Seasons 52 is now open at NorthPark Center and is currently featuring it’s autumn menu. (Courtesy of Season 52)

Seasons 52, a casual grill and wine bar, opened its newest location in NorthPark Center on Oct. 29. This location is the second of these restaurants to open in Texas.

Perhaps the biggest appeal of the restaurant is its dedication to a healthy and balanced lifestyle. All items on the menu are less than 475 calories and are just as flavorful and satisfying as any high-caloric meal.

The fresh menu allows guests to walk away from their dining experience feeling good about their meal choice – a concept that it is rare to find when dining out.

The Dallas restaurant seats just under 400 diners and includes a main dining area, outdoor patio, three private dining rooms, and a piano bar that plays live music nightly.

As Seasons 52 President Stephen Judge previously stated, “NorthPark Center is renowned throughout the country and is an ideal setting for Seasons 52. It is a signature shopping destination, which attracts millions of Texans and visitors to the city. The energy from the owners and other tenants make it a perfect location for us. We are very excited to introduce Seasons 52 to the Dallas area.”

The concept of Seasons 52 is apparent in the restaurant’s name. The menu, developed by chef Clifford Pleau, is seasonally inspired. It changes four times a year, and offers the best and freshest produce, cuisine and flavors that each season has to offer – 52 weeks a year.

To supplement the cuisine, the restaurant has an award-winning wine list consisting of an international selection of 100 wines with a choice of 52 by the glass, which was created and developed by Master Sommelier George Miliotes.

For its fall debut, Seasons 52 is presenting its autumn menu. Selections include seasonal dishes such as cider-glazed grilled chicken skewers with Fuji apple slaw, sun-dried cranberries and toasted pumpkin seeds and Maple Leaf Farms sesame duck with chopped greens, apples, mint, cranberries, butternut squash and toasted pecans.

One of the restaurant’s signature dishes is the flatbread. This thin-crusted pizza includes a selection of flavors like the artichoke & goat cheese flatbread (leaf spinach, balsamic onions, roasted peppers), a more filling garlic chicken flatbread (balsamic onions, roasted red peppers, mozzarella cheese) and a Spicy Chipotle Shrimp (grilled pineapple, feta cheese, roasted poblano peppers) among others.

Entrée dishes feature a number of salads, vegetarian, seafood, meat and poultry dishes. Mini indulgences are offered for dessert and come in an assortment of flavors.

All salads are prepared with organic lettuce and greens, like the fresh Maui Tuna Crunch, which is made with sushi-grade seared tuna, organic greens, pineapple, toasted almonds and topped with a miso vinaigrette. Another is the barbecue chicken salad, with corn, roasted red peppers, pumpkin seeds and crumbled blue cheese.

Vegetarian options are the sonoma goat cheese ravioli, prepared in an organic tomato broth with roasted garlic and sweet basil and the autumn vegetarian tasting which is served in a soft taco with chili relleno, vegetables, cedar roasted tofu and mango chutney.

Seafood entrees include fish dishes such as Prince Edward Island mussels, caramelized grilled sea scallops, grilled boneless rainbow trout, and cedar plank roasted salmon. For a more substantial entrée, the flavorful grilled jumbo shrimp penne pasta is served with spinach, mushrooms, garlic, sour cream and sun-dried tomatoes.

Poultry and meat items include chicken dishes ranging from a spicy chicken chile relleno to a wood-roasted pork tenderloin. Another great meat dish is the classic bone-in strip steak for meat.

Perhaps the most surprising items on the menu to meet the 475 caloric count are the mini indulgences. These sweet treats are nearly impossible to surpass as the server presents each table with a display of the desserts at the end of each meal encouraging each diner to pick his or her desired flavor.

Mini indulgences come in the flavors of key lime pie, mocha macchiato, chocolate peanut butter mousse, Belgian chocolate rocky road and raspberry chocolate chip cannoli.

Fitting for this season are the pecan pie with vanilla mousse and pumpkin pie with ginger snap crust flavors.

Seasons 52 is located at 307 NorthPark Center between Neiman Marcus and Dillard’s. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner every day. The company currently operates in over 22 restaurants across the United States and is planning to open its third Texas location in Houston in Spring 2013.