The Weekender: Go eat brunch at The Mockingbird, new all-day diner from owner of Maple & Motor burgers

Restaurateur Jack Perkins knows a thing or two about what Texans want to eat. His Maple & Motor burger restaurant (which Texas Monthly ranks in the top five on its list of best burgers in DFW), and The Slow Bone, the barbecue joint he founded in 2013, continue to draw crowds. Now Perkins is trying his hand at an all-day diner called The Mockingbird. With its A-frame roof and pitched cathedral ceiling, the breakfast, lunch and dinner spot echoes the look of a small town church. Slide into one of the booths (the wood benches are reclaimed church pews) or take a seat at the counter. Order a cup of coffee and a stack of fluffy buttermilk pancakes, or maybe some crackly fried chicken and a side of green beans amped up with tomatoes, bacon and a lick of vinegar. Not that hungry? Chef Jeana Johnson’s house-made donuts, orange rolls, cakes and pies taste as celestial as everything else on The Mockingbird’s menu. Another nicety: you can order half-portions of nearly anything on the menu, which makes it easy to fill your belly without loosening your pants. 3130 W Mockingbird Ln., Dallas; (214) 351-2473.

This story appears in the February issue of 360 West Magazine.