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Celebrated Chef Debuts Modern Mexican Spot in Dallas
What happens when a four-time James Beard semifinalist recognized as the chef who elevated the Dallas dining scene is named executive chef of new concepts at Dallas-based Local Favorite Restaurants group (whose existing Mexican-inspired concepts include El Fenix, MesoMaya, Taqueria La Ventana, Del Toro, Tulum and Jalisco)?
Una Vida, a modern Mexican restaurant featuring dishes packed with lentils, quinoa, cashew queso and vegetables, debuts in Dallas’ West Village, helmed by Chef Matt McCallister.
While vegetarian-leaning diners can find options like a smothered burrito with tri-color quinoa, refried lentils, black beans, peppers, onions, criminis, cashew queso, pico de gallo and guacamole, and nachos with refried lentils and chile glazed butternut squash, there’s plenty of beef, chicken and seafood to go around (think barbacoa brisket, adobo chicken and wild ahi tuna).
“We are Herbivores. Carnivores. Gluten-Free. Low-carb. Low-fat. Good-fat. High-fiber. Pescatarian. Keto. Vegetarian. Vegan. Plant-centric. Plant-based. Flexitarian. Paleo. Joy-tarian. Thrill-tarian. Eat-whatever-you-put-in-front-of-me-tarian,” Una Vida’s website explains.
Cocktails also take center stage, with cocktails like the signature Toreados Margarita with grilled serrano, tequila, Gran Gala and lime.
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Nixtamalized Corn Stars at Seattle’s Pancita
A stint as a six-month popup inside Pair restaurant in Seattle has become a permanent fixture on the city’s dining scene.
“Suddenly we have an exciting new modern Mexican restaurant — and a reliable destination that had already proved itself one of the city’s most exciting places to eat,” an article in Seattle Met says of Pancita, the now-permanent Mexican-inspired spot from Janet Becerra in the city’s Ravenna neighborhood.
The shutdown during the Covid pandemic was the impetus that put Becerra on the road to Pancita. While she had once taken a three-month unpaid stint at Mexico City’s famed Pujol, she used the 2020 downtime to experiment with nixtamalizing corn and to take a deeper dive into Mexican cooking.
The short-term set-up inside Pair helped fine-tune the concept, introduced Becerra’s culinary acumen to diners, and set the stage for the permanent arrangement.
Pancita — with its masa-focused menu of tostadas, tortillas, and cocktails — “hits Seattle’s sweet spots for restaurants: ambitious food, but no one raises an eyebrow if you show up in sweatpants,” Seattle Met says.
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