Dragonfly – Dallas, TX
For a long time, I had avoided this spot—I believed the stories about the uber-trendy crowd and the sub-par cuisine. Restaurant week gave me an excuse to try it out in a low-risk setting. The hip crowd remains, packing the outdoor bar area until well after midnight, but it is about what you would expect for any other Dallas hot spot—a little more diverse, in fact. The dining area is in fact a trendy design, but it works with the setting and, once seated, does not feel so over the top after all. The whole ambiance is consistent with the Hotel Zaza that hosts the restaurant
But what others probably already knew is that there has been a new chef in charge for about a year, and finally the food matches the promise of the setting. The menu may in fact be too conservative for the out-there decor and guests, but no matter: absolutely everything we tried was a hit. That´s right, 9 different dishes and each was delicious. The starters included a sublime butternut squash and ginger salad that was creamy, spicy and delicate. My favorite, and perhaps the high point of the night, was the crispy clamari salad.
The mains included three huge well prepared seared sea scallops and a wild salmon fillet in an innovative and well matched red pepper sauce that gave the dish some gravitas and substance. A pepper crusted filet with acreamy potato mash and perfectly prepared asparagus was my favorite amongst the entrees.
Their las bottle of 2001 Chalk Hill Cabernet (it has been sold out for a while) was both a special find and a great value—can’t beat that!
Desert was less spectacular, but still pretty good. The homemade ice creams—butter pecan in particular—were better than the sorbets, which were so heavily colored in neon hues that they made you question the “home-made” claim. The mandarin sorbet tasted more than a little like TANG. Redeeming the desert experience was a peanut butter chocolate concoction that scored rave reviews.
Service started off spotty but built over the course of the meal. Our table wasnt ready at the reserved time and the maitre´ds (all three of them) had an attitude. Our waitress was knowledgeable, efficient and pleasant, though it took too long to take the initial order and she left some important information out of her introduction. As usual, we were the last ones out of the restaurant, and we never felt pressured—in fact we were oblivious to the fact until we got up from the table.
Whether you were previously attracted or repelled by Dragonfly´s reputation, its well worth your while to check this out.
Highly Recommended
