Knife Italian Steak has closed its doors at the Ritz-Carlton Dallas, Las Colinas, wrapping up a more-than-two-year run for chef John Tesar's Irving outpost. The restaurant served its last plates on Oct. 6, closing out an experiment that began as an Italian-leaning concept before pivoting toward a heavier steakhouse identity.
According to D Magazine, Knife Italian Steak concluded its run at the property on Oct. 6, closing out a stint that started under a different name. The restaurant launched as Knife Italian back in March 2024, then rebranded midway through its run with a bigger focus on beef, the outlet reports. As Dallas Business Journal notes, the steakhouse operated at the Ritz-Carlton Dallas, Las Colinas, located in Irving, Texas.
A Resort Rebuilt, A Restaurant Reimagined
The Ritz-Carlton property itself has a relatively fresh identity. The resort opened after the former Four Seasons in Irving was renovated and rebranded, and it underwent a $65 million transformation into what the property describes as a premier luxury resort destination, per the same D Magazine account. Knife Italian Steak was part of that reinvention when it debuted in 2024, giving the hotel a flagship dining draw from a chef with a national profile.
That profile got a boost later that year. Knife Italian Steak in Las Colinas was named among 27 restaurants recognized by Robb Report as some of the most stunning openings of 2024, according to bizjournals.com. The recognition underscored how much weight the Ritz-Carlton had put behind the concept as a signature attraction for the resort.
What's Next for the Space and for Tesar
The resort isn't leaving the space empty for long, at least in terms of planning. The property is developing a new signature restaurant concept to launch early in 2027, created in partnership with an acclaimed chef, D Magazine reports — though the identity of that chef and further details on the concept have not been disclosed.
Tesar's broader footprint in North Texas has been shrinking even as he stays active elsewhere. He remains a partner at the Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes, where he operates Knife & Spoon and Knife Burger, per the outlet's reporting. Locally, the original Dallas location of Knife closed in 2025, leaving Tesar with just one area outlet, Knife Plano, which is expected to remain open even after the adjacent Shops at Willow Bend are eventually torn down. Tesar is also said to be planning a future flagship Knife location in Dallas.
The Las Colinas closure follows a separate shakeup in Tesar's Dallas restaurant portfolio last year. His partnership with the Highland Hotel ended on March 28, 2025, though the restaurant remained open as Knife without Tesar through Aug. 31, 2025, with a separate report at the time indicating Tesar's Knife would go independent at a new Uptown location while the Highland retained rights to use the Knife name and steaks only through Aug. 31, 2025.
