luniz Anonymous

is it high end Italian (ie Nonna) that Dallas hates, or pretentious BS like the stupid bush in the picture?

2 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

momzilla Anonymous

I suspect it relates to the fact that most of the county is on the Atkins diet.

2 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Billusa99 Anonymous

TG... Michael Morton is a founder/partner, but it's corporate name is the N9NE Group, not Morton Group. Morton Group (of Restaurants) owns Morton's Steakhouse.

In August 2007 I gave N9NE a year, in a now infamously bloviating thread elsewhere. To re-quote Trooper, they were always a three dressed up as a N9NE.

2 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Billusa99 Anonymous

Its, not it's. Mea culpa...

2 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Scott Anonymous

Some commonalities between Nove, Bice, and Il Mulino:

(1) All were outposts of non-Dallas chains.

(2) All were in relatively high rent areas.

(3) None had convenient surface parking.

(4) All were quite expensive, pitting them against the established fine dining heavyweights and all newcomers at the price point.

(5) The restaurants neither hewed closely to tradition nor broke new creative ground.

(6) All had expensive interiors (particularly Nove and Il Mulino) that had to be paid for.

(7) All were fairly large restaurants (compared to the size of upper midrange Italian places that seem to succeed--e.g., Adelmo's, Nonna, Mi Piaci, et al.).

(8) None got high and uniform praise from the local food press (or online foodies).

The hows and whys of the failures probably vary somewhat from case to case. But the similarities are strong enough that I wouldn't want to invest in a large, lavish, high-priced, out-of-state Italian restaurant with limited access and parking.

2 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

frankstongal Anonymous

thanks, billusa!

2 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

SkyHigh Anonymous

It's not the restaurant - it's the LOCATION. Victory Park is not working because the restaurants and retailers have no customers. Victory Park and the AAC were sold with the "promise" of +6,000 new residential units. They have only built 600. Victory Park won't work until it becomes a neighborhood.

2 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

DC Anonymous

The location was not very good. The food matched.

2 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

RussJFK Anonymous

High-end Italian food really just does not work in Dallas. The location is "high rent" as we all know and sooner or later that eats into the profits. I sure wish Victory Park would catch-on more, not just during the sporting events. WFAA was hoping to have the "Today Show" effect with people standing outside the studio windows waving and peering in during air times. That would have been nice, sorta NY'ish BUT the few times I have been down there, they actually don't want people waving through the windows when they are doing the news. They shoo you away. Go figure? I don't get that, loosen up and have fun, maybe more people would come on down and watch and eat there. Something new for Dallas.

2 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

bobdon000 Anonymous

It was faux italian in a faux setting (new urbanism).

Failure was predictable.

2 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

commenter Anonymous

Agree...Valet was $10 plus tip unless you wanted to walk a half mile and the couple of times I went, our waitress was a huge snooty "B!" High end Italian DOES work in Dallas, if you do it right. Bugatti, Arcodoro, etc.

2 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )