DFM

I finally made it next door to Dallas Fish Market. I probably mentioned that I had been there for a pre-opening event. While the event was nice, the nibbles circulating that evening were far from seafood and even further away from the level of excellence the restaurant was projecting from its hefty renovation and recruitment of some top notch talent.

I'm happy to report that DFM is excellent.

The bartendress who introduced me to the very delicious pear martini at the opening was there again last night. She whipped up another for me, which to my surprise she had been perfecting. In addition to the Pear Grey Goose, she added the smallest amount of Midori (mostly for color) and a hefty squeze of lemon. Dammit to hell, now I will have to go out and buy Midori.



The renovation of the space was not complete at the opening party, but it is now. I liked it. Its kind of that 1980's LA stark white theme mixed up with some modern espresso wood and funky Pablo lighting. Casual but still sophisticated without trying too hard to be trendy.




Having been to the more scaled down restaurant offering, Go Fish, from the same parent company I was not sure what to expect from the menu. Well, its a relatively small menu by Dallas standards, which I liked. There are several apps, several fish selections, several meat selections and some obligatory but delicious sounding desserts.

I wanted to get a good feel for their level of expertise so I sampled. Everything is excellent. My recommendation in the app department is the Fried Chili Oysters. Dont attempt to eat this all alone, its almost a meal. A thick southern style batter spiked with roasted chili meets 7 large oysters, all which are fried to greaseless prefection and served over a mixture of julliened bell peppers, cabbage and onion slightly seasoned with a light hoisin. Next time, I will just get two orders of these and call it a night.

I can't resist diver scallops, so I didn't. Incredible. Although I wanted more scallops, the few that were there were served over a roasted poblano coulis and a round of polenta that I swear tasted like rotiserrie chicken.

DFM is a little pricey ($50 person) but I think it can hold its own in that price range. Judging by the quality of the fare, the attentive but non intrusive service and the crowd they seem to be drawing, I would say my new neighbors have a great chance of anchoring the newly emerging Main Street.

Dallas Fish Market
1501 Main Street
Dallas, Texas 75201

(214) 744-3474

Dallas Fish Market

Lovely Joan and I went to the pre-opening of a new restaurant in the Kirby Building, Dallas Fish Market. It was partially an art's district event and partially an advertising vehicle for the new venue.

The Kirby was built in the early 1900's and has since been many things, most recently upscale apartments. The ground floor of the building was most recently occupied by Jerobaum, that hideous mistake of a restaurant that I was only too happy to see fail. Even a Chipolte in the space would have been better so I'm glad to see DFM take over.

I love this building because it has great architecture; high ceilings, big dark wood window frames, marble / polished concrete floors and some original door handles / lighting. That architecture is design enough but I have seen other establishments over-decorate this space, effectively ruining the look. But I liked what they did to the inside; clean and crisp looking without becoming minimalist.

The nibbles that circulated during the event were far from what their menu advertised. The few things I tried were good (execept the foie gras in wrapped in green cotton candy, that was gross and didn't really go with the whole seafood theme).

Usually for these events I just go for drinks. I was not disappointed in that area either. They were serving Pear Vodka Martinis. Needless to say I ran right out and got some Pear Vodka (Absolut Pears). Its a great summer drink: Pear Vodka over ice with a splash of soda!


Since DFM is literally next door, I will definitely put forth the effort to walk the block to try it out for dinner after it opens to the public today.



Dallas Fish Market
1501 Main Street
Dallas, Texas 75201

(214) 744-3474