Oak Cliff favorite Encina debuts sister restaurant in Duncanville

For six years, chef Matt Balke and Corey McCombs have built a following at their Oak Cliff restaurant Encina. Now, the married couple and business partners are bringing their New American cooking to Duncanville with Isbella, which opened in mid-October at 200 N. Main St.

When the couple first told CultureMap about plans for Isbella, McCombs said opening a second restaurant "seemed like the logical next step." Many Encina customers come from Duncanville and surrounding cities, she said, so they were excited the restaurant would be closer to home.

Isbella occupies a repurposed midcentury building that once served as a volunteer fire station. Like Encina, it serves New American cuisine with Southern influences, an emphasis on seasonal ingredients, and what McCombs describes as "approachable, comforting food" that's also "elevated."

Isbella's menu includes starters such as Wagyu beef cheek pastrami with sharp cheddar pimento cheese, warm crab dip with sea salt potato chips, ad Granny Isbella's Skillet Cornbread with whipped honey brown cutter and pepper jelly — all priced $12-$18.