RM 12:20's Erin Willis and The Grape's Brian Luscher are hosting a dinner event

Chef Brian Luscher, formerly of beloved restaurant The Grape and Chef Erin Willis of one of our favorite neighborhood spots, RM 12:20 Bistro, will be collaborating a 4-course menu on Saturday, Jan. 18^th at RM 12:20 Bistro from 6 to 9 p.m. The dinner will include an amuse bouche and mignardises as well as wine with each course for $100 per person.

“My husband and I had been going to The Grape for years and celebrated many occasions there with family and friends. It’s an honor to be working side by side with Brian as he’s one of the best in the restaurant business. To have him and Courtney frequent RM on a regular basis, then share a kitchen with him, will definitely make for a memorable experience,” Willis said in a press release.

Brian and Courtney took over The Grape 12 years ago and made it “the” bistro in Dallas. The restaurant has earned numerous awards and accolades, and also a well-known romantic destination. When the pair decided to close the restaurant in October, many neighbors were upset.

“It was a fantastic journey,” Brian said, “they don’t make restaurants like that anymore.”

That is until Brian and Courtney found RM 12:20 Bistro in their neighborhood. “We now have a place to sit back and enjoy good food, wine, cocktails and service,” Courtney said.

RM 12:20 is the brainchild of Erin Willis of Lake Highlands. The restaurant opportunity fell into her lap when a group of residents asked her if she’d consider.

Erin Willis thought the neighborhood lacked a good spot where neighbors could gather and sip drinks. The executive chef, with experience at High Hill Farm, the Meadows Museum and Patrizio’s in Highland Park, draws inspiration for her menu from her travels abroad in France, where she wrote journals that she often refers to for ideas.

RM 12:20 Bistro is a cozy European-style restaurant with a patio that will soon host monthly live music events. It’s one of the many businesses involved in the redevelopment of Lakeridge Village.

“We have white tablecloths, candlelit dinners, live music. Lake Highlands has a ‘date night’,” Willis said.

The two plan to put together a fun dinner to kick off the new year.

“The grandfather of bistros is teaching me and my crew what a bistro should be like in all aspects,” Willis said. “What chef wouldn’t love this opportunity?”