One Art
Dallas
The cash cow at this two-sided occupant of One Arts Plaza is chef John Tesar’s Commissary, a bistro and burger bar. But his heart is at the chef’s table, in a glass-walled room designated One Art. Recently, the menu explored rustic ingredients in a great combo of handmade pappardelle, ricotta, sautéed chicken livers, and a poached duck egg. That dish’s polar opposite, a prim filet of cod (white) on a celery root–almond purée (white) under almond milk–honey foam (you guessed it), explored delicate textures and flavors in a smart but risky experiment that was too subtle for its own good. Still, Tesar’s masterful technique shone in a sybaritic gratin of lump crab with herbed hollandaise. Beer & wine. One Arts Plaza, 1722 Routh (469-600-4660). One Art seatings Tue–Sat at 6:30 & 8. Reservations required. $$$ W+
Private Social
Dallas
Yes, it’s another Big D opening, this one starring former Top Chef contestant Tiffany Derry. A beaded curtain separates the two “personalities” of the restaurant, the clamorous Social, with snackable small plates, and the almost equally cacophonous Private, with more-serious entrées. Derry’s theme is eclectic, her presentations dramatic. Most dishes play to the crowd, such as her aggressively battered fried chicken and braised, deboned oxtail with pillow-soft ricotta gnudi on the side. Oddly, desserts, like a clunky-crusted pear galette and a Sahara-dry chocolate cake, weren’t in the same league. Bar. 3232 McKinney Ave (214-754-4744). Lunch Mon–Sat 11–2. Dinner Mon–Wed 5–midnight, Thur–Sat 5–2 a.m. Closed Sun. Reservations recommended. $$$ W+
