Restaurants in Lewisville

On Val Panizzut's first visit to his wife’s Mexican hometown, the co-owner of The Prickly Pear vowed he would name his first restaurant after the delicious fruit borne from cacti. Today, the fruition of that fruit-inspired idea offers expansive views of Lake Norman from its generous windows or patio seats, as well a menu of Mexican cuisine. Not content with just offering traditional tacos and burritos, the kitchen crafts modern Mexican dishes that have earned it numerous local press mentions. They pair the usual flavors of cotija cheese, chipotles and cilantro with, for example, fruits such as pear, mango, and pineapple, all in an effort to add savory, piquant, or sweet depth to shrimp dishes and adobo-rubbed chicken. To augment the adventurous atmosphere, live musical acts entertain guests on Thursday and Sunday nights—but they never say in advance exactly where in the restaurant they’ll hide as they play.

Prosciutto's Pizzeria & Pub hosts a menu of New York–style pizza and Italian fare that earned the establishment Best Pizza and Best Italian Food from Citysearch in 2010. To complement the traditional pastas, white pizzas, and pies slathered in daily-made tomato sauce, a lengthy beer and wine list features craft beers, imported brews, and a wealth of red and white wines.

The family-friendly pub and pizzeria is divided in two: The kids side with video games and toys has seceded from an adult section that houses a nonsmoking bar lit by dangling icicle lights. Sports-casting TVs and athletic paraphernalia keep the vibe sporty for when the athletes return to claim their jerseys and balls. Thursday nights host cornhole tournaments outdoors on the patio, and live music energizes the air on Friday and Saturday nights.

Diners can take a trip around the US, with a glance at the menu at Alton's Kitchen & Cocktails, which borrows heavily from American regional fare. The kitchen stokes dreams of the Old West by gracing tables with lamb shanks from Colorado and salmon from Seattle, each teeming with tales of a life of train-hopping and hitchhiking east. Chunks of shellfish nestle into the New England–style lobster roll, and shrimp simmer in creole barbeque sauce, giving diners a taste of New Orleans.

A curved bar extends from exposed brick walls, which frame shiny dark wood floors. These floors match the tall, bistro-style tables and the high-manteled fireplace, which gleam beneath the light of cascading chandeliers, giving the room a refined, yet cozy feel. Diners can also find seating on an outdoor patio, where they can feel the breeze on their face, a sure sign that the moon is sneaking up behind them to steal their dessert.

Emerywood serves gourmet soup, salad, and entrees for dinner. Preheat your evening appetite with Cajun shrimp and crawfish cakes, served over greens with sweet-chili remoulade ($8.95), or the veggie quesadilla, with black beans, corn, roasted veggies & cheddar cheese, served on a flour tortilla ($6.50). To fill your appetite bucket to the brim, try a Big Daddy's pizza, which packs pepperoni, chicken, Italian sausage, jalapeños, onions, mushrooms, olives, and tomatoes onto a mozzarella-slathered crust ($12.95). Elegant entrees include shrimp and organic grits (with veggies, andouille, and a white-wine sauce, $17.95), Emerywood Lump Crab Cakes with sweet basil aioli and garlic mashed potatoes, pan-seared pork chop ($17.95), and cedar-plank salmon with fresh dill orzo ($18.95).

Hailed as one of Winston-Salem’s best restaurants by 10Best, Noble’s Grille whips up fine French and Mediterranean dishes alongside scrumptiously simple Southern bites amid an elegant, wood-furnished setting. For a main course, sup on a Dixie delight such as the shrimp and grits ($23) with bacon and midnight moon tomato, or opt for a succulent slab of USDA prime beef in the form of a 14-ounce rib eye ($29) served seared and sizzling with meaty deliciousness. Enjoy a meal as light as a globetrotting eccentric's hot air balloon by noshing on a crème fraîche-festooned white pizza ($6) bedecked with bacon and caramelized onions, or a fried-oyster salad ($14) with egg, bacon, and balsamic. Patrons can also rev appetite engines with an elegant, Southern–style appetizer such as hushpuppy-dusted fried shrimp, accompanied by a zesty dijonaise ($12)

After ascending a steel stairway through rock walls, diners are ushered to an intimate, white-linen-decked table or private booth and handed a menu of elegant, gourmet fare. Preheat your appetite with a finely crafted appetizer such as calamari fries with honey-chipotle sauce ($11), and then make a bold excursion into the meaty flavors of a cowboy steak (a 16-ounce rib chop with tempura onion rings and garlic mashed potatoes, $29) or a Kobe beef burger with fresh mozzarella and homemade fries ($10). The tri-colored tortellini in an order of Rasta pasta (a Caribbean-infused dish with andouille sausage, mushrooms, and chicken, $13) satisfy carb cravings and can be used as pillows for fingers tired from cutting out letters for ransom notes.