, adjacent to Southern Methodist University. The restaurant has limestone walls, stainless-steel pillars, and oversize windows. Chef Scott Townend serves a menu of pulled-pork tacos, burgers, and sandwiches. The 60-seat dining room is available for buyouts.
8. Seafood restaurant Driftwood opened in Oak Cliff in April, serving an array of dishes including Maine lobster rolls and crispy seared Alaskan halibut cheeks. Two 8-foot driftwood wall sculptures are perched above booths in the main dining room, which seats 50 and is available for buyouts.
