"Encina is one of Dallas’s best brunch spots, with hefty breakfast sandwiches and espresso martinis for a relaxing midday meal. It’s also an ideal neighborhood go-to for dinner, with a menu varied enough to keep you coming back a few times a month. Think fresh salads, crispy flatbreads, and comforting potato-cheddar pierogies to start, followed by entrees like steak frites topped with bright chimichurri and roasted trout with a buttery parsnip puree. Encina draws neighbors and regulars to its two-sided bar like moths to a liquor-serving flame, so it probably won’t be long until you’re one of the usuals, too." - kevin gray