EAT AT PETE’S A DALLAS LANDMARK SiNCE 1994 ST. PETE’S DANCING MARLIN Bar & Grill WISE UP, City of Ate from p17 Beard award-winning Tyson Cole at Uchi. Robinson also worked with Jason Maddy at The Mansion on Turtle Creek and under the tutelage of John Tesar for years. Catbird, which opened late in 2020, is perched on the rooftop of The Thompson Hotel at The National at Akard and Elm in downtown Dallas. The space is an art deco den with glossy finishes and marble. Perhaps the most notable amenity of this location is the wraparound outdoor balcony with views of the city, complete with comfy couches and gas-powered fire pits. On the weekends after dinner service, DJs set up outside. The outdoor seating looks comfortable. stpetesdancingmarlin.com Deep Ellum • 2730 Commerce 214-698-1511 GREAT FOR LUNCH! OPEN FOR DINE IN, TO-GO & DELIVERY! 7 Days a Week • Catering & Delivery Casual Dining • Excellent Service INDIAN BEER & WINE GRILLED KABOBS FINE CURRIES WRAPS VEGETARIAN DISHES 2 LOCATIONS: 3675 Gaylord Pkwy Suite 1105 • FriSco • tX (469) 980-7005 4438 Mckinney ave #100 • dallaS • tX (214) 521-3655 WWW.FRESHINDIANFOOD.COM ENTER TO WIN A PAIR OF TICKETS “Looks” is the keyword because even though we’d requested patio seating when we made reservations, the hostess walked us to a table inside by a window that merely overlooked this tantalizing al fresco experience. We reminded them that we’d requested outside seating but were informed that there was no patio seating this evening. We settled into our otherwise comfy chairs inside, re- signed to our fate, and then saw two 20-some- things in power suits and perfectly coifed hair outside on the balcony sitting on a couch sip- ping their highballs. We tried not to seethe too much; the menu, after all, looked promising. A couple of cocktails helped us settle into our indoor table. Although tempted to say, “We’ll have what those two people outside are having,” we decided to save the bitter- ness for their take on an Old-Fashioned. They present most of their cocktails two ways: the classic version and the Catbird version, in which they add their own spin to a classic formula. In the end, we went with The Catbird (Cazadores Reposado tequila, Campari, lime and grapefruit foam) and an espresso mar- tini (Grey Goose vodka, Somrus coffee li- queur and cold brew). One of our cardinal rules was broken here; it’s a pet peeve when bars call anything served in a martini glass a “martini.” Why reward such verbal inso- lence? Both, however, were wonderfully presented and refreshing. Would they have tasted better if we were sitting outside on a comfy couch? Perhaps. The dishes at Catbird are intended to be enjoyed by all at the table, so we put our or- der in for four items and waited with antici- pation for them to arrive while the restaurant slowly began filling up with the North Texas glitterati. First up were Texas beef bao buns ($19) made with smoked brisket and sweet chili and dressed with Thai-inspired herbs and shallots. These were pretty to look at and ex- tremely tasty, a perfectly sized and con- structed opening bite. Next up was a bowl of fried Brussels sprouts ($10) with a slightly charred crunchiness, micro herbs, and a light honey- lime sauce. We also had a bowl of veggie fried rice ($15) with a slightly smoky flavor and a lovely consistency. Finally, the crab rangoon dip ($23): clumps 18 DALLASOBSERVER.COM/FREE/TOSH2 of snow crab and pimento cheese paired won- derfully with a bell pepper jam, all served in a skillet along with crispy wonton crackers that provided a stunning presentation. There were other items that looked good Lauren Drewes Daniels Foot-long fried cheese from Happiest Hour on the menu, but we were only two people, so another time perhaps we’ll try the grilled octopus tacos, duck salad or ginger-honey lamb chops. Next time, we might even get lucky enough to sit outside. Fingers crossed. Catbird (inside the Thompson Hotel, downtown) 1401 Elm St., 4-9:30 p.m. Monday - Wednesday; 4-11 p.m. Thursday; 4 p.m.-12:30 a.m. Friday - Saturday; 4-9:30 p.m. Sunday ▼ EAT THIS THE BIG CHEESE T THE RESTAURANT AND BAR HAPPIEST HOUR NEAR THE AMERICAN AIRLINES CENTER LIKES TO DO THINGS ALL THINGS BIG.LIKE CHEESE STICKS. BY LAUREN DREWES DANIELS he Uptown restaurant and bar Hap- piest Hour near the American Air- lines Center was abuzz before the Stars’ hockey game last week. The music was loud, the windows and doors were all open on a near-perfect evening. Fans in Ma- ple Leafs and Stars jerseys spilled out onto the lawn, upstairs, downstairs and crowded around the bar. Earlier that day Happiest Hour had posted photos of their new foot-long fried mozzarella logs on their social media feed. Ever since Observer contributor Doyle Rader praised the from-scratch mozzarella sticks at Rabbit Hole Bar and Grill, we felt like we’ve been depriving ourselves of a snack that had gotten lost in ubiquity and was begging to be rediscovered. Walking into Happiest Hour, we ex- pected to have to fight for space at the bar or a table, but the hostess actually had a table available in the dining area. Given how packed the place was, we, again, expected service to be slow, at best. But, a tip o’ the hat, Happiest Hour. We placed our order and had our drinks within five minutes of sitting down. The place was spotless, we saw our server and food runners often. In a time of apologies-all-over-the-place for slow ser- vice and hiccups, this was a delight. We couldn’t find their mozzarella sticks on the digital menu, so we asked our server about them. The look on her face after we said we wanted an order was priceless: a mix of sadness and concern, a gentle, no, you don’t want to do that. “It’s a lot of food,” she warned as she looked at just the two of us. I told her I was game and mumbled some- thing about it being “an experience.” She smiled and was happy to place my order for enough fried cheese to choke a Packers’ fan. We started with a bowl of jalapeño cilan- tro hummus served with fresh vegetables and pita after seeing them on a nearby table. It was fantastic. The mozzarella logs took a little longer, but frying 5 feet of cheese coated in breadcrumbs while being slammed on a game night might take a minute, right? We never got anxious about it, although most of the jerseys had cleared out for the puck drop by the time it ar- rived. Our server stopped by to apologize for the delay and said she’s comping our hum- mus, which was really nice. Again it didn’t seem that long. She must have just pitied us. The fried mozzarella is served in a giant red, head-shaped planter along with a small bowl of ranch dressing and thick marinara sauce. Five long breaded sticks poked out of the top of the head, giving the dish a Me- dusa look. A few of the sticks had fried cheese ooz- ing out the side. The first one we broke open was about 75% full of cheese, while others had maybe a chunk here or there (ironically like a clogged artery), while others were more “coated” with cheese on the inside. When I commented on the lack of wall-to- wall cheese in some, my husband countered that “they’re probably doing us a favor.” Or, again, they pity us. The ratio of wall-to-wall versus coating in the five cheese logs was probably 50-50 throughout. The breading has a great Italian herb fla- vor, so even just coated cheese logs are a nice snack. This 5 feet of fried cheese rings in at $50; one per person is probably a decent “appetizer” if you’re like 25 years old and eat and drink like you’re ... 25. Otherwise, you might nosh on a nice bowl of vegetables and hummus then eat half of one and not hate yourself the next day. Just as it was for the Stars, who lost in overtime that night, it wasn’t a win nor a loss. They snagged one point in a big game and we all got to see Auston Matthews work his magic. And while the hummus was free, we had about three days worth of fried cheese to take home. Happiest Hour, 2616 Olive St., 4 p.m. - 12 a.m. Monday - Wednesday; 4 p.m. - 2 a.m. Thursday - Friday; 11 a.m. - 2 a.m. Saturday; 11 a.m. - 12 a.m. Sunday APRIL 21-27, 2022 DALLAS OBSERVER CLASSIFIED | MUSIC | DISH | CULTURE | UNFAIR PARK | CONTENTS dallasobserver.com MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2014 DALLAS OBSERVER | CLASSIFIED | MUSIC | DISH | MOVIES | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | FEATURE | SCHUTZE | UNFAIR PARK | CONTENTS | dallasobserver.com
