The Thompson Hotel Debuts a New French-Inspired Bistro, Boulevardier Says Goodbye, and More Dallas Restaurant News

The Dallas dining scene is forever evolving. To help you stay in the know, we’ve gathered the buzziest openings, the unfortunate closures, and any other food news we might find fitting. The Dallas Dish is your weekly helping of need-to-know North Texas restaurant news — and will hopefully point you in the direction of your next great reservation.

The Latest Dallas Restaurant News to Know

A downtown Dallas hotel debuts a new French-inspired restaurant.

Thompson Dallas has replaced its ninth-floor dining concept, Nine, with Little Daisy. Opening today, the new spot pays homage to Parisian cafe culture and will serve breakfast, lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch. Created by Thompson Dallas Executive Chef Jeramie Robison, the menu includes several dishes inspired by his Louisiana upbringing (think gumbo and trout amandine). There will also be pastries, bananas foster pancakes, a French omelet, pasta, The Hemingway Burger, oysters Rockefeller, and steak frites. The cocktail program includes French wines and champagne, as well as the signature Little Daisy Rita. A daily martini happy hour (Iceberg Hour) will run from 5 pm to 6 pm.

Designed by Caroline Todd of Todd Interiors, the revamped space features custom dining chairs by A.Rudin in Namay Samay and Fleurons d’Hèléne textiles, as well as brass lamps and hand-painted tiles at the bar. Little Daisy’s signature installation is a custom wallpaper on the ceiling, which was hand-drawn by artist Meredith Stringfellow of Foxfield Agency. The space also features lithographs by Jean Cocteau, original vintage spirit posters dating from 1905 to 1950, including designs by Bernard Villemot and a piece by Dallas-based artist Betsy Belcher.

A favorite French restaurant in Bishop Arts is closing.

After 12 years, the owners (brothers Brooks and Bradley Anderson) of Boulevardier have announced the closure of the favorite Dallas French restaurant. They announced the news on Facebook, stating that the bistro will close in late March or April. The duo also recently closed Veritas Wine Room — and Rapscallion before that — but still have one restaurant: Hillside Tavern in East Dallas. The post says that the brothers plan to focus on their law practice, but they still intend to host culinary and wine tours through Veritas Wine Tours (follow @veritas_wine_tours on Instagram for more info).

A State Fair of Texas concessionaire launches an online cookie shop.

A long-time favorite at the State Fair of Texas, Stiffler’s Mom’s Cookie Factory has launched an online store, offering their specialty desserts year-round. Of course, you’ll find the classic chocolate chip and snickerdoodle, but those with a sweet tooth will also look forward to the specialty flavors on the menu — added regularly. Currently, there are Stiffler’s Mom’s Apple Pie, Circus Animal, Peanut Butter Jelly Time, banana pudding, crème brûlée, cinnamon roll, red velvet Whoopie, Peanut Butter Overload, and more cookies available online. Or, get yourself a whole bucket of two dozen original chocolate chip.

The former Teppo owner debuts a new Japanese spot at Preston Center.

According to the Dallas Morning News, chef Masayuki Otaka is running a small, yakitori omakase tasting (eight-seat) experience called Mabo at Preston Center. The chef was formerly involved with Greenville Avenue’s Teppo, which closed in 2022. Yakitori is a Japanese type of skewered chicken and can also involve organs. Normally a street food, Otaka is making it upscale in Dallas. For $200 per person (excluding drinks, tax, and gratuity), the experience features four to five a la carte dishes, eight to ten yakitori skewers (chicken and seasonal vegetables), a rice dish, and dessert. There are only two seatings per night (Tuesday through Saturday at 5:30 pm and 8:30 pm).