DISHING DOWNTOWN

DoWNtoWN DELIGHT

Downtown Dallas has blossomed over the past decade with new restaurants, hotels, spas, and shops.

Retail follows rooftops, as the saying goes, and the fresh commerce reflects nearly three decades of work to revitalize an area that once sheltered only 300 residents.

Over 13,000 people now live in the dense urban area known as the Central Business District, and more than 80,000 reside within a two-mile radius.

Like other Dallasites, they like to eat out. Here, a look at fine dining venues downtown. — Holly Haber

MoNarch

With spectacular views of Dallas’s glittering skyline, Monarch is a contemporary Italian restaurant with an extravagant menu created by Danny Grant, one of only 20 chefs in the world to earn two Michelin stars.

The restaurant aerie has been a buzzy hit since it debuted in March 2021 inside the posh Thompson Dallas hotel at the National, which itself was a major feat.

The multi-use complex opened in late 2020 after a $450 million renovation of the architecturally significant but long vacant First National Bank Tower.

Monarch enforces a dress code — no flip-flops, tees, shorts, or sweats — to befit its velvety digs on the Thompson’s 49th floor. Dallasites like to put on the ritz, as it happens, so the people watching is great.

The idea is dine like a king, and gourmands might want to indulge in the $290 “Royale” tasting menu.

Other highlights are the giant prawn and king crab and cocktail, whole Maine lobster with house-made spaghetti, and black truffle risotto. Steaks and chops, including a Japanese Kagoshima filet and a 45-day dry-aged tomahawk, are roasted on a wood-fired grill.

The menu even offers live Alaskan king crab for a cool $1,000.

Monarch plates dinner nightly. Monarchrestaurants.com

BraSS raM

Dallas restaurateur Nick Badovinus seems to have the Midas touch, and this, his ninth venture, has little to do with rams and everything to do with cattle.

Opened in November, Brass Ram caters to Texans lust for beef — think prime rib served four ways and a Wagyu beef burger — and the warm, clubby vibe that’s back in vogue.

Many of the dishes are tweaked for distinction, like the iceberg, bacon, and red onion salad dressed with thousand island dressing and cheddar instead of traditional blue cheese.

Likewise, the bar offers multiple renditions of classic Manhattan, martini, and old fashioned cocktails.

It’s all served in a moodily lit interior festooned with retro collectibles and Marilyn Monroe portraits and lined with leather banquette booths. Brass Ram serves supper Tuesday through Saturday. Brassram.com

Ahit in its first location in the Design District until the pandemic shut it down, Sassetta reopened last year in the Joule hotel in the heart of downtown on Main St.

The eatery was originally Italian, and the new menu continues to feature handmade pasta, house-cured meats, and thin-crust pizzas.

Chef Jason Zygmont also diversified it with Mediterranean spices and ingredients from Spain, France, North Africa, and the Middle East.

The tuna carpaccio, for instance, is dressed with red chili relish, almond, and mint, and the chicken Milanese features harissa aioli and grilled wild leeks.

Sassetta serves both lunch and dinner. Sassetta-dallas.com

Dakota’S SteakhouSe

Established in 1984, Dakota’s Steakhouse is the granddaddy of downtown dining, a clubby venue for prime beef and seafood with a unique location below street level.

If you’re driving, leave your car with the valet at the towering granite-encased elevator that stands sentry on Akard Street, and ride 18 feet down to the dining room.

The restaurant had fallen victim to the pandemic in 2020, and Meredith McEneny bought it the following year and set about reviving it. She overhauled the kitchen and refreshed the dining room, retaining the dark wood paneling, New Orleans-inspired gas lamps, and white tablecloths.

Chef Ji King was tasked with updating and expanding the menu, which showcases nine types of prime steak. He added beef Wellington, lobster and king crab rigatoni and a host of side dishes, including roasted parsnip, charred broccolini, and Yukon potato puree.

Dakota’s is one of the few upscale restaurants serving lunch Monday through Friday as well as dinner every night except Sunday.

On a nice day, sip drinks in the courtyard framed by a granite water wall, tiered landscaping, and a lava rock fire pit. dakotasrestaurant.com

harper’S

Harper’s debuted in 2021 in the Epic development on the edge of Deep Ellum, billing itself as a globally-inspired steakhouse. Thus, the menu is diverse, listing Thai pork potstickers, spicy Spanish mussels, Korean fried cauliflower, and crab rangoon among the appetizers. The steak array ranges from an 8-oz. filet to a 32oz. prime tomahawk and a Japanese wagyu strip. There’s also a nice selection of shellfish and sashimistyle small plates as well as non-beef entrees like king salmon, chicken piccata, and diver scallops. Harper’s presents dinner daily and brunch on weekends. harpers-steakhouse.com