Lauren M.
Yelp
With the restoration of Dallas' historic Adolphus Hotel comes the addition of a great new Southern European inspired bistro. The name of the restaurant is a historical throwback as the original site intended for Dallas' city hall.
As you walk past the doors into the glistening, tile-covered white space filled with brass accents, marble and wood you feel at ease. The spaciousness and the muted color palette make sure nothing is jarring toward your senses. The hosts and hostesses were very friendly and attentive as we check in for our reservation and we were immediately seated in the back room of the airy space, right past the large entirely open kitchen.
I wish I could have sat in the front room to watch the chefs whirling around their work spaces and preparing the food, but the back room gave me a chance to focus more on the experience of the meal as well as my company. Our server was very friendly and helped us navigate the new menu. Everything is sharable and smaller, not tapas small, as to encourage you to try a variety of dishes from the menu. The menu has great variety, without being "all-over-the-place" and was very well thought out. We let the waiter surprise us with a quartino of a Lebanese red wine blend that went perfectly for our dinner choices. We also tried their Bit of Provence, a light, easy drinker, and Western Revue, tequila forward, cocktails which were totally opposite drinks but both delicious.
We shared every plate we received and I recommend you do the same. We started with the shaved asparagus salad which was delightful. There was a ton of frisée which made it quite bitter but the asparagus and manchego worked beautifully together.
The salad was followed by their take on atayef, a Lebanese pancake, that was filled with duck confit, pear, and black garlic aioli. The perfect pair for our wine, too. Soft, delicate pancakes met with salty, rich duck meat was luxurious without being too heavy.
It wouldn't be a southern European experience without some Spanish food. We thoroughly enjoyed the paella Valenciana. The rice was cooked perfectly and the shellfish as well. The shrimp were juicy, heads included, the clams and mussels not too chewy or rubbery. The chorizo was heavy on the salt but everything else was seasoned very well. This dish could easily and happily serve 4 guests.
After the seafood we went back to land with the house-made ricotta cavatelli with braised short rib. I was immediately struck by the wonderful textural bite of the cavatelli, the the buttery tenderness of the short rib but was slightly paralyzed by the saltiness of the dish. We couldn't finish it and so very unfortunate for us had to send it back. Had the salt not been so overwhelming, this would have probably been our favorite dish.
We finished with a duo of desserts, because when you can't decide just have both! We ordered the churros with olive oil caramel and saffron ice cream as well as the chocolate crema catalana, which I feel is Spain's answer to France's pot de crème. The churros were hot, fresh, crispy and perfectly doughy on the inside. The caramel was rich and not too sweet although I had trouble finding the delicate saffron flavor in the ice cream. This dessert came with 5 rings of churros, so be prepared. The crema catalana was smooth, light and perfectly chocolatey, again without being to heavy or rich. (Bravo!) It was served alongside some cream with tiny orange segments and lots of orange zest. Chocolate and orange is a timeless, delicious combo. I did spread some on a churro for a delicious Spanish delight.
We were completely delighted from start to finish and were impressed with the running of service, the menu, the quality of the food and our time there. We cannot wait to come back, especially for brunch! Congrats to the executive chef, the kitchen team, and the entire service team on their new opening. You have entered with a bang. Welcome to the Dallas dining scene!