Dinner at Dallas’ newest starred restaurant. Only two of us, so we will go back to try some other dishes.
The vibe is outstanding, they hit the French / Italian theming across the board. And the restaurant had a Friday night buzz – it was a place to see and be seen. Dressy chic was predominant.
Our drinks were excellent and the wine list offered a great selection of by-the-glass, half bottles and full send.
The food was very good. I would say comparable to some other one stars I have been to, and not comparable to others. I love sushi, so take that into consideration, but to me this restaurant is very good but not as good as Tatsu (*) the other starred restaurant in the city.
We started with bread course ($15!!) which had delicious French butter but otherwise plain and what many fine establishments provide as complimentary.
We had a lovely Amberjack crudo starter which was the second best bite of the night next to the croquettes with country ham and manchego cheese which was perfectly executed and a star of the menu. We shared the tagliatelle bolognese which was fine but seemed on par more with an above average mid to high quality Italian restaurant. For mains, my wife had the grilled whole Branzino in a delicious Pil Pil sauce, this was the third standout. I had the lobster which is an 11/10 in Instagram pics and an 8/10 on the palate. Lobster was cooked perfectly but I found the au poivre sauce a bit too much contrast. Only four dessert choices and we chose a sample version of the vanilla gelato with chocolate sauce and pecans. Tasty but seemed more like a kids dessert.
Things we didn’t try were Veal cordon bleu and Duck Mamani which we will try next.
by Ok-Elevator-2820
4 Comments
Funny story about this restaurant and the Dallas dining scene in general. This restaurant was open maybe 2 mo before the guide designated it with a star – and in that time you could get tables on Friday and Saturday night but the day after the star was given – boom – no tables available for a month. For those unfamiliar with the Dallas dining scene, it’s most for show with some highlights of substance.
I’ve had friends who’ve gone and enjoyed it, but service was horrendous and they said compared to some of the other 1 star restaurants in Europe and Asia that they’ve tried, this place doesn’t hold a candle to them. I’m going to try it out in a couple of months once they get their sea legs.
Looks like a nice vibe but food looks like the type of food you could find in any steakhouse level restaurant
How did they get a star , maybe for the bar alone.
You’re definitely aligned with my experience. I went a month or so before they got their star, and after the meal I was sure they were one-star caliber, but honestly didn’t think they’d get enough inspectors through in time for the ceremony.
We had the duck, paired with a 2015 Willamette valley Pinot. Both divine, best execution of a duck dish I’ve ever had (one-stars are the highest I’ve gone, so not surprising). Stellar ambiance, excellent wine list, and the somm made a great Chablis pick.