The dining scene in Dallas continues to be blazing hot. Places open at a fairly quick clip, shining a light on all the money we can throw at food. We recently lost some nostalgic locations as well, which makes us wonder exactly how the scene is evolving. It will be interesting to see what takes the place of some old standard hits.

Openings

Good wine news: Veritas Wine Room is not closing after all. In January, the Henderson Avenue wine bar announced plans to close this month, but unexpectedly reached an agreement with its landlords and will be able to stay open. Cheers! Now we can look forward to a big 15th anniversary party. Check out the website for a list of tastings and a Whisk Crepes pop-up.

The fancy new lounge and Mexican restaurant originally from Las Vegas, La Neta, celebrated its grand opening on a recent stormy evening with Mark Wahlberg; the actor is invested in a tequila brand that the spot has. We got an early look and it definitely leans more towards a club or lounge vibe than a restaurant, but it might be for you. It is directly across from The Kimpton Pittman Hotel in Deep Ellum.

The Ramble Room is officially open in Preston Hollow. This is from Jon Alexis, owner of TJ’s Seafood and Escondido. He wants the Ramble Room to be the place you go when you don’t feel like going out. His thing is ninja-like hospitality, and his restaurants all have consistently superior food. Here, the menu embraces classic American dishes, home-made pasta, chicken, steaks, sandwiches and some fine fish dishes. Happy hour includes half-price specials on select glasses of wine, draft beer and appetizer dips, and some $9 dishes (a chicken sandwich, wedge salad or half pasta).

Ascension Coffee has opened a new location in a restored church on Garland Road near White Rock Lake. It retains much of the charm of the old room with exposed beams and some pew-like booths throughout. There are fire pits and lush landscaping outside. It’s a lovely place to hang out.

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Burnt-end queso at Loop 9 BBQ.

Chris Wolfgang

Larry Lavine, the founder of Chili’s, has opened a new barbecue restaurant, Loop 9 BBQ, in Grand Prairie’s sprawling EpicCentral entertainment district. The burnt queso alone is worth the trip. Our Chris Wolfgang recently sat down with Lavine to chat about this new venture.

The Porch announced that it has reopened after renovations. The place just needed a refresh after 15 years on Henderson Avenue. You will still find the classic favorites here, but with some updates to both the food menu and the bar offer.

The Village Baking Company is opening a new location in the cute craftsman-style house next to Paradiso in the Bishop Arts District. There’s no opening date yet, but the bakery recently posted that it’s hiring, so fresh bread isn’t far behind.

San Antonio-based Chama Gaucha Brazilian Steakhouse recently opened in Grapevine. It’s much like Fogo de Chao, which is where the owner worked for part of his 20 years in the restaurant business. 12 types of meat are offered, and the house specialty is picanha, a top tenderloin cap.

Lucky’s Hot Chicken opened a new location in the old Einstein Brothers Bagels building on Lemmon Avenue near Oak Lawn Avenue.

Aso Rock African Market, which is opening a new store near The Parks Mall in Arlington at 4115 S. Cooper. currently hiring. A new Portillo will soon open across the street.

Angie Quebedeuax got a first look at the new River Pig Saloon restaurant and bar on Lowest Greenville Avenue. This place serves big burgers (it’s part of our Burger Week event) and there’s a big wood-fired pizza oven and a big patio.

We also tried the trendy Fortune House on Lower Greenville, popular for dumplings, crab Rangoon and sumptuous spins on traditional Asian cuisine.

And if you have a taste for spice, Crimson Coward in Frisco should be on your radar. In addition to the spicy bird here, the deep-fried flowering onion was nostalgic and appetizing.

Hank Vaughn tried the new place in Bishops Arts, Mentiiras, which offers snacks like elotes, burritos and frescas con crema. Yes, a burrito is a snack. Could be anyway.

Endings

The flatbread bubble has burst. But what exactly is flatbread? It’s not pizza, it’s not bread. It’s confusing. Flatbread and wine place Postino, in Deep Ellum, closed. One thing that was particularly cool here was a wall covered in old local concert tickets. We hope they find a good home. The Flatbread Company on Greenville Avenue also closed earlier this year. This place was self-described as a flatbread pizzeria.

Hurtado Barbecue closed its Little Elm location, saying there wasn’t enough traffic to sustain the business. The Texas Monthly The Top 50 BBQ spot is still going strong in Arlington.

The Blue Goose Cantina on Greenville Avenue will close March 19. The company could not reach an agreement on a new lease agreement with the management company. Very sad about this. Owners hope to find another location in East Dallas; all the other places are still around.

Finally, after more than four decades in business, JR Bentley’s in Arlington has closed just a year after new owners took over the location. The website has the place listed for sale for $895,000.