Husband-and-wife team Casey and Amy La Rue turned their series of pandemic pop-ups into one of Dallas' most sought-after restaurants, Carte Blanche. There are two main parts to this wood-lined space. The first is Amy's domain, the high-end viennoiserie featuring bread, pastry and desserts. The second aspect is where Casey shines with fine dining. A nightly-changing menu is full of delicately plated seasonal fruits, vegetables and locally sourced wild game.
In the morning (Thursday through Sunday), the bakery is a destination for rotating sweets. Check out the busy space and see Amy in action as she folds butter into dough, churns out flaky pastry and works loaves into bread-shaped baskets for baking.
Once night falls (Tuesday through Saturday), that's when the Casey turns out a 12-course tasting menu or a smaller five-course meal. Dinner is more formal, and reservations should be made to score a seat at one of the dark wooden tables overlooking the busy kitchen beyond.
- A pastry isn't just a pastry at this Dallas restaurant. Chef Amy creates an array of tantalizing baked goods that prove both expertly made and, in some cases, innovative. For example, the jalapeño popper danish is at once a morning delicacy and an ode to Texas food culture. Vanilla-glazed brioche doughnuts are a hit, as well as buttery croissants and loaves of fresh sourdough bread.
- Every day the tasting menu changes, all depending on what the chefs get in. This could mean foie gras with pineapple done many ways; Texas elk cooked over a pecan-wood fire and enhanced with black truffle bordelaise; and Maine bluefin toro that's dressed with cranberry kosho and herbs. The only dish that remains consistent is the starter plate, which features a raw, sustainable fish spiked with Fresno chile, celery and grapefruit aguachile.
- Dark wooden doors welcome you into Carte Blanche, and the rustic wooden beams inside the space give it an inviting aura. Even when you're dining on upscale dishes, it feels like you have entered a comfortable cottage eatery rather than a fine-dining establishment.
- Often three of the courses feature Amy's delicate pastries, which could include pain perdu with vanilla anglaise, raspberry and elderflower, or black currant and raspberry sorbet with sake sabayon, a rich custard sauce.
- You can add on a wine pairing or bring your own bottle for a corkage fee, but what really stands out is the rare tea pairing. This involves not just traditional hot tea, but sparkling and cold selections as well.
- Amy and Casey have been cooking around the country together since they met in 2014. Before landing in Texas in 2019, they were most recently in Connecticut and New Hampshire.
- Both chefs come from culinary families. Casey is the son of two chefs, and Amy's father is an executive chef for The Ritz-Carlton.
Breakfast
Business casual
Dinner
Gluten-free options
Reservations required 
Self-parking
Vegetarian options
