Dallas

(From June 2011) Good morning, sunshine! We love this high-ceilinged room, with the sun streaming through the windows, and we love the break-fast even more. Is there anyone who could re-sist a delectable frittata with roasted red pepper, chorizo, and goat cheese and sides of hash browns and “hippy” bread (i.e., lots of grains)? And nowhere is it written that you can’t have dessert after breakfast, espe-cially in the form of delicate, crispy lemon cannoli.

Leave a Review

Photograph by Kevin Hamilton

(From October 2011)

The folks here are geniuses when it comes to innovative tacos. Tacos include the Minnie Pearl (roasted corn, pearl couscous, spinach, goat cheese, and favas), the Swine Bleu (braised pork with blue cheese slaw), the Curry in a Hurry (bok choy and shiitakes in yellow curry), the Hotlanta (waffle-battered chicken, sweet potato, and honey butter)—you get the picture. Be sure and order a coffee from Cultivar, which shares the space with the taco kitchen. 

Leave a Review

(From October 2010) Lacking the euros to travel to Italy, we can still savor Italian delights by visiting this small grocery store with its myriad imported treasures. We sat down to enjoy a prosciutto panino with shreds of basil and thick slabs of mozzarella; it was easily shared by two. Adding to that a behemoth portion of muffuletta salad, a small bottle of San Pellegrino sparkling Chinotto (a bitter citrus fruit drink similar to Campari in taste), and a small round of chocolate cake with dense ganache icing, we had ourselves quite a feast. If so inclined, an Italian espresso costing only $1 might be the best ending of all. Beer & wine.

Leave a Review

Photograph by Daniel Vaughn

(From June 2011)

It is indeed a catering business, but Pecan Lodge is also a small restaurant located in the heart of the farmers market, the better to source its produce. We chose a stick-to-the-ribs, decidedly unvegetably plate of mes-quite-smoked brisket and ribs with a side of stellar fried okra. And though there wasn’t much room for dessert, we gave our inner child a treat with the Sweet Lupita: a spec-tacular sculpture of fried tortilla strips drizzled with honey, powdered sugar, crushed pecan, and . . . fairy dust, an edible sparkly topping!

Leave a Review

(From March 2011)

This place, with its clean lines, stylized art, and accomodating servers, is always a pleasure. So too was our meal of summer rolls with peanut sauce, followed by crispy red snapper topped with basil sauce, baby corn, and slivers of red bell pepper; an orb of jasmine rice flecked with black sesame seeds came alongside. Green tea ice cream with sticky rice and a splash of coconut coulis was a refreshing dessert; coming in second was a classic cheesecake with mango sauce and fresh raspberries. Bar.

Leave a Review

(From November 2011)

Sitting down to brunch in this sunlit-space, it was hard to picture the same room throbbing with energy on a weekend night, as it’s reputed to do (imagine, if you will, a $50 punch bowl that serves up enough for twelve drinks). Although tempted by chicken and waffles, we loved our spinach and goat cheese omelet. Individual French presses kept us supplied with coffee throughout the meal, which ended with a bread pudding that confounded all preconceived notions; more like a flourless chocolate cake, it came topped with a slug of hot fudge sauce and a scoop of Henry’s chocolate ice cream. Bar.

Leave a Review

(From June 2011)

Four—count ’em—crispy micro-thin-crusted Neapolitan pizzas made our group very happy: the Regina Margherita, with its blend of cheeses, tomato sauce, and basil; the Snow White, with ricotta, mozzarella, oregano, garlic, and EVOO; the Amante Della Carne, with tomato sauce, house-made mozzarella, sausage, ground beef, ham, pepperoni, and onion; and the Quattro Stagioni, with tomato sauce, mozzarella, artichokes, soppressata, anchovies, mushrooms, and garlic (that one was our fave). There are pastas and Italian sandwiches for those not in the mood for pizza. Beer & wine.

Tuesday, August 18th, 2009, 6:01 pm
Jenny says:
Jeez-- some people just can’t be happy.

Tuesday, August 18th, 2009, 6:00 pm
Jason says:
Best I’ve had hands down. This pizza has also saved me a fortune. Now my wife and I don’t have to fly to New York once a quarter for our pizza fix ( just moved to Dallas in January ). We get it right here.

Tuesday, August 18th, 2009, 5:57 pm
Jenny says:
The owner was snooty? He SHOULD be a full fledged snob !! He’s got the best pizza in the country, and I’ve been to Bianco in Phoenix, the guys in Minneapolis and San Francisco, and all the great ones in Manhattan, Staten Island, Brooklyn, and Queens.

Friday, June 5th, 2009, 3:20 pm
Gloria says:
This restaurant is in my neighborhood and I have gone in 2-3 times to order one of their pizzas to go. First time was ok. Second time, the pizza was burnt on the bottom crust, rendering most of it inedible. Decided to try a third time...went in to pick up the pizza...the owner was sitting there by the register. Asked me to check and make sure pizza was ok. I looked and burned again -- when I showed him, he replied quite snottily, "Well, you just don’t understand what a wood-fired pizza is supposed to look like." I told him I had indeed "been around the block" in my life and had eaten many a pizza in Texas and around the world, and I didn’t think a $30 pizza should be burned. Not to mention, it’s unhealthy. He hacked off the burned parts and handed me the pizza, now not worth the weighty price, since it was reduced in size. I’ll never go back to Olivella’s.

Leave a Review

(From February 2012)

This is not your padre’s taquería. Even though about half the tacos have a semi-Mexican identity (roasted chicken with queso fresco), the rest take the concept and go crazy with it. Anybody for Hawaiian-style chopped raw ahi tuna with avocado, radish, and ginger-soy vinaigrette? It’s totally delish. How about cornmeal-crusted oysters with napa cabbage and fennel slaw drizzled with smoked-chile butter? Amazing. Homeboys will want the brilliant Texas burger taco, with yellow cheese, dill pickles, and applewood-smoked bacon. Definitely save room for elote (roasted corn, off the cob, mixed with crema and lime). The converted Church’s chicken outlet has been retooled with clever industrial-rustic details, including folded-metal taco holders. Beer & wine.

Leave a Review

(From December 2010) The location is the same; the chef, Kelly Hightower, is the same; and the decor, a bit lighter in tones, is much the same. But Kavala has become Nova, a self-proclaimed Oak Cliff gastropub. We were happy to find Hightower’s great roasted garlic hummus still on the menu, but the rest of our meal had a few kinks. We would have loved the Blow Torch salmon—skewered fish with slashes of yuzu-miso glaze—if only a bit of crunch had been added to the dish. Angel hair pasta with crab and asparagus tips was dominated by the last ingredient (though still quite tasty), and the marinated New York strip steak, Vietnamese style, was a bit chewy. The wine list is short and quirky. Bar.

Leave a Review

(From June 2011)

There’s a new chef from across the Trinity River: Dan Landsberg, formerly of Tillman’s, has brought a New American approach to Dragonfly’s menu, which has resulted in some lovely dishes. Crusted with thyme leaves and minced garlic, our Bay of Fundy salmon was cooked to perfection and plated with toasted orzo and baby spinach. Dessert of a small chocolate bundt cake filled with peanut butter mousse and drizzled with fudge sauce and crushed peanuts was top of the world. We like the new, more serene black and white decor and the lovely cluster of pendant lighting in the center of the room. The bar scene is as lively as always. Bar.

Leave a Review