Tonight I went to one of my absolute favorite dining rooms in Dallas. The dark, warm, and romantic atmosphere of Daniele Osteria’s basement-level location was as welcoming as ever. You see, this little jewel of a restaurant is located under the Chase bank on Oak Lawn. That’s right - it’s basement level. Further on that point, the Dallas Observer called Daniele Osteria “The Best Place to Sit on a Patio and Not Be Seen” for their annual Best Of Dallas review. If you’re lucky, you may even be there on a night when there’s a live violinist in the dining room. In short, the atmosphere is wonderful which, incidentally, makes this a great place to take a date!

The next best thing about Daniele Osteria is the man himself, Daniele Puleo. Propitious, jocund, and sartorial to the extreme, Daniele will make you feel like his #1 guest (provided he’s working the dining room and not laboring hard in la cucina). How’s this for an anecdote: When leaving after a previous visit we bumped into Daniele himself tending to some tomato vines he has growing in big wooden planters out on the patio. A true Italian, this guy!

The specific subset of Italian cuisine is Sicilian. There is a fantastic selection of pasta combined with various sauces and other tasty ingredients such as mussels, mushrooms, and panchetta (yum!). In addition to the pasta dishes there are the Secondi (that’s 2nd course, or entrees, to you) which offers dishes like Orange Rougy Alla Messinese and Vitello Alla Siciliana (which I’ve had on a previous visit and it was delicious). Tonight I had the Filetto Al Gorgonzola, a beautiful (and perfectly prepared medium-rare) filet mignon with a gorgonzola sauce and some grilled veggies with potatoes. At $29 for such a delectable delight, I almost felt like I was robbing the place. Oh, and twice now I’ve started my evening with the Caprino Fritto. If eating fried goat cheese on a salad is wrong, I don’t want to be right.

However, despite all of this fantastic food, if you go to Daniele Osteria only once, you absolutely, positively, must have the Gnocchi al Gorgonzola. I’m not joking - if I hear you’ve dined from the custom ceramic dishes bearing Daniele’s name and you didn’t eat the gnocchi, I will hunt you down and smack you silly with a bologna sausage. Until proven otherwise, I will stand by the statement that this is the best gnocchi you can get in Dallas, and probably even all of Texas.

The wine list is impressive as well. There are some American wines on the list but honestly, I don’t look at those. In an earlier visit, Daniele himself pointed us to a red made from the sangiovese grape and I’ve been hooked on it ever since. This evening we had the Capezzana “Conti Contini”. It’s strong and fruity with just a little bit of spice and a nice long finish. Wines from this grape are commonly blends, but this particular wine was 100% sangiovese. For you high rollers out there, some older vintages of various wines are available for well into triple-digit prices.

A few notes in closing. First is parking. With a basement location, I can remember not knowing where to park the first time I went. The easiest place is to turn onto Hall street and use the garage behind the Chase building. You will see signs for the restaurant and there is a door straight in from the first level of the parking garage. Second, for Friday’s and weekends, reservations are recommended. Third - what’s an Osteria? I’m not 100% sure, but Google tells me this: “A tavern or humble restaurant where wine is served as the main attraction and tasty food is prepared to wash it down.” Good enough for me! And, finally, Daniele Osteria was recently Zagat rated.

I find that when I talk about food with my friends and new people, I invariably bring up Cafe Madrid, easily one of my favorite places to go eat in Dallas. What is also invariable is that when I do mention it, they almost always cock their heads and query, “Topless?” Personally, I don’t have anything against topless establishments. Even a topless tapas place would be dandy. But Cafe Madrid is just good ol’ Spanish tapas. Emphasis on the good.

One of the best features of Cafe Madrid is the setting. There’s indoor seating (At least, I’m pretty sure there is - I’ve never actually been in the building even after four visits) and a large patio area that’s really just out on the wide sidewalk. A true cafe feel. As the sun sets, the awnings come to life with little white lights. There’s no pop music playing. The street isn’t super busy. A very pleasant space to enjoy good food, good company, and good conversation. A nice contrast to crowded and noiser (albeit, more popular) patio scenes such as Primos.

Now, lets get down to the food. First of all, if you’ve never had tapas I’ll explain real quick how it works. Tapas are essentially a la carte dishes or appetizers. If you have ever looked at a restaurant menu and just wanted to pig out on the appetizers, then tapas is the thing for you. You can order a single tapas dish for yourself, but it’s the most fun to order several dishes for the whole table and everybody just picks at the selections at their leisure. Still hungry when those are gone? Order more! The typical price range for a tapas plate is $3-$9.

I usually start with a cheese plate. They have anywhere from eight to a dozen spanish cheeses available. My favorites are the manchego, san simon, and ibores. The cabrales is excellent too, but I’m not always in the mood for a mold-cured cheese. As for the tapas menu, I’ve found I always order the Spanish Potato Omelette, and sometimes even crave this particular little delight when I’m feeling hungry and nowhere close to Cafe Madrid - it’s just one of those foods that seems like it could always “hit the spot.” Other favorites include the Tuna Empanadas, Spinach with Pine Nuts, Oxtail Stew, and of course the Paella. But, to be honest, everything here is so good that you could throw darts at the menu and enjoy every random choice. Keep an eye out for the specials menu!

Now let’s talk wine. I’ve tried several different wines at Cafe Madrid, but two stand out. For the whites, it is the Lusco Albarino. Normally I’m not a huge white wine fan, but this one is appealing. It’s not too dry or too sweet. For the reds, I love the Montecillo Crianza, which is from the Rioja region of Spain, which I’ve praised before. I will find it hard to not order this wine on my next visit, for variety is the spice of life! Also, if you find a variety you particularly like, they are more than happy to bag up some bottles for you to take home (you do have to pay for them, ya know).

Which brings me to my final words about Cafe Madrid: the service. The wait staff are excellent. Courteous, knowledgeable, and fastidious, they perform their job with high efficiency without being annoying - which further feeds that pleasant atmosphere I enjoy so much about this poace. So, please go rally up some friends and head over to Cafe Madrid.