14 March 12 - 18, 2026 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents Rainbowcat 4800 Bryan St., East Dallas Forbes called Rainbowcat’s creator Misti Norris a world-class chef. After closing Pe- tra and the Beast, Norris took over the Saint Valentine kitchen to create experimental dishes with nostalgic comfort flavors and creative mashups. Forbes’ favorites include a bowl of cereal with her version of Cinna- mon Toast Crunch, whipped milk and sour apple salted caramel, and the porchetta “McMuffin” that stuffs house-made English muffins with kasu-cured porchetta, hot sauce, braised greens, fried egg and pickled radish. We particularly love the chicken nuggets. Mamani 2681 Howell St., Uptown We all know the story by now. Mamani and its record-breaking Michelin star acquisi- tion continue to prove it’s not just a pretty face. Chef Christophe De Lellis menu takes inspiration from French and Italian cuisine, with subtle nods to Persian cooking. The veal tonnato, signature whole duck “the Ma- mani way” and exquisite wine list were of note to Forbes. There was quite the stir when Mamani nabbed a star just 50-ish days after opening. But the proof is in the duck, and we are lucky to have gotten a restaurant that raised the bar for fine dining in Dallas. Sushi Kozy 2000 Ross Ave., The Arts District An omakase-exhausted city was surprised when Sushi Kozy came onto the scene. This restaurant is from Korean-born chef Paul Ko, who came from Uchi. Forbes called Ko’s approach to omakase “a good reminder that you can be very earnest about your craft, but you don’t have to be solemn about it.” A few months back, reservations were booked out for months after its Michelin nod, but there seem to be plenty of spots now for the curi- ous diner. Act fast. Texas Monthly also praised another North Texas restaurant, one not exactly in the Dallas area, but not that far away. BonFire 136 Clarksville St., Paris The bigger cities in Texas attract heavy-hit- ting restaurants, but there are many gems in unassuming corners of the state. But first, we can start with the most obvious: a French restaurant in Paris, Texas. In a town of only 25,000, BonFire thrives as a celebration of French technique with regional Texas flavor. Forbes claims the whole Gulf red snapper here puts the star in Lone Star. ▼ Q&A STAR-MAKER CHEF REILLY BROWN RECENTLY MOVED TO PARK CITIES’ RESTAURANT FRENCHIE, WHERE HE’S PUTTING HIS MICHELIN TOUCH ON THE DINNER MENU. BY LAUREN DREWES DANIELS D allas needs to get to know Reilly Brown. The chef has an impressive resume and has recently taken a step toward curating his own style and personal- ity at the Park Cities’ restaurant Frenchie. A Bit of Background The Michigander and Culinary Institute of America grad spent five years at the Mi- chelin one-star PRESS Restaurant in St. Helena in the Napa Valley before moving to Dallas to work with the team at Georgie, where he played a role, alongside chef RJ Yoakum, in earning a Michelin Guide rec- ommendation in 2024 and 2025. Recently, he moved to another Travis Street Hospital- ity concept, Frenchie, where he is the new executive chef. (Chef Bruno Davaillon has taken the helm at Georgie.) Moving Forward in Dallas Frenchie is a more casual restaurant than Georgie; the theme here is approachable French comfort food. Lunch at Frenchie is a light, fun affair: country pate, Nicoise salad, steak frites and quiche Lorraine. Reilly is re- vamping the dinner menu, emphasizing clean flavors, classic French technique and seasonal ingredients. A sampling of the menu includes a grape- fruit Hiramasa over a silky citrus emulsion, dotted with finger limes that pop, giving the dish a surprising burst (you’ll find yourself searching for them on the plate). A Winter Castelfranco has duck confit, candied wal- nuts, pickled pear, blue cheese, fresh herbs, shallot vinaigrette and shaved Brussels sprouts. Other plates include a whole bran- zino, pork chop and braised wagyu short rib. The burger au poivre comes with Gruyere cheese, black peppercorn aioli and is likely amazing. We recently talked to chef Brown to get to know him a little better. Here’s our chef Q&A: It’s midnight, and you’re starving. Where are you going? Ideally, I’m not awake at this time, but if there’s nothing appetizing at the house, then Saint Valentine would be a great option. What’s one food trend that needs to retire im- mediately? Aesthetic. First restaurants where the concept outpaces the cooking. Dallas has too much cu- linary talent for food to be an afterthought. Pick one: Michelin Guide or Luka back? This is a very tough question. Can I just opt for both? If you’re on a date and you want to really get to know the person’s true character — and if the relationship has real potential — where are you taking them? Weirdly, I met my now fianceé when she came in to dinner at the restaurant. I think she was able to find out a lot about me in that mo- ment. I got to know her at Barcelona Wine Bar for our first date. Who is a Dallas maker (farmer, pastry chef, bar- keep) you wish more people knew about? Dyan Ng, she’s an amazing baker and pastry chef. She’s the executive pastry chef for Travis Street Hospitality. She’s one of the most hum- ble chefs I’ve met. What are some of your favorite restaurants in Dallas right now? Meridian, Georgie, Loro, Quarter Acre, Mot Hai Ba. What’s the worst thing that’s ever happened in your kitchen that you can speak of? There are countless situations. One that I can speak of — a more PG situation — hap- pened in California. I started a confit on dry- aged Flannery rib-eyes in beef fat. I did this in a Rational oven on a steam setting. It was supposed to be at 55 degrees Celsius, but somehow during the cook time the knob got bumped up to 100 C (boiling). The timer went off, and when I removed the steaks from the oven, they were completely boiled. It was about $4,000 worth of beef that was ruined. What’s the most under-appreciated position/ job in a restaurant? The porter team for sure. They are the back- bone of the whole operation. I emphasize with my team all the time that it’s a “dish station,” not a “dish pit.” If you call it a pit, you will treat it like one, too. What menu embellishment makes you crazy? Overdescribing dishes to the point where it reads like a novel. I think it’s nice to be slightly vague, it makes it more exciting. What is something that, if you see on a menu, you’re ordering immediately? Any type of chicken wing dish! Talk about a fun product that I think isn’t used enough. What’s the toughest challenge facing the res- taurant industry right now? Definitely rising costs across the board. Prod- uct costs are going up, general cost of living is going up therefore labor costs are going up. Finding a way to balance all this with menu pricing so that everyone from the employee to the guest is happy can be difficult. What has having the Michelin Guide in Texas done for Dallas dining? The Michelin Guide coming to Dallas has done a few things. It’s definitely bringing talent from elsewhere to the city, which I think is great. It also has the ability to edu- cate diners on restaurants they may not have otherwise visited or even known about. I think the guide also challenges peo- ple to think about what they view as a “great restaurant.” Lauren Drewes Daniels This inspired bowl of chicken nuggets from Rainbowcat makes us question everything. Lauren Drewes Daniels Chef Reilly Brown has taken the helm at Frenchie. City of Ate from p13
