Texas
Texas’ best new restaurants include 3 in Dallas-Fort Worth
The second-best new restaurant in Texas is in the Dallas suburb of Farmers Branch, according to Texas Monthly’s latest list.
The accolade goes to Italian restaurant Radici Wood Fired Grill, Top Chef fan favorite and MasterChef judge Tiffany Derry’s newest spot tucked into a shopping center off I-35E near I-635.
Texas Monthly releases a list of best new restaurants every year, and each time, we have the opportunity to size up Dallas-Fort Worth’s hot spots against the best in Houston, Austin and San Antonio. A respectable three North Texas restaurants made the list: Radici in Farmers Branch (No. 2), Mābo in Dallas’ Preston Center (No. 3) and The Chumley House in Fort Worth (No. 9).
In Dallas, honorable mentions went to Goodwin’s on Greenville Avenue and Le PasSage on Fitzhugh Avenue — both big restaurant openings in 2024.
TM writers Patricia Sharpe and Courtney Bond loved the tallow-fried doughnut with smoked-tea sabayon at Le PasSage. We have to wonder: Did they try the mushroom caramel dessert?
One more honorable mention went to Simply South, the South Indian restaurant in Irving with a vegetarian menu.
Now that Michelin is releasing a yearly guide of Texas’ best restaurants, it’s fair to compare a statewide magazine’s list to the French company’s findings. They seemingly agree on the greatness of new Austin restaurant Craft Omakase: TM ranked it the No. 1 on the “best new restaurants” list. Michelin gave it 1 star — which it also offered to 14 other restaurants in Texas.
Notably, some of the restaurants on TM’s list were likely too new to be considered in Michelin’s 2024 rankings. The Chumley House opened after Michelin’s list was announced, for instance. Le PasSage opened a few weeks prior. Both would make sense as Michelin contenders for 2025, but time will tell.
Which restaurants were favorites?
The critics said of Craft in Austin: “Craft has struck exactly the right balance for a contemporary sushi restaurant, one that’s part of the great omakase explosion of the past few years. Its scope and sensibility honor the long history of sushi, which has evolved into its present form over two centuries. But Craft is not married to the past — playfulness and creativity are as much parts of its identity as proper technique.”
When it comes to No. 2 restaurant Radici, TM praised chef Derry’s focaccia, whole branzino and risotto.
Mābo might be under the radar to some North Texans. It’s one of Dallas’ tiniest restaurants, and it comes from Japanese chef Masayuki “Masa” Otaka, who operated Teppo in Dallas for nearly 30 years. Perhaps Mābo hasn’t received big attention because dinner costs a cool $200 per person — a fixed price that can only go up for those who tack on wine pairings or extra courses. Dinner is situated around the yakitori, and TM said, “you won’t look at the humble chicken the same way.”
It’s impressive the next D-FW restaurant on TM’s list, The Chumley House, made the cut at all. It’s been open barely three months. But it’s the buzziest North Texas restaurant on TM’s top 10. As a sibling restaurant to the flashy Mister Charles in Dallas, it’s no surprise Chumley delivers on design. Here, you’ll “fulfill the fantasy of traipsing through the home of a mid-century British aristocrat” while eating “dazzling beef Wellington.” Count us in.
Speaking of counting, Houston had three restaurants in the top 10. D-FW had three. San Antonio had two. Austin had two.
Read the full story here.
Saturday started out a bit warm and sticky outside in North Texas, but there will be plenty of sunshine in the afternoon. Temperatures are expected to climb into the upper 80s. Most of the area will stay dry today, but there is a chance for an isolated storm that could reach severe criteria late tonight for counties to the northwest of the metroplex.
Make sure you have an indoor plan for Mother’s Day celebrations tomorrow! Sunday morning will start warm, muggy, and dry for most with the exception of an isolated storm possible along the Red River.
A First Alert Weather Day is in place on Sunday due to a front that will swing across North Texas in the late afternoon through the evening. All modes of severe weather will be likely, but the main threat includes a significant risk of hail up to 2 inches in diameter and winds up to category 1 hurricane strength.
Once the front moves through, cooler temperatures will settle into the forecast on Monday. However, the cool down won’t last long. A warming trend returns and temperatures climb into the 90’s once again at the end of the next week. Stay tuned!
Just days before Mother’s Day, a North Texas father is grieving the sudden loss of his wife and unborn son after she died unexpectedly, only days before her due date. Avi Carey said he is still in shock over the death of his wife, Tiffany, whom he described as his “rock” and “soulmate.”
“Tiffany’s smile, her radiance, her presence … she didn’t meet a stranger,” Carey said.
Nearly two decades together
The couple had been together for nearly two decades, raising two children, Kingston and Kasyn, and preparing to welcome their third child, a baby boy they planned to name Kylo.
Carey said Tiffany began complaining of a severe headache just days before she was due to give birth. He recalled her sitting on the couch, dozing off multiple times – something he said was unusual.
A short time later, Carey found her unresponsive.
“I saw her face … her lips were blue. And I already knew,” he said with tears in his eyes.
A celebration turned to heartbreak
Tiffany Carey and her unborn son died May 2, leaving behind a grieving husband and two children. The loss came less than a week after the family had celebrated a baby shower.
“We went from celebrating the baby shower to planning a funeral in less than five days,” Carey said.
A crisis affecting Black mothers
Health officials say cases like this highlight a broader crisis. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Black women in the United States are more than three times as likely as white women to die from pregnancy‑related causes, and most of those deaths – around 80% – are considered preventable.
Carey said he is still searching for answers and now lives with questions about whether warning signs were missed.
“I would say educate yourself. Take everything seriously,” he said. “That should have been a red flag … the headache.”
Honoring Tiffany’s legacy
Now, surrounded by baby supplies meant for a child who never arrived, Carey said he is focused on honoring Tiffany’s memory and raising their children with the values she lived by.
“She always said, ‘You’ve got to lead with love,’” he said. “She did that in everything.”
Trump administration to release UFO files soon, president says
President Trump said his administration plans to release information and materials relating to UFOs.
Ever look up at the vast Texas sky and see something move across it? It could be a shooting star, a satellite — or a UFO.
The Pentagon released several documents Friday, May 8, detailing sightings of unidentified flying objects, or “bogeys,” in U.S. airspace, including reports from Texas.
The documents were released by the U.S. Department of Defense at the directive of President Donald Trump, marking the release of government files related to “alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP)” and UFOs.
“These files, hidden behind classifications, have long fueled justified speculation — and it’s time the American people see it for themselves. This release of declassified documents demonstrates the Trump Administration’s earnest commitment to unprecedented transparency,” said U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth in a statement.
Here’s a look at the files related to Texas.
UFO spotted in 1948 above Abilene, Texas
A DoD incident summary shows that on Jan. 1, 1948, a man identified as “Mr. A. Schroeder” reported a UFO in the 1100 block of Highland Ave in Abilene, Texas.
Schroeder reported seeing a stationary bright blue-green bell-shaped object in the western sky above Abilene at 1:25 a.m. and 1:30 a.m.
Fort Worth man sees UFO above Alaska
Also in 1948, Lt. Aytch Johnson noticed a silver flat disk in the sky in Fairbanks, Alaska.
According to the incident report, the Fort Worth man observed the object flying over Alaska at around 1:06 p.m. on April 18, 1948, at an estimated speed of 250 to 300 miles per hour.
The report also noted that the sighting “may have been the reflection of sun from wings” of aircrafts flying in the area at the time.
Possible UFO sighting during the NASA Gemini 7 space launch
The DoD released the transcript and audio file of NASA’s Gemini 7 mission in 1965 when astronaut Frank Borman reported to NASA mission control in Houston his sighting of an unidentified object, which he referred to as a “bogey.”
While the launch didn’t take place in Texas, the report came back to space control in Houston.
The conversation occurred on Dec. 5, 1965 — 4 hours and 24 minutes into the flight — when Borman notified space control that there was a “bogey” on their left-hand side.
When asked to clarify what they are seeing, Borman said he was seeing “hundreds of little particles” on their left, about three to four miles away.
As NASA Public Affairs clarified, the bogey was an unidentified object, along with the particles.
Pentagon documents report of other possible sightings in Texas
Some documents have connections or reports of possible UFO sightings in Texas, but are missing details to understand the situation.
For example, the DoD received a clipping from the Yoakum Times-Record reporting UFO sightings by Mrs. Anna Banys in 1947, but it is unclear why she was writing to the DoD.
This is a developing story. Check back for more updates.
Mateo Rosiles is the Texas Connect reporter for USA TODAY and its regional papers in Texas. Got a news tip for him? Email him at mrosiles@usatodayco.com.
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