Tiffany Derry’s Radici Wood Fired Grill promises Tuscan dinner

At Radici Wood Fired Grill, chef Tiffany Derry’s newest culinary venture, the promise is dinner in the Tuscan countryside. The Farmers Branch restaurant marks a departure from her Southern comfort food roots, yet still reflects her passion for farm-to-table cuisine.

Radici, meaning “roots” in Italian, is a nod to her business partner Tom Foley’s heritage and the simple, rich flavors of Italian cooking. The menu, which will change seasonally, features dishes cooked on a wood-fired grill, including a 14-ounce Fiorentina-style Rosewood beef ribeye. Derry’s take on lasagna, constructed with layers of white Bolognese, sage, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and spinach pasta, is the big draw here, but rigatoni with braised rabbit, guanciale and bitter greens is a close second. Classic cocktails, housemade limoncello and a curated Italian wine list round out the few rough edges.
12990 Bee St., Farmers Branch, radiciwoodfiredgrill.com

Artesanal Tortilleria Restaurante El Maizal

After running a tortilleria in Guanajuato, Mexico, and dreaming of bringing a bricks-and-mortar version to Dallas, patriarch Orlando Martinez Canelo’s family finally made good on that vision with Artesanal Tortilleria Restaurante El Maizal, a tortilleria and taqueria his adult children opened a few months ago.

Marcela Martinez Canelo and her family own and operate Artesanal Tortilleria Restaurante El Maizal. Photo by Michael Hiller

The family has transformed their small space into a vibrant restaurant and production facility, producing more than a hundred pounds of tortillas each day while serving an all-day menu that sings of Mexican comfort.

The star? Incredible masa. Each day, the family crafts three varieties of masa from freshly ground nixtamalized corn — white, blue and nopal-spinach — each variety bringing its own unique flavor and texture to the table.

The tortillas here are revelatory, possibly the best you’ve ever tasted, and the heart of the menu. Supple and warm, they embrace fillings like pork carnitas and beef cheek barbacoa with a tender grip, their edges speckled and crisped on a hot comal.

They’re a culinary hook, line and sinker that draws you back for more. That masa is the foundation of El Maizal’s best offerings, which include a comforting array of tacos, tamales and crunchy gorditas.

There’s also atole to drink, made with cinnamon and cacao ground on-site, plus sopas, enchiladas, combo plates, churros and a rich, complex mole rojo made in-house. The best part? All of it — including fresh masa and warm tortillas sold by the pound — is available to take home.
5528 Alpha Road, Dallas, 214-200-3875