Dallas Oak Lawn district makes way for friendly new Italian restaurant
There are Italians heading for Dallas Oak Lawn: it’s a modern Italian restaurant and wine bar called Wine shop Italy, serving fresh pasta and other Italian staples with innovative and thoughtful twists, and is opening in the Centrum building, 3102 Oak Lawn Avenue, # 116, in the location previously occupied by Mille Lire.
Enoteca comes from Chef Alban Besiri, a Chicago graduate of Le Cordon Bleu who grew up in an Italian restaurant family outside of Chicago. In early 2021, he moved to Texas to have his own apartment after running the kitchen at various restaurants in the United States, from Davante Enoteca in San Diego to the Hampton Social chain.
Besiri is an energetic character who says he loves teaching and wants everyone to enjoy Italian cuisine.
“I want guests to feel what it’s like to eat food you love – I cook like you’re cooking for your mother if you want to impress them,” he says.
He is in the process of modernizing the space: replacing the floors, adding antique mirrors, lots of greenery, a ventilated stone wall and an Izzo pizza oven, a model that combines wood and gas. He hopes to be able to open by mid-September.
Enoteca offers multiple experiences, including a casual room at the entrance where you can sit down and have a glass of wine; a traditional dining room where you can enjoy a contemporary Italian experience; and a winter garden and bar where you can order starters and small plates.
“The menu has dishes to share at the table, or you can order your own starter or a summer seafood salad,” he says.
He also intends to establish a clear departure from previous owner Mille Lire, which opened in 2017 with $ 28 short ribs and $ 20 pappardelle alla Bolognese; Mille Lire was closed in 2020.
“All that space needs is a great operator,” he says. “Enoteca will be modern and affordable, a place where families can have dinner or enjoy a wonderful Saturday brunch.”
Family is a big deal to him; One of the incentives to move to Dallas was the fact that his sister moved here with her husband who owns a Scramblers Cafe location.
“One of the fun things we want to do is dough balls that we give kids – they can have fun and try to make a pizza,” he says. “I still am, the kid who plays with dough.”
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