Komali has just introduced “Sangria Sunday,” with master mixologist Leann Berry, pictured left, from 4–10 p.m. The restaurant usually closes after brunch on Sunday. Among the specials will be $2 mimosas (or $10 by the carafe), house margaritas of course (red or white — $5 by the glass, $15 by the carafe). And it’s also service industry night, so all food industry workers get half off food — including the very spicy spiced ribs from chef Anatasia Quinones. The habanera-glazed St. Louis-style ribs are pretty high on the Scovell Scale, but the buttery mashed potatoes with queso fresco will cool them down a bit.
The list of participating restaurants in DFW Restaurant Week is out, and among those taking part in the fundraiser are Al Biernat’s, Belly and Trumpet, Five Sixty, Eddie V’s, Dish, Fearing’s, The French Room, The Grape, Hattie’s The Mansion, Meso Maya, Nobu, Nosh, Seasons 52, Salum and Komali.
The “preview weekend” runs Aug. 9–11, with the official “main” week Aug. 12–18, though some restos will offer extensions through Sept. 1. The price is $35–$45 per person for a three-course meal, with 20 percent going to the North Texas Food Bank or Lena Pope Home. You can see the entire list and make reservations at DFWRestaurantWeek.com.
Mico Rodriguez, the creator of Mi Cocina, Taco Diner and, most recently, the excellent Mr. Mesero, has a new concept opening next month. Mesero Miguel will open on Henderson in August with chef Jon Stevens (Nosh) offering a creative hand on the menu. The cuisine will be Mexican, but the décor will pay tribute to a Spaniard: gay filmmaker Pedro Almodovar.
Pyramid, the famed restaurant inside the Fairmont Hotel, finally has a new chef. Andre Natera, who had built the kitchen impressively over the last few years, took over earlier this year at Marquee Grill. The new exec is Brian Armstrong, formerly with the Scottsdale Fairmont. Oak in the Design District also has a new executive chef: Richard Gras.
Chef Graham Dodds at Central 214 inside the Hotel Palomar has rolled out his new summer menu, featuring new flatbreads as well as a Berkshire pork chop with creamy cheese grits, bacon-wrapped trout and Crenshaw melon salad, pictured above. At The Grape, chef/owner Brian Luscher is hosting a come-as-you-are wine dinner showcasing the wines of Italy on July 24. Cost is just $48. TheGrapeRestaurant.com. Perry’s Steakhouse celebrates its anniversary with the 444 promotions: a four-course meal after 4 p.m. for $44. It’ll be available throughout July. Chef Antonio Marquez will be back in the kitchen at Lazaranda’s in Addison for the Mexican diner’s second-ever tequila dinner on July 25. (July 24, by the way, is National Tequila Day.) The cost is just $34.95.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition July 19, 2013.