16 April 3 - 9, 2025 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents Stillwell’s 2575 McKinnon St. Saunter into Stillwell’s on the back end of Cowboy Hour, which runs Sunday through Thursday, 4-6 p.m. It has spe- cialty pricing on appetizers like crab cake croquettes and tuna tostadas for $12 each. Make sure you give yourself enough time for two rounds of cocktails. They’re half- price for happy hour, so you’re looking at $10-$12 versus the usual $20-$24. Go ahead and order the deviled eggs, which are topped with pork belly and a black garlic hot sauce, for just $8. Caviar chicken nuggies are just $12. What else do you need? As for dinner? Well, you’re on your own for that. El Carlos Elegante 1400 N. Riverfront Blvd. The Michelin Guide notes that the menu at this Design District restaurant is “tightly edited,” with a handful of dishes ranging from small plates to meatier options, add- ing that everything is “full of flavor.” El Carlos Elegante provides more direction on the menu with an Elegante Experience for $99 per person. Yeah, do that and try a little bit of everything. Stock & Barrel 316 W Davis St. Get plates to share for just $7 during Stock & Barrel’s happy hour Tuesday through Friday from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Braised rib-eye cigars, whipped feta and grilled artichokes for just a bit over $20? Yeah, we’ll take all three. Otherwise, garlic “noods” are $15 and are tossed with butter, soy, fish sauce and Parmesan. Quarter Acre 2023 Greenville Ave. Quarter Acre has a seven-course chef’s tasting menu that costs $125 per person, plus another $55 for a wine pairing. How- ever, Garden Hour is Tuesday through Fri- day from 5 to 6:30 p.m., classic cocktails are $8, and wine by the glass is $10. There are six moderately priced menu items, the most expensive being the Kingfish cevi- che, which costs $24. A snack board is $15 per person, and chicken liver mousse is $16. Sachet 4270 Oak Lawn Ave. Rejoice for the lunch menu at Sachet. Aside from its 2024 Michelin recognition, this restaurant was also a finalist for its out- standing wine program, so a glass, which starts at $12, should be factored into your meal. For lunch, Sachet offers several items where variety meets value, like their sand- wiches that start at $16.50 (the porchetta spiced pork is $19.75 and is worth every penny) and include a side of cucumber salad or fries. All the entrees during this time of day are under $30, and some hot and cold appetizers start at $8. The dinner menu has many similar items, so it’s possi- ble to have an affordable evening, but you can expect to pay a little more depending on what you order. ▼ FOOD NEWS IS THIS THE FUTURE OF DINING? HG SPLY CO. DROPS SEED OILS. BY AAREN PRODY W hat do the Alo yoga set and gym bros have in common? They’re both likely to be spot- ted at HG Sply Co. And since the rooftop bar and restaurant just reimagined its menu, the odds are better than ever. Get those bingo cards out. If you thought the already paleo-cen- tric menu couldn’t get healthier, it now lists macros and high-quality proteins and uses strictly housemade recipes that elim- inate the use of seed oils. This change was brought about after Sameer Patel, UNCO CFO (HG Sply Co.’s parent company), was diagnosed with lymphoma last year. He at- tributes his recovery in part to clean eat- ing. Shifting to higher-quality proteins isn’t technically revolutionary, and the macro- thing depends on who you talk to, but elimi- nating seed oils is a big move and one that very few restaurants in Dallas do. Other than being cost-effective, there are many reasons why a restaurant opts for canola, sunflower, soybean or corn oil over olive or avocado: a longer shelf life, higher smoke points, neutral flavor and accessibil- ity, to name a few. But in lieu of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement and social media trends, the reputation of seed oils isn’t doing so great. One reason is that these oils are high in linoleic acid, an omega-6 that can lead to chronic inflammation when con- sumed in high amounts. So, for HG Sply Co. to put its health-ob- sessed customer base first, rather than prof- its, is a huge step for the brand, especially in this economy. Do you know the price differ- ence between olive and canola oil? News- flash: A lot. A gallon of canola oil goes for about $5, whereas olive oil goes for about $30. The team also continues to make changes to the menu. Recently, they an- nounced they’re using pure beef tallow for frying and coconut oil for the veg-friendly folk. For these changes, they had to recreate all their recipes. During the process, they partnered with graduates from Texas Women’s University to recalculate mac- ros, reduce added sugar levels, eliminate seed oils and source higher-quality ingre- dients. Those changes affected 97% of the menu items, including a completely reimagined cocktail menu featuring Poppi prebiotic so- das (which just sold for $1.65 billion to Pepsi, but let’s mourn that another day). Now, all the drinks are made with natural ingredi- ents, house-made infusions, and sweeteners like honey and agave. These subtle changes will not signifi- cantly affect the taste of the menu items or cocktails, but they will impact how you feel afterward, which is the point. All your fa- vorites are still there, just better for you. We squeezed in on a Friday night to try it all out, starting with the cochinita na- chos, then tried the grass-fed bison ribeye and the Farmhouse Grilled Chicken Sand- wich with a side of fries. Any average per- son or regular at the restaurant could have walked in and ordered and wouldn’t get a sense any changes were made. Our favorite were the nachos, which are usually made with Mexican pulled pork, but looking back, ours was served with grilled chicken. Either way, we en- joyed them with the layers of Jack cheese, salsa, avocado, cilantro and green onion. HG Sply Co. runs happy hour Monday through Friday from 3-6 p.m., so go in and get a taste for their house-squeezed juices with the Froze 13 with Townes vodka, rosé, lemon, grapefruit, strawberries and white peach. HG Sply Co., 2008 Greenville Ave., Mon- day - Friday, 11 a.m. - midnight; Saturday/ Sunday, 10 a.m. - midnight City of Ate from p15 Aaren Prody The nachos at HG Sply Co. are now seed oil free.
