If you’re a fan of upscale Italian, a pair of recent restaurant openings should have captured your attention. You’ve likely read of Carbone, the red-sauce Italian import from New York that might be the hottest seat in town over in the Design District. But if it is authentic Italian you seek, then La Stella Cucina Verace in the Arts District is for you.

It feels like Dallas restaurants are still cleaning up the dishes from Easter, and yet Mother's Day is already on the horizon. In 2022, the date is May 8 and there are all sorts of ways to show you care, but the one we care about here is dining out.

Nestled in the heart of the Dallas Arts District La Stella Cucina Verace honors old-world Italian roots, lifestyle and classic recipes with a modern twist.

Alto cucina has arrived to the Dallas Arts District with the March 10 opening of La Stella Cucina Verace, an elevated Italian restaurant with star power.

After what was basically a two-year drought induced by the pandemic, Dallas is making up for lost time with an onslaught of new restaurant openings, and with even more restaurants coming-soon, it's looking like that will be the case for most of 2022.

It’s been an unprecedented two years since Bon Appétit named Dallas the 2019 Restaurant City of the Year. But even through a pandemic, our city’s dining scene has persevered. With the overwhelming amount of recent openings (particularly in Deep Ellum, Bishop Arts, and downtown), it’s easy to forget that many in the industry are still struggling, but Texas restaurants have been innovating to provide the comfort food — and cocktails — we need. Now, it’s time to look forward to the Dallas restaurant news ahead.