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RUSTIC CHARM T The Rustic, 3656 Howell St., 214.730.0596; therusticrestaurant.com CLAIRE MCCORMACK CLAIRE MCCORMACK here's a lot to love about a trip to the Hill Country: grilled steaks over an open flame, ice-cold beer and twangy guitars playing under a star-filled sky. Restaurateurs Kyle Noonan and Josh Sepkowitz (Bowl & Barrel, Mutts Cantina) teamed with their Grammy-nominated pal Pat Green and local businessman Brian Manion to bring that experience a little closer to home in the guise of The Rustic, a 2½-acre spread devoted to all things authentically Texan. Built with an industrialcool interior of reclaimed wood and filled with junk shop treasures (i.e., a longhornshaped smoker and a beer can American flag), the 500-seat restaurant is anchored by a copper bar that serves 40 Texas beers on tap, along with Lone Star State wines and spirits. The Sharon Hage-designed menu pays homage to local (and locally sourced) cuisine, with wood-grilled quail, Gulf shrimp and sky-high homemade pies all present and accounted for. Although The Rustic is first and foremost a restaurant, the Uptown spot has already proven itself as a serious Kyle Noonan and Josh Sepkowitz music venue, with the 44,000-square-foot backyard strictly SRO at Green's opening bash performance. The country star will pop by for a surprise concert or two when he's in town, and local and national acts perform on the 40-foot stage five days a week. Kendall Morgan The Rustic burger URBANE If, upon entering the newly opened Ermenegildo Zegna, your first reaction is déjà vu, it's likely you've already logged significant shopping time in Milan. That's because the 1,776-square-foot space in Ermenegildo Zegna, 46A Highland Park Highland Park Village sports Village, 214.559.4842; zegna.com an interior that's strikingly similar to the brand's global store based there. The striped flooring is a direct nod to the signature selvage that authenticates Zegna fabric, while touches of rosewood, mahogany and bronze echo the masculine undercurrent running through the fall collection. Under the attentive eye of general manager Michelle Lacy, the new boutique offers the full range of apparel collections, as well as leather goods, watches and fragrance; The Sartorial Room houses the made-to-measure program. The season's palette evokes an industrial revolution: Shades of asphalt, steel, cement and granite prevail, but flashes of cadmium red and deep green keep things from getting too serious. Classic patterns — stripes, argyles, checks — are blown up or manipulated to become textured graphic layers for rustic outerwear. Other highlights include three-button blazers with deconstructed shoulders, fitted vests, a deerskin anorak and even the return of the single-pleat pant amidst its flatfront brethren. All prove that meticulous craftsmanship borrowed from the distant past can be used to create something unmistakably, fashionably modern. Amy Adams REVIVAL STAIRWAY TO HEAVENLY Toko V, 33 Highland Park Village, 214.522.6035; toko-v.com T oko V's cozy front terrace overlooks Highland Park Village, but the tastiest scene is in the back. Climb the stairs to this second-floor sushi bar, take a seat at the counter and watch as sushi master Daniel Chau (formerly of Steel Restaurant & Lounge) slices, wraps and rolls. Developed by Twomey Concepts, the restaurant offers an extensive menu with traditional sashimi, nigiri and specialty rolls, as well as an assortment of Pan-Asian plates and noodle bowls. Executive chef André Natera presides over both Toko V and its downstairs sister restaurant Village Kitchen. (Also connected is The Marquee Bar, tucked behind the Village Theatre marquee.) "Downstairs is more familyfocused," explains Natera. "Upstairs is date night." The relaxed interior is neutral-toned with splashes of serene green. Art creates areas of interest: a playful mural with Japanese lettering, a blue-lit flying fish by local artist Gary Buckner and wall hangings of Japanese birch. Diners can order a la carte or ask for a tasting plate created by the chef. Try the beautiful yellowtail and super white tuna roll with cilantro and sriracha and the pepper-seared escolar tataki with yuzu lime garlic sauce. A winning starter is the green papaya salad with ribbons of slightly tart papaya tossed in sweet and spicy dressing with peanuts and flavorful dried shrimp, cilantro and mint. Share small plates such as pork potstickers with champagne tozsu sauce and blistered shishito peppers with Thai sweet chili sauce. Meat-eaters will love the sweet glazed Korean-style pork ribs, and the marinated strip steak with wafu sauce and watercress slaw. "Toko V serves the Asian food I enjoy eating," Natera says. "It's Toko V geared to an American palate. We break the traditional rules a bit, but our modern approach still remains within the ideals of simple cooking." Terri Taylor CLAIRE MCCORMACK CLAIRE MCCORMACK Snapper with Thai coconut water/dragon fruit CLEARLY EXCEPTIONAL Savor, 2000 Woodall Rodgers Freeway, 214.306.5597; savor-relish.com When describing the interior of his new gastropub Savor, executive chef John Coleman sweeps his hand floor-to-ceiling and points past a glass wall to Klyde Warren Park. "It's all about openness and views," he says. "Out there — that's the most beautiful space in town." Savor, the only full-service restaurant within KWP's perimeter, is a glassy jewel box designed to blur the lines between inside and out. Wraparound porches snuggle up to the park's expansive lawn, offering ringside seats for events and activities. The restaurant is evenly divided between the bar area and dining room, and both share the same polished and casual menu. (For those who prefer strolling, the attached food kiosk Relish — Coleman's "food truck without wheels" — offers a morning-to-evening graband-go menu.) Nab one of the entry pavilion's comfy modular sofas, or mingle at the sleek centerpiece bar where affable mixologists serve craft drinks as well as food. A partitioning keg wall stores the rotating selection of beer and wines on tap. Small plates include plenty of sharable items, such as the moist, flaky cornbread crab cakes with Thai curry sauce, and crispy shrimp and calamari. On the full-plate menu, try entrées such as the bourbon-cured roasted salmon with apple chutney or the hearty chile-braised short rib with smoked pecan gremolata and aged-cheddar mac. At night, the room glitters with reflections of twinkle-lit Savor trees and bold skyscrapers. Blue halos spotlight the ceiling's detailed punchwork, a design meant to mirror the canopy of trees just beyond the glass walls. Terri Taylor OFF ROADING Green House Market; 8687 N. Central Expressway, Suite 2276; no phone number at press time; thegreenhousemarket.com D allas/Fort Worth's original gourmet food truck, Green House Truck, has ditched its wheels and is opening its first brick-andmortar restaurant inside NorthPark Center near the AMC Theater any day now. The 3,300-plus-square-foot space designed by Buchanan Architecture features an art program with rotating international and local artists curated by Robyn Siegel (who owns the restaurant with husband Michael). "Because of my passion for collecting contemporary art and for education, it seemed only natural to put art in the restaurant to share with everyone, especially given the history of NorthPark and the role art plays within the center," Siegel says. Focusing on fresh and healthy cuisine, Green House Market serves up all of the truck's favorites for breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week. "We're trying to introduce food items that are great but can't be found easily around Dallas," Siegel adds. "Our chia seed pudding is one of my favorites." In the driver's seat is chef Ben Hutchison dishing out staples — think grilled ciabatta sandwiches and brown rice bowls — as well as fresh-pressed juices. The coffee bar pouring Blue Bottle Coffee will draw power shoppers looking to recharge and caffeinate. Lauren Scheinin NOVEMBER | PAGE 22 | 2013