11 DECEMBER 18 - 24, 2025 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER CLASSIFIED | MUSIC | DISH | CULTURE | UNFAIR PARK | CONTENTS Rising Tide Puerto Cocina and Bar is a new coastal spot, with chef Anastacia Quinones-Pittman consulting. BY LAUREN DREWES DANIELS A confluence of taste, culture and hospitality has landed in Dallas: Chef Anastacia Qui- nones-Pittman is consulting for restaurateurs Maurico Gallegos and Gerardo Barrera (Xaman Cafe, Ayahuasca) for a new coastal Mexican res- taurant in the Design District. Quinones-Pittman is one of Dallas’ long- time faves. The James Beard-nominated chef worked at many a local gem, including Komali, Cedars Social, Victor Tangos and Alma before her longest and latest stint at José. In April, AQ left Jose to open a new venture, Eledi. Last week, while working the pass at Puerto, she said that the spot is on hold for a bit. She, along with her colleague Victor Ro- jas, formed Oh Hi Hospitality, and they are consulting at Puerto. Rojas is working on front-of-house operations, and Quinones is on menu and recipe development. Their vet- eran touches for high-end hospitality pair beautifully with this concept from Gallegos and Barrera. A Door to Coastal Mexico Prior to opening, AQ and Gallegos traveled to Mexico’s Baja coast, immersing them- selves in seafood-based cuisine. They brought back local flavors and dishes influ- enced, in part, by Japan. At Puerto, there’s a raw bar with crudo, and tiraditos (crudo adjacent) alongside fresh tortillas. The raw bar section of the menu is an ex- citing tour of different interpretations: oys- ters preparados with serranos and cucumber, along with aguachile, tiradito and ceviche. There are also grilled oysters, choc- olate clams (a type of clam, not an added in- gredient), and caviar service. After that, the menu is tight and concise. There are three items under the soup and salad section: a panela salad and a kale Cae- sar, but you’ll be hard-pressed to pass on the crema de championes, a silky and satis- fying mushroom soup with a pistachio salsa macha. Mains There are five options for the main entrees. A spicy and rich campanelle pasta with lump crab meat and a chiltepin cream. Scallop tataki comes with a Mexican five- spice and tamarind buerre monte. The grilled lamb chops sit on a bed of roasted butternut squash with cilantro oil. Peking duck breast is paired with the Mexican inte- rior and a beet mole. A waygu bavette has a Yucatan-inspired recado negro. We tried the cam- panelle pasta. Thick spirals of pasta, made locally, carry the heavy cream well; it’s a wonderful, fulfill- ing dish for a cold winter night with just enough spice from chiltepin peppers to give your face a light shine (not a full sweat). Before that, we started with the tiradito de hiramasa. Sashimi-cut yellowtail sits in a sauce made with aji amarillo, a fruity pep- per. Tangy candied kumquats and pome- granate provide pops of flavor, and smoked salmon roe adds bursts of the sea. The aji amarillo with yellowtail may best emulate the culinary goal here, offering something unique for Dallas diners. Wine List and Cocktails The bar program emulates Ayahuasca, which was named a Top 50 New Bar in America by Esquire last year; the wine list spotlights Mexican winemaking. According to a press release, 100% of the offerings come from Mexico’s leading producers, in- cluding winemakers from Valle de Guada- lupe and Baja California Sur, as well as Queretaro, Coahuila, and other regions within Mexico. The cocktail program similarly delves deep into Mexico; Condesa Gin is from Mexico City, and there’s Amla Finca orange liqueur from the Yucatan Peninsula. Gal- legos is again mixing Japanese and Mexican flavors in cocktails; the house old fashioned is made with Mexico-based Abosolo Whis- key, Don Fulano reposado with toasted ses- ame and shio koji. The Space Puerto is located on the ground floor of a new office development along River Edge. Within the next month, the restaurant will offer a coffee program along with breakfast, lunch and grab-and-go items, along with dinner. They enlisted Coveal Studios to design the space. It’s refined and relaxed, with nat- ural light flooding through floor-to-ceiling windows, complemented by natural textiles, all bathed in warm, neutral shades of sand and ocean greens. This is a great addition to the Dallas din- ing scene, and we’re excited to get to know it better. Puerto Concina and Bar, 155 River Edge, Open 5 p.m. to midnight. . OPENINGS AN ARTSY BISTRO ON JEFFERSON CREATIVE BISTRO, ATELIÊ, TO OPEN SOON IN OAK CLIFF. BY AAREN PRODY O n Monday chef Wyl Lima will opened his globally influenced bis- tro, Ateliê, along Jefferson Avenue near the Bishop Arts District. This multidis- ciplinary creative space will be Lima’s first permanent home for his intersection of food, storytelling and culture. Chef Wyl Lima has been a quiet Lauren Drewes Daniels Above: Chef Anastacia Quinones Pittman is consulting at Puerto. | CITY OF ATE | . Dish >> p12 Lauren Drewes Daniels Tiradito de Hiramasa at Puerto Cocina and Bar.
