AM/FM, a new all-day diner in the Design District, quietly opened February 10, but there’s nothing timid about its food, drinks, and vibe. AM/FM just blasted what a stereotypical Texas diner is supposed to be, and it’s going to rock.

In the former Ferris Wheeler’s BBQ joint on Market Center, AM/FM’s plain exterior belies the cool, retro vibe inside the diner. Inspired by owners Annette Marin and Matthew Harbin’s primary business, Spune music and concert promotion, the diner looks like a cross between a recording studio, a concert venue, and a hip mid-century restaurant.

Diners can order breakfast, lunch, or dinner fare any time of the day.  French toast for dinner? You got it. Pot roast guiso and coffee for breakfast? Great.

Breakfast items include chilaquiles, pork belly toast, a loaded breakfast croissant, and beautiful, nutty blue masa pancakes with honey butter and maple syrup.

Crab Bisque and Grilled Cheese

Seasonal French Toast

Blue Masa Pancakes

Lunchier options include crab bisque with grilled pimento cheese sandwich. The bisque’s seafood stock base is made in house, with tomatoes and red peppers blended in perfect harmony along with a touch of cream and finished with two meaty crab claws in the bowl. The technicolor pimento cheese is made with cheddar, smoked gouda, and mozzarella, that oozes out of the toasted Empire Baking bread.

For heavier mains, the meatloaf stuffed with jalapeño poppers in a classed-up ketchup sauce and black pepper mashed potatoes are excellent. The chef’s pot pie flavor will rotate but there’s a chicken enchilada pot pie in the lineup that’s calling my name.

There are starters, sides, and salads, too. The trio of dips’ jalapeño edamame hummus is best with the house-made hippy crackers, and the pickle dip is so good I finished it off with a spoon. The only two sides I tried are the hashbrowns and the carrots. The hashbrown is one, large baked-then-fried ball of cheesy potato goodness perched in a jalapeño crema. The carrots are gorgeous baby carrots in a honey-sweetened goat cheese puree with salsa macha on top.

Dip Trio PHOTO: KR

Hashbrown PHOTO: KR

Side of Carrots PHOTO: KR

The menu was developed by Chef Anastacia Quiñones-Pittman who leads the kitchen team. Her partners at Oh Hi! Hospitality, Victor Rojas and Carlos Marquez, are also part of the AM/FM management team in operations and beverage, respectively.

Since AM/FM is also a lounge and music venue, the cocktail program is strong. The menu is divided into four categories to distinguish the different profiles. They are: AM Standards, Analog classics, lightly tuned; Clear Reception, no skips, no static; FM Highballs, which include a French I-35 with cava, gin, elderflower, lemon, and Thai basil; Off The Dial, “left-of-center, deeper cuts.” The menus offers classic cocktails, N/A drinks, and a stellar beer menu thanks to the owners’ appreciation for great craft beer.

Good songs, like good menus, require good storytelling. AM/FM’s menu tells layers of stories. The open-faced tuna sandwich isn’t just a diner staple, it’s an homage to how far Chef AQ has come in her culinary journey. As a student at the Culinary Institute of America, she didn’t have the funds to explore a lot of the food served at the campus restaurants, including the tuna melt. As her career blossomed and she was nominated for a James Beard award, AQ and her husband visited the CIA campus. They filled the table with many of the items she’d missed as a student, including the tuna sandwich. It was an emotional homecoming. When she told Matt Harbin that story, he implored her to add it to the menu.

AM/FM’s owners are deeply connected to the music industry and bring musical acts through Dallas to perform at their venue, Club Dada, AM/FM and other venues such as Trees, The Rustic, and ATT PAC Strauss Square, and they know that many artists are recovering from unhealthy lifestyles including drug and alcohol addiction. They were intentional about creating a menu that offers healthier options for the artists that will dine and perform at AM/FM’s backyard music venue.

AM/FM has a broad, approachable menu that lends itself to dining here several times a week. The least expensive dishes on the menu are sides of scrambled eggs and a side biscuit, each priced at $4. The most expensive item on the menu is the pot roast guiso at $22.

AM/FM is located at 1950 Market Center Blvd. It’s not currently using an online reservations platform but stay tuned, that might change. Check out the website for the complete menu and for a lists of artists and concert dates.