13 April 2 - 8, 2026 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents per person before taxes and gratuity. Do this. Absolutely worth it. Sachet 4270 Oak Lawn Ave., Uptown Rejoice in the lunch menu at Sachet. Aside from its 2025 Michelin recognition, this restaurant has been a finalist for its out- standing wine program, so a glass, which starts at $12, should be factored into your meal. For lunch, Sachet offers several items where variety meets value, like the sand- wiches, which start at $16.50 (the por- chetta-spiced pork is $19.75 and is worth every penny) and include a side of cucum- ber salad or fries. Smoke’N Ash BBQ 5904 S Cooper St., Arlington Smoke’N Ash may have the Michelin Guide and a visit from Guy Fieri under its belt, but it’s still one of the most affordable recognized restaurants in Dallas. Every week, it has specials. On Wednesdays, it offers a pulled-pork sandwich and a side for $11.99 or a wings plate for $12.99 that includes your choice of fries, rice pilaf, and flavor of wings. Thursdays have a chopped beef sandwich and a side for $12.99, and Friday through Sunday offer fried catfish with one side for $15.99 or fried pork short ribs and a side for $12.99. If you’re willing to spend a little more money, the Tex-Ethiopian jumbo platter for four features all the joints’ highlights and costs $69.99 (about $17 per person be- fore tax and tip). Birrieria y Taqueria Cortez 2108 E. Rosedale St., Fort Worth This small family spot in Fort Worth might offer the best deal in North Texas when it comes to Michelin. You can order the entire menu for about 50 bucks, which includes the namesake tacos de birria, quesatacos, quesadillas and tortas. Panther City BBQ 201 E. Hattie St., Fort Worth Barbecue is expensive, but you already know that. Still, there are always hacks. This spot peddles Central Texas-style bar- becue with a Tex-Mex bent, so go for bris- ket tacos, four for $15, or Flacos Tacos, three for $12. But the real inflation buster is the $20 Southside Slammer: a sandwich with brisket, pulled pork, jalapeño cheese sausage, smoked bologna and many fix- ings. Why even bother looking at anything else? Alison McLean Chicken-fried quail at Quarter Acre ▼ KNOX-HENDERSON BITES HUDDLE UP JASON GARRETT’S NEW RESTAURANT IS THE HOTTEST SEAT IN TOWN. BY LAUREN DREWES DANIELS H ave you been to the Knox-Hender- son neighborhood lately? If not, we need to let you know it’s evolved be- yond its Cafe Madrid and Chuy’s roots. The former has fought hard to maintain its leg- acy; the latter looks like it’s about to be bull- dozed, probably to make way for more avocado toast (actually, it’s a 280,000-square-foot mixed-use space, but I’ll put money down that there will be avo- cado toast somewhere). This bustling neighborhood, full of high- end retail spots and restaurants, sits adja- cent to the Katy Trail. It’s a bouffant spectacle. Pedestrians dodge buffed G-Wag- ons with expensive dogs hanging out of the passenger-side window. Joggers wearing weighted vests puff past patios full of Aperol spritzes. It’s a whole thing. And there’s avo- cado toast. We previously wrote about how Cafe Madrid is hanging on for dear life — or more specifically, standing its ground — while a massive new development punches sky- ward. Now there’s a new local kid taking up the corner across from the tapas spot: Caffe Lucca, a partnership between Jason Garrett and local restaurateur Julian Barsotti. Here’s what to know. What’s Good Here? The menu is mostly Sicilian and Mediterra- nean fare. Busiate is the menu’s narrative arc; the handmade pasta, which is part of the fusilli family, is formed on a thin brass rod. There are four options for the dish: pomo- dori, garlic and liquified Cantabrian ancho- vies, pesto and a Berkshire pork ragu. There are also a few North African touches (muhammara and spicy Moroccan lamb) and even a touch of Tex-Mex heat in fish preparations; a chile in escabeche and a tomatillo-jalapeno-serrano salmoriglio. The arancini section stands out. There’s a traditional saffron risotto ball and a Sicilian- American version with crispy spaghettini. The Fiori di Zucca are ricotta-stuffed squash blossoms. Ooof. The $28 umami burger is made with house-ground Wagyu, Vacche Rosse — a cheese sourced from a specific breed of red cows in Italy — and premium caciocavallo di bufala. It’s finished with chiles in escabeche and a balsamic aioli. Is This Another Celeb Hype Place? Caffe Lucca has street cred. As mentioned, Garrett partnered with longtime Dallas restaurateur Barsotti for this project. Barositti has a string of other restaurants in Dallas, including the Michelin-recom- mended Barsotti’s and Bib Gourmand- annointed Nonna’s. Barsotti also owns the Tex-Mex spot Odelay; the more casual Italian spot Fachini; pizza and jazz lounge Bacari Tabu; and the SMU sports bar, Goodbye Horses. Barsotti’s experience and Garrett’s drive could make for something special here, but who knows when we’ll see about that because this place is booked. Finding a Seat Since opening reservations last week, curi- ous diners have snatched up most of the spots at the not-so-large restaurant. At the time of writing, only April is open for book- ings, and the only open tables are a few times in the last week of the month. Set an alert on Resy for May if you want to see what the fuss is about. Will Garrett Sign Your 1993 Topps Rookie Card? Maybe. The former Dallas Cowboys quar- terback and head coach has had a regular presence at previews and early dinners. We haven’t seen anything about a photo policy, so we say, “Shoot your shot.” We feel like the odds are better outside of football season, as he might be distracted with his side gig as a studio analyst for NBC Sports. Just Four Hours I always find it fascinating when a restau- rant is open for limited hours. It seems like a business would be squeezing every drop of sweet juice out of that lemon. For now, Caffe Lucca is only open four hours a day, from 5 to 9 p.m., seven days a week. Caffe Lucca, 4445 Travis St., Monday - Sunday 5 to 9 p.m. Lauren Drewes Daniels Caffe Lucca is now open in Dallas’ Knox-Henderson neighborhood.
