Chef John Tesar is returning to Dallas 10 years after first opening Knife: his modern take on the classic steakhouse format, complete with an extensive dry-aging program, bustling bar and a cult-favorite burger. Now with two Knife locations (the second in Plano), and the Michelin-starred offshoot Knife & Spoon at The Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes under his belt, Tesar’s next project, Knife Italian, brings him back to DFW.
Knife Italian opened March 19 at The Ritz-Carlton Dallas, Las Colinas. The property is fresh off a $55 million renovation after changing hands from the Four Seasons, and now has updated rooms, a renewed pool and spa, plus an updated lobby and lobby bar in addition to the restaurant.
Knife Italian throws out any preconceived notions about what a steakhouse or an Italian restaurant should look like, leaning into bright colors as seen in the magenta sofa and pink bar guarding the entrance. Paper lanterns hang from the dining room ceiling, and caramel banquettes line the walls. Running along the edge of the restaurant is a solarium with big windows, green plants, and wicker furniture. The space also has multiple private dining rooms, including the pizza kitchen, which can be enlisted for cooking classes and other events, and the wine room, which offers views of the cellar.
Knife Italian features vibrant colors and lush greenery.
The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, and the menu merges traditional Italian flavors with modern accents. Breakfast features a few morning staples like eggs and French toast, but the Italian flare is there, seen in dishes like eggs caponata (Sicilian poached eggs dish).
Lunch and dinner kick off with a selection of crudi — yellowtail with grapefruit and beets, scallops with cucumber, yuzu and calamansi — before moving on to antipasti, pastas, pizzas, and steaks. Pastas range from a simply dressed pasta pomodoro to spaghetti cacio e pepe and lobster agnolotti. All steaks are sourced from 44 Farms in Texas, and dry-aged cuts are available from 45 days to a whopping 240 days.
The offers Negronis and original cocktails to prompt appetites, while a selection of Italian wines is available to pair with dinner, and post-meal digestifs are ready to settle full stomachs.
Tesar, left, explained that Knife Italian is the culmination of his steakhouse experience, living in New York, and having Italian heritage. It’s everything he’s wanted to do for the past 30 years.
“It’s very personal to me,” he said.
Rather than reinvent any wheels, Tesar leaned into the simplicity of both steaks and Italian cuisine when creating the menu for Knife Italian.
“The simplicity of it is really what I think is misunderstood, which is why I think that a steakhouse and an Italian restaurant go together,” he said. “Because they’re two of America’s most popular cuisines, and they really are two of the most simple things you can prepare, in theory. The complexity comes from the fact that it’s all source and ingredient based. That’s my premise.”
Tesar goes on to explain how his steakhouses were able to make an impact on the business by partnering with 44 Farms and developing a unique dry-aging program. With Knife Italian, he’s combining that pedigree with Italian dishes and ingredients to create what he calls the ultimate example of simple, ingredient-driven cuisine.
To put a final touch on his point, Tesar paraphrased a quote that he likes from famed chef Marco Pierre White: “Any good chef understands that mother nature is the real chef, and you’re just the cook.”
