Recent food news has made much fanfare of the opening of Michelin-awarded chef Jose Andres’ new restaurant, Zaytinya, in Frisco’s The Star. Opening a little more quietly in early March was a fine-dining neighbor that comes from the same Turkish hospitality group, called “d.ream." Italian concept Da Mario and Zaytinya are the international company’s first restaurant ventures in the United States, and if there’s one descriptor Da Mario is attempting to achieve, it is authentic.

Dinner guests will know they’ve arrived at a place a bit more bona fide than Macaroni Grill upon receiving a "buona sera" greeting from a host facing a wine cellar stocked with nearly 300 Italian imports. Tables draped in white tablecloths line the Texas-sized formal dining room in an art-deco-inspired interior with geometric patterns and clean lines.