The fresh-pasta dishes at Nonna in Dallas set the city's Italian cooking standard: hand-rolled egg-yolk pasta with seasonal fillings or sauces, made daily from soft wheat and local eggs, served in a room that has run continuously since 1999.
Where to eat it: 2 restaurants across 1 city.
Julian Barsotti opened Nonna on Lomo Alto Drive in 1999 as a straightforward Tuscan trattoria. Since 1999, the restaurant has become the Dallas benchmark for Italian pasta: the tagliatelle with short rib ragu and the seasonal ravioli have appeared on best-dish lists across the decades. The commitment to daily-made pasta from scratch distinguishes Nonna from the region's other Italian operators.
Common allergens: Gluten, Eggs
Tip from the editors. The 30-minute rest is not optional: skipping it makes the gluten snap back when you roll. After resting the dough is extensible and does not tear.
This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.
A Michelin-listed Highland Park Italian with a wood-burning oven that produces the city's most reliably excellent pizza and a pasta programme including ravioli of Maine lobster.
Tip: The Friday lunch menu is available and far less competitive to book than dinner. The white clam pizza is non-negotiable.
Michelin Bib Gourmand Italian restaurant with one of the city's best Italian wine lists, curated to match handmade pasta and seasonal secondi. The sommeliers guide wine pairings at a level rare outside New York or Chicago.
Order: By-the-glass Barolo or Barbaresco pairing with hand-rolled pasta; grappa finish
Tip: Reserve the four-top in the back corner for a full evening. The wine program is as strong as the food; ask for the off-menu producer bottles.
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