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T he year 2020 wasn't filled with much fun or promising news. However, one ray of hope was continually shared d u r i n g Z o o m happy hours: "Did you hear? Carbone is opening in the Design District. I love the one in New York City." (Apparently the Design District is the epicenter for the hottest new restaurants; see our story about The Mexican on page 56.) For years, friends begged acclaimed chef Mario Carbone to bring his namesake restaurant to Dallas. He (Continued) finally found the perfect location — the spaces formerly occupied by Sassetta (which has reopened on the ground floor of The Joule downtown) and Wheelhouse — for his Michelin-starred Italian American concept, as well as for its sister wine bar, Carbone Vino, next door. This is the second Dallas opening for Major Food Group (the hospitality company founded by Mario Carbone, Rich Torrisi, and Jeff Zalaznick), which began setting down roots in our city with the March debut of Sadelle's in Highland Park Village. Having spent close to two months opening these eateries, Carbone confesses that he has yet to locate the perfect pair of cowboy boots. "They will find me," he says. Even as a child growing up in Queens, Carbone was fascinated with restaurants. The way tuxedo- clad waiters commanded the table felt like theater to the boy destined to become a world-renowned chef. Naturally, he wanted to see what went on behind closed kitchen doors. When he was old enough, he found jobs in local restaurants and went on to earn a degree from the Culinary Institute of America, later working at New York's wd~50 and Café Boulud. When 90-year-old Rocco Restaurant — one of the establishments that had dazzled Carbone in his youth — announced its closure, he had an idea. He and the newly formed Major Food Group moved into the Greenwich Village CARBONE COMETH By Billy Fong and Megan Ziots. Interiors Photography Douglas Friedman. THEATER AND SHOWMANSHIP AT CARBONE AND CARBONE VINO Assorted baked clams at Carbone Design world darling Ken Fulk Whole branzino at Carbone PHOTOS COURTESY MAJOR FOOD GROUP Carbone Vino Carbone Carbone 52