It's well-documented that Dallas lags other major cities in terms of its Italian cuisine offerings. We have a few notable places (Arcodoro, Nonna, Mi Piaci, etc.) but still lack enough to properly represent all that Italy has to offer. Cibus gives Dallas a new, unique view of Italian cuisine and does so at a reasonable price and with very good food & service. \r
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Cibus mainly serves dishes consistent with cuisine found in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. This region is the breadbasket of Italy and is regarded by many dining critics as having the most distinctive and notable cuisine. The menu is generally consistent with this theme. The sauces and pastas used stray from typical spaghetti and marinara and tend to focus on unique pastas with richer sauces. The menu also has a few risottos to choose from and 6 to 9 entrees. The entrees sounded more pedestrian, so I went with the pasta dishes and with burrata as the starter.\r
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The burrata with heirloom tomatoes is the best version of the dish that I've had in Dallas. It's still not in the ranks of what I've had in Italy, but it's close. Their burrata mozzerella had the same texture that I remember in Italy. For my pasta entree, I went with the Fiocchetti of Gorgonzola. Fiocchetti are small, purse-like pastas and for this dish they're filled with fontina cheese. The rich gorgonzola cheese sauce was top-notch ... the gorgonzola was not too overpowering but there's enough to let you know it's there. My wife had Cappelletti ... a larger half-moon shaped pasta filled with veal. Both dishes were very good and unlike anything we'd found at other area Italian restaurants.\r
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One tip, there are actually two restaurants comprising Cibus: a cafeteria-style cafe in the front and a sit-down full service restaurant in the back. Cibus also has an excellent gelato & sorbet selection that is very reminiscent of what you'd find throughout Italy.
Pros: Distinctive cuisine, reasonable prices
Cons: Located inside large mall
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