Prince’s Lebanese Grill in Arlington recently launched a cool partnership with the Arlington Independent School District in which the restaurant will develop new menu items that will be served in all 78 of the AISD’s school cafeterias. Working within the guidelines of the National School Lunch Program, Prince owner/chef Aziz Kobty will create various dishes throughout the school year that will put healthy and delicious top of mind. Probably the coolest part of this initiative is the fact that Kobty’s menu items will be tested and approved by the students themselves. The dishes were still being hammered out at press time but included baked chicken wings for the first day of school. At 34 years old, Prince’s Lebanese Grill is one of the city’s popular and longest-running Mediterranean restaurants. 502 W. Randol Mill Road, Arlington, princelebanesegrill.com
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Downtown Italian restaurants il Modo and 61 Osteria recently unveiled new late summer menus. Il Modo, the restaurant on the ground floor of the Kimpton Harper Hotel downtown, introduced several new seasonal items, such as wild boar pappardelle with a tomato-herb ragu; salmon with garlic spinach, ribbons of squash and confit tomatoes in a tomato emulsion; and asparagus soup with crispy prosciutto and crème fraîche. In step with its housemade pasta program, the restaurant offers pasta-making classes on the first Thursday of each month, the next one being September 7. 714 Main St., ilmodorestaurant.com
Meanwhile, a few blocks over at 61 Osteria, owner Adam Jones and executive chef Blaine Staniford recently added new items to their lunch and brunch menus. New apps include local tomatoes served with hand-stretched mozzarella, basil, saba, and Texas olive oil; prosciutto di parma and melon, 12-month-aged ham with local melon, herb oil, black pepper, and chives; and pork belly spiedini, wood-grilled pork belly with black olive caramel, celery leaf, and orange zest. New entrees include Texas Corn Soup, a Wagyu burger; and handmade spaghetti and serpente pastas. 500 W. Seventh St., 61osteria.com
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Eazy Monkey, chef Andrew Dilda’s ode to mashups of Asian and American cuisine and ’90s skater-punk culture, quietly opened in August in the old Fixture spot in the Near Southside, but for third party delivery service only. Dilda says he still has some details to work out before he opens for dine-in service; he’s looking at mid- to late-September. Once open, this spinoff of Dallas’ Monkey King Noodle Co. should be one of the city’s most unique restaurants, with a fun, rock ‘n’ roll atmos and an adventurous menu made up of items like cheeseburger fried rice and crab Rangoon nachos. 401 W. Magnolia Ave., eazymonkey.com
