“Looking for an Italian restaurant tonight with great ambiance with a full bar,” the message from my friend began. “Doesn't need to be the most expensive in town but we're totally willing to spend money tonight. Decent parking a plus!”

Part of the nature of the job of a restaurant critic is to get pinged for recommendations. Call it an occupational hazard. Innocuous as it seems, this particular message from my friend asks for a lot. Let's put aside the requests for parking and price point because nothing seems to inflame the opinions of Dallas diners more than our city's apparent deficiency in great Italian restaurants.