14 April 16 - 22, 2026 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents Wednesday night, with a couple of parties waiting to be seated. I checked for reserva- tions earlier in the evening and saw that several bar seats were open, so despite this being a hot spot after its relatively recent opening, I opted to go in cold. This seemed to stump one of the hosts, who simply shrugged as she told me the bar was full. Another host swooped in quickly to give me a much fuller update on the seating situ- ation and an estimate of how long the wait would be. It gave me a chance to watch the dichotomy of how these two worked, one running around the room, assisting the staff, juggling reservations — all while the other stood unmoving behind the computer, fro- zen. The Cocktails The bar staff was happily more engaging and informative, working in lockstep to- gether to tell the story of the menu, proffer- ing drinks and avidly checking on guests. I started with a White Lotus ($16), a refresh- ing gin cocktail with hints of laurel leaves. In Sicily, it’s typically served as a digestive after meals rather than as a cocktail mix, but it works beautifully in either situation. Insalate I started with a Sicilian Caesar salad ($18), made Italian by virtue of its inclusion of Co- latura di alici, an ancient fish sauce from the Amalfi Coast, which is mixed with tahini. This type of salad is often mistaken for Ital- ian, but it was created in Tijuana, Mexico — safe to assume it’s on the menu to satisfy the expectations of Highland Park diners who flock to the Knox Street district. From the Fried Section Along with that, I tried a dish from what was described to me as the “fried” section of the menu: seasonal fiori di zucca (fried squash blossoms with ricotta) for $22. Whatever fryer they bought is paying for itself by turn- ing out perfectly browned crusts, but there seems to be an issue with the actual vegeta- ble. It’s squished into one end of the fried stick, giving a big bite of squash blossom, fol- lowed by three bites of cheese stick. Not that I’ve ever had a problem with fried cheese, simply that the frying technique for making these needs to be ironed out. At the same time, the bread course appeared with saf- fron butter. It was excellent, though try as I might, I could detect no saffron . Origins of Busiate The menu makes a great show of highlight- ing busiate, the durum-wheat-and-water pasta invented in Sicily, which is one of the region’s oldest pasta styles. Though the menu tells diners that this pasta dates back to the 11th century, it doesn’t acknowledge that the country was under Arab rule at the time. No mention that the name of this pasta is thought to derive from the Arabic word bus, and no acknowledgment that it was all happening as the capital city of Pal- ermo became an Islamic center. All of this because the menu gives space to debunking the myth that Marco Polo brought pasta to Italy from China. Especially given the cur- rent political climate, it feels worth the time to share, even if only through the serv- ers, that this pasta is the result of the inter- mingling and peaceful coexistence of two vastly different cultures. The pasta is meant to be thick and chewy, and the shape comes from wrapping it around a skewer to create a twirl that makes it particularly good at capturing thick sauces. I had the al ragu della nonna Sicil- iane ($30), a version served with slow- cooked Berkshire pork and plum tomatoes for a Roman-style dish. Unfortunately, my trip down memory lane was marred when I bit down on a bone with some cartilage just a bit smaller than the tip of my pinkie finger. In rustic cooking, I can forgive a lot. But when being charged $30 for a plate of rustic pasta sized to fit one person, I cannot forgive a bone that is the perfect size to choke on. I paired the other- wise enjoyable dish with a Lebanese red wine ($15), at the suggestion of the bar- tender, that was precisely the medium-bod- ied, floral wine I requested. Gelato The trio of gelatos ($10) was the best value of the evening. Sicilian pistachio was the best of them, with the light-as-air quality gelato demands. Vanilla is deep and heady with flavor, offering a nice complement. There was, inexplicably, Mexican choco- late, which was too vibrantly flavored in comparison. It’s too bad that a $10 dessert had to do all the heavy lifting to save a $30 entree. Caffe Lucca, 4445 Travis St., Sunday - Wednesday 5 - 9:30 p.m.; Thursday 5 - 10 p.m.; Friday - Saturday 5 - 10:30 p.m. ▼ HOFBRÄUHAUS LEDERHOSENS FOR LIFE A BREW PUB FROM MUNICH IS SETTLING DOWN IN ADDISON. BY LAUREN DREWES DANIELS F ans of German-style drinking halls, food and beer are in for a great addi- tion to the pub scene this fall. If you have ever traveled to Munich, your tour guide likely pointed you toward the large beer hall in the historic Platzl, Hof- bräuhaus. It’s not a typical bar, rather a large room filled with rows of tables: cafeteria- style imbibing. In early April, the company announced it’s opening its first Texas Hofbrau Pub in Addison. In an Instagram post, Hofbrau USA said it plans to open the brewpub in the fall. Hofbrau Pub has several other U.S. loca- tions, including two in Ohio, one in Ken- tucky, New York and also Las Vegas. This will be the first in Texas. About the Beers Hofbräuhaus beers are brewed according to the Purity Law of 1516, the Reinheitsgebot, which dictates that only water, hops and barley may be used to brew beer. No water- melon seltzers here. Beers for the U.S. loca- tions are imported directly from the brewery in Munich. • The original signature beer, called Original, has an ABV of 5.1% and is brewed with three Hallertauer hop varieties and Bavarian malt. • HB Hefe Weizen is fruity with a hint of spice (banana and clove) and slightly sweet. • HB Dunkel is described on their site as “the archetypal Bavarian beer and first beer ever brewed at the Hofbräuhaus.” It’s dark am- ber in color and has notes of spices, dried fruits, toasted caramel and dark cocoa. • HB Maibock is one of Munich’s oldest beers, with an ABV of 7.2%. • HB Dunkel Weizen is a dark hefeweizen with a creamy foam and “fine malty bou- quet” according to the website. • HB Oktoberfest is a 6.3% ABV beer is a full-bodied brew. Hopefully, the new brew- ery will be open in time to enjoy the signa- ture beer of late summer and fall. Schnitzel and Pretzels The new brew pub will also have a full menu of traditional German fare, including kartoffelpuffer (potato pancakes), cheese plates, radishes and rye and pretzels of all sizes. Those are just the starters. For mains, they’ll have jagerschnitzel (hunter-style pork cutlet), Munich pork roast and schnit- zel. And there’s an entire section of sausage specialties. Courtesy of Addison Oktoberfest Keep those lederhosens handy. City of Ate from p13 SCAN HERE TO ENTER TO WIN A PAIR OF TICKETS
