New Latin American Restaurant Heats Up Dallas’ Dining Scene With Four Bars, Exotic Touches

One of the newest, most anticipated restaurants at Dallas’ Harwood District is finally opening its doors this Wednesday, August 7. Te Deseo, the eighth restaurant in the district, will serve Latin American cuisine with visions of transporting diners out of an ordinary day.

A 14,000 square foot space will feature a series of uniquely designed dining rooms, a tiled courtyard, four bars and a rooftop. Dark interiors with dim lighting creates an exotic ambiance. It really doesn’t look like you’re in Dallas anymore.

The rooftop offers bar and patio seating, with cushioned chairs, looking over the Harwood District. There will also be live music and entertainment on Friday and Saturday evenings.

With promises to be “an exciting destination lasting well into the night,” the restaurant features more than 100 specialty tequilas and mezcals. After an extensive taste test led by the founders of Te Deseo, Chupito de la Casa was born. It’s a signature house shot of reposado tequila. Cocktails inspired by Latin American spirits include the Brazillionaire with cachaca and the La Calena with aguardiente.

The food menu, created by executive chef Ty Thaxton, melds flavors from different regions of Latin America. Influences come from Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and Peru.

“We are presenting dishes that might be a little unexpected and different but are still relatable and crave-able,” Thaxton says. “We ultimately combined several different recipes and techniques of Central America. Most items are made in-house: from the dough, chorizo, sauces, to our tortilla chips and more.

“Although, if a local tortilleria is making better tortillas than us, we will buy from them. For instance, we went out of our way to find a source for real blue corn tortillas. We finally chose to work with one in the Southwest using real blue corn – not dying it.”

Thaxton is also using high-quality, award-winning beef from Allen Brothers and specialty products such as pastes, chiles and seasonings from all over the region. The menu will have the familiar enchiladas and tacos, but will also feature Peruvian-style sashimi, Anticuchos and ceviche. For main courses, there will be Chilean Sea Bass, Angosto Steak and Lomo with an eight ounce filet.

You can also order several shared small plates, such as charred octopus, stuffed arepas, elote, flautas, and more. On the dessert menu, there is a chocolate cigar with edible ashes, flan, churrones and Coconut Domingo with mango sorbet.

Te Deseo will be open for dinner on Mondays through Thursdays from 5 pm to 10 pm and Fridays and Saturdays from 5 pm to 11 pm. All of the bars will have special hours of Mondays through Wednesdays from 5 pm to midnight, and Thursdays through Saturdays from 5 pm to 2 am.