Step inside Desert Racer on Greenville Avenue and it’s easy to forget you’re in Dallas. The long-awaited patio bar from Dallas restaurateur Nick Badovinus feels like a curated Santa Fe home, with its rust-colored rugs and funky choices in cacti. But there’s fun around every corner, like the Ducatis parked inside the restaurant as if somebody’s hopped off to grab a Ranch Water and a plate of tacos.

The expansive 8,000-square-foot patio is encased in cinder-block walls, which is curious from the outside: It’s as if the shenanigans during a game of cornhole or foosball will forever be a secret to anyone who didn’t come in for a drink.

When the weather warms, this patio will be one of the hottest places in Dallas for a cocktail and a plate of loaded tater tots.

Badovinus’ signature touches are all over the menu and restaurant decor. The many vehicles inside and out — including a full-sized van and a white bug — remind of Badovinus’ steakhouse Town Hearth, where a ’60s-era MG is parked inside underneath sparkling chandeliers. The five burgers on Desert Racer’s menu show anyone paying attention that Badovinus operates Off-Site Kitchen, a burger joint in West Dallas. The art is a little bit like his Perfect Union Pizza Co. in Highland Park: Instead of walls lined with prints of buses and surfers, Desert Racer has photos of cars and a neon-lit motorcycle helmet.

See the full Dallas News article