Dallas, TX
Restaurant in Bishop Arts District brings new food to historic Dallas building
Antique photos and books cover the bookshelf at Pillar, an American bistro in the Bishop Arts District from chef-owner Peja Krstic.
“We wanted to bring in some soul, like Pillar had existed already,” he said. The antiques picked by his wife, Silvana, match the charm and history of the 98-year-old building in Oak Cliff, now a neighborhood full of restaurants.
In its past life, this restaurant space was French bistro Boulevardier and Spanish eatery Cafe Madrid. Under Krstic’s watch, Pillar is a bright, airy bistro with no culinary boundaries.
There’s little culinary crossover between Pillar and Krstic’s other restaurant, Michelin-awarded Mot Hai Ba in Lakewood. But he found ways to add Asian ingredients anyway, like the punch of fish sauce in Pillar’s braised collard greens served with fried chicken. That’s Krstic’s favorite dish, and you can sense the care that went into it: It’s a half chicken cooked in coriander schmaltz and buttermilk fried with curry and turmeric. It’s served with Nduja cream sauce, the aforementioned collards and a side of cornbread brioche and honey butter.
It’s so tender, Krstic cuts it with a fork. And while customers might say “mine, all mine,” the owner hopes customers order chicken for table and share it. Pastry chef Diana Zamora’s bread is good enough to get friends reaching across the table without permission.
If it seems like Pillar is a Southern restaurant, given the fried chicken dish, it isn’t. It’s an American restaurant with not a lot of rules — a retelling of the Serbian-born chef’s story.
He immigrated to Dallas 20 years ago after visiting a family member who moved to Texas. Krstic had plans to become an attorney, but he always worked in restaurants part-time, at home and in Texas, to pay the bills. He was a great chef from an early age.
His two decades in Texas include chef jobs at Arcodoro Pomodoro, Jasper’s, Fuse, Chamberlain’s, Standard Pour and more — that’s Italian food, American, Asian fusion, steak and upscale bar food.
“I like to combine cuisines,” he said.
Inside Pillar, Dallas’ newest restaurant in a historic building
An early favorite at Pillar is the beef tartare ($20), which looks more like a stuffed mushroom than a plate of raw meat. It’s neither: Krstic stuffs little cups of crispy hashbrowns with beef, kimchi mayo and chives. They’re rich and small, just right.
Also on his menu is tuna carpaccio ($22), a plate that might look like the expected beef tartare but is in fact a “sheet” of raw tuna with lump crab remoulade hiding underneath.
Roasted beets and grilled leaks are two seasonal dishes that would make Mom proud — “eat your vegetables!” — but with the finesse few get to experience at home. The beets ($16) are braised in hibiscus tea and served with ricotta, toasted hazelnuts and dill. The leeks ($19) come with butter-poached crab.
The rest of the menu includes dishes you know — pillars in any American restaurant, you could say.
Examples include a double-patty cheeseburger with brisket pastrami ($19), pork rib cassoulet ($29), shrimp and grits ($27) and a delicious-looking duck, leek and bacon pot pie ($28). The agnolotti filled with ricotta and caramelized onions and grilled short rib ($28) is another one of Krstic’s favorites.
The name “Pillar” came to Krstic after he visited Ernest Hemingway’s House in Key West, Florida, and saw a photo of the author’s boat, Pilar. Krstic set out to open a seafood restaurant named after Hemingway’s boat, but the restaurant seemed more natural as an American eatery. Pilar became Pillar.
On the wall walking in, designers hung portraits of important historical figures — pillars — from George Washington and Abraham Lincoln to investor Nikola Tesla and civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.
The cocktail menu keeps up the “pillar” theme. The Prima Donna is a “spiced and spicy” mezcal drink with a house-made hibiscus-beet mixer, explained Naomi Bombardier, the cocktail consultant who co-created Pillar’s drinks. It’s named for a fiery redhead, Lucille Ball.
The Zero Degrees, a classic gin martini served extra cold, is named for Tesla, the scientist who never got a college degree.
The only menu item that will be repeated from Krstic’s other restaurant, Mot Hai Ba, is the chocolate cake. It’s a tall slice, a play on red velvet with mascarpone, chocolate mousse and more.
“It’s the best chocolate cake in Dallas,” he said, without even a smirk. Try it.
Pillar is at 408 N. Bishop Ave., Dallas. It opened Dec. 8, 2024. Reservations recommended. Closed Mondays.
For more food news, follow Sarah Blaskovich on X at @sblaskovich.
Dallas Parks and Recreation will distribute 25,000 all-access passes that give Dallas teens free admission to cultural and recreational attractions across the city throughout July.
Passes will be available beginning June 29 on a first-come, first-served basis at City of Dallas recreation centers.
The program, now entering its fifth year, is open to Dallas residents ages 13 to 17. City leaders say the initiative, which launched in 2021, helps promote positive engagement opportunities for teens and reduce crime during the summer months.
Teens must register in person and provide proof of Dallas residency to receive a pass.
The city says the program is made possible through partnerships with local cultural, recreational, and entertainment organizations.
Participating attractions include:
- African American Museum
- Bahama Beach
- Bath House Cultural Center
- Latino Cultural Center
- South Dallas Cultural Center
- Oak Cliff Cultural Center
- Dallas Museum of Arts
- Community Art Pop Up Cultural
- Dallas Arboretum
- Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum
- Dallas Park and Recreation Summer Fitness
- Dallas Zoo
- Frontiers of Flight Museum
- Golf Dallas
- Reunion Tower
- Shakespeare of Dallas
- State Fair of Texas
- Southern Skates Roller Rink
- Texas Discover Garden
- The Sixth Floor Museum At Dealey Plaza
- Trinity River Audubon
A full list of participating attractions and recreation centers distributing passes is available at DallasParks.org
At least four people were injured after a vehicle drove into a crowd of people in Dallas on Thursday evening.
Dallas police responded to an “Assist Officer call with an Ambulance” at approximately 7 p.m. in the 300 block of West Davis Street.
Authorities learned that a vehicle drove into a crowd, injuring multiple people. At least four have been taken to a local hospital for treatment. Police said no one was in critical condition.
The driver of the vehicle was arrested at the scene, police said. Authorities are still working to determine if this driver could have been drunk or if this could have been a medical episode.
According to police, there is no indication that the crash was terrorism related.
The investigation is ongoing.
This story will be updated as we learn more.
Dallas, TX
FOX’s Kasper Schmeichel compares England to Dallas Cowboys, so who are their other sports analogs?
Scottish World Cup fans reportedly drink Boston dry
Dana Perino announces that Scottish World Cup fans have caused an unprecedented beer shortage in Boston, emptying bars and liquor stores. Jesse Watters playfully observes that Europeans visiting America seem to “love it,” despite negative media portrayals, while Greg Gutfeld adds a satirical comment about “liberal mayors” and local resource management, contrasting Boston’s beer woes with LA’s water and Chicago’s Bears.
FOX Soccer analyst Kasper Schmeichel came prepared for this year’s World Cup on American soil.
The former Danish goalkeeper may not be from around these parts, but that didn’t stop him from dropping an eerily accurate comparison between two overconfident but long-suffering sports programs.
With England and Croatia warming up inside AT&T Stadium, the home of the Dallas Cowboys, Schmeichel decided he would roast two fanbases with one stone, comparing the Cowboys to the Three Lions with a hilarious one-liner.
Funny, but also painfully true if you’re a supporter of either team.
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I made a comparison last week between the English national team and Notre Dame, but Schmeichel got me thinking, who are the sports analogs to England from the four major North American leagues (NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA)?
Today, I will be doing exactly that, including giving a slightly better NFL comp than the Cowboys (shocking, I know).
Without further ado, let’s piss off our neighbors from across the pond.
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NFL – Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears helmets are displayed before the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nev., on Sept. 28, 2025. (Kiyoshi Mio/Imagn Images)
While the Dallas Cowboys are a fine comparison for the English national soccer team, I think I can do one better.
Schmeichel mentioned that England “won it once and have never stopped talking about it,” and although the second part of that statement applies to both, the Cowboys are five-time Super Bowl champions, having won it most recently in January 1996, a good three decades after England.
If you really want a team that more accurately mirrors the hard luck of the English, it would have to be the Chicago Bears.
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They have one Super Bowl win to their name, which came 40 years ago, and really don’t have much else to show for it.
Also, having lived in the DFW area for the better part of a decade, I can confidently say Cowboys fans are a little too arrogant and cocky to be compared to the English.
Sure, England will say things like “it’s coming home,” but they are far more self-deprecating and aware of their faults, even nihilistic in some cases.
The Bears hang onto their history because they know things will inevitably go bad for them on the biggest stage.
Speaking of which…
NHL – Toronto Maple Leafs
Spencer Carbery, assistant coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, looks on from the bench during the third period against the Washington Capitals at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ont., on April 14, 2022. (Kevin Sousa/NHLI via Getty Images)
The Toronto Maple Leafs actually line up with England more closely than either fanbase would like to admit.
While the Leafs have a litany of Stanley Cups to their name, their most recent win was back in 1967, less than a full year after England won their first and only World Cup.
As far as expectations go, both constantly go into their respective tournaments with the weight of the world on their shoulders, only to come crashing down in the most horrific ways imaginable.
For the Leafs, it comes in the form of blowing big leads in the playoffs, while English fans and players alike can’t even hear the words “penalty kicks” without having a mental breakdown.
England and Toronto are both long-suffering cities, but their fans keep showing up expecting a different outcome.
Insanity? No, just sports fandom.
NBA – New York Knicks
Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks celebrates a three-point basket with Karl-Anthony Towns during Game Two of the 2026 NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas, on June 5, 2026. (Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)
This one would have been an even better comparison if the New York Knicks hadn’t gone and won the whole damn thing this year, but these two sports teams are still eerily similar.
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Think of the Knicks’ 2026 NBA Championship run as a window into what it would look like if England captured a World Cup (on American soil, no less).
Before this year, the Knicks famously had not won a Larry O’Brien trophy in over 50 years, yet they were still considered one of the “blue bloods” of the NBA.
Decades of heartache didn’t change that; it only made their fans more insufferable, but their triumph earlier this month in the NBA Finals exorcised all those demons.
THE ATHLETIC BEWILDERINGLY CELEBRATES ‘ZOHRAN MAMDANI SPORTS SUMMER’ AFTER NEW YORK KNICKS WIN NBA FINALS
A win in the World Cup Finals would probably do the same for England fans, as you could probably feel that sigh of relief from the other side of the Atlantic.
MLB – New York Mets
New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto reacts after scoring a run on an RBI double by infielder Bo Bichette against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on April 2, 2026. (Robert Edwards/Imagn Images)
Hello again, New York.
The Big Apple certainly has its fair share of winners, but it also has plenty of franchises that are aching to make a trip back down the Canyon of Heroes, none more so than the Mets.
Year after year, the Mets are near the top of MLB in terms of spending, with little to show for their efforts.
WATCH THE WORLD CUP FINAL ON FOX ONE
They won a World Series back in 1986 and have been chasing that high ever since.
The common thread between England and the Mets (along with all the other teams on this list) is expectations relative to results, and it seems like the Mets are sort of a Schrödinger’s baseball franchise in that regard, expected to both compete for a World Series with their high-priced talent and flame out in spectacular fashion all the same.
FOX ONE’S NEW WORLD CUP VIEWING EXPERIENCE
England always has flashy players heading into World Cup play, but the results haven’t been there, and they’ve often been sent home in brutal fashion, offering a great parallel to the Mets’ clockwork-like midsummer swoons and late-season meltdowns.
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