Shawn V.
Yelp
My wife and I were coming to Dallas for 4 days for our anniversary and we were looking for great places for dinner. When I saw Bonnells' menu I was hooked - lots of items that you just don't see in other places. So, I made a reservation and we decided to try it out.
When we entered, we were promptly greeted and the hostess looked up our reservation and wished us a happy anniversary. We were immediately seated. Our server (Jamie) immediately came to our table, wished us a happy anniversary and asked how many years. When we said 38, she was genuinely surprised and engaged in short but personal conversation. We don't drink alcohol so our drinks (water and soda) were easy and they were promptly brought. Jamie asked if we had any questions about the menu and I asked what she recommended for an appetizer, She recommended the elk tacos with Green Chile, Pico de Gallo and Queso Fresco. We went with those and wow - they were very tasty. They were three mini tacos. The elk meat was prepared perfectly and all of the tastes just complimented each other. The tacos were really good!
Next we each had a cup of soup. My wife had the soup of the day which was a red pozole. The smoked pork was very generous and tasty. There was a surprising touch of radish which was good; the hominy was perfectly prepared and frankly, really good.
I had the Roasted Tomato and Jalapeno soup. I was glad that Jamie told me that it wasn't very spicy (I like really spicy food) or I would have been disappointed, but since she told me in advance I wasn't expecting something that wasn't there. The soup had a good flavor - wasn't bad, but was the least favorite of the entire meal.
The cornbread that they brought was like a 6" round cake-like cornbread. It was extremely moist with a hint of sweetness (probably honey) and had the texture of a perfect yellow cake. It was served with sea salt butter and bacon jalapeno butter. Again - it was spot on!
For the entrees - my wife had the Stuffed Poblano which came with black beans, squash, zucchini, tomatoes, toasted hazelnuts, corn, smoked tomato rice and Tomatillo Crema. It was excellent. Since she is a mac 'n cheese snob, she also ordered a side of their loaded macaroni and cheese. To say that the mac 'n cheese was one of the two best either of us has eaten would not be an overstatement - it was that good. It was like a loaded baked potato but with macaroni - truly fabulous.
I had the Elk Tenderloin which came with whole grain mustard risotto and fried poblano rings. Where to start? The fried poblano rings were perfectly prepared. The batter was enough to make them crunchy but not so much that it obscured the poblano. The risotto was prepared perfectly as well. I've had some overcooked and some undercooked risotto but this was perfect and the flavor and texture were wonderful. The elk tenderloin. Quite possibly the most tender piece of meat I have ever eaten. It practically melted in my mouth. There was no 'gamy' taste which too often accompanies wild game dishes. I ordered medium rare and again, one of the most perfectly cooked pieces of meat I have had - it looked like it was prepared for a photo shoot.
The presentation of all the food was amazing - like pieces of art. My one regret is that I did not take pictures of any of the plates because they were presented perfectly.
We decided that although we were full, given how wonderful everything we'd eaten was, we were going to have to try some dessert. My wife had the toffee bread pudding with a soft toffee, vanilla ice cream and a hot buttered rum flavored sauce. I am a bread pudding snob and didn't order it because my wife did (we try not to order the same foods so we can share) - but suffice it to say, the hint of cinnamon with the soft toffee, ice cream and sauce was honestly in the top three bread pudding I have ever eaten. The presentation and flavor were great.
I tried the Tres Leche Creme Brulee with fresh berries. The carmelized sugar was perfectly carmelized - not burned but a hard shell to it. The texture and taste of the Creme Brulee was exactly how it should be prepared. When they brought our desserts, the put them on large dinner plates an in raspberry sauce wrote 'Happy' on one plate and 'Anniversary' on the other - a nice little touch.
The manager stopped by once during dinner to wish us a Happy Anniversary and to make sure we were being taken care of and that the meal was up to their standards. Our server, Jamie came by at appropriate times; engaged in actual conversation; and completed the total dinner.
While it is a bit pricey (we knew that when we came and were not surprised at all) it is absolutely worth it. If we didn't have reservations elsewhere for the next few nights, we would probably come back - it was that good. Hands down the best meal we have eaten in any restaurant in at least the last 10 years and is definitely in the top 3 ever!