13 June 1 - 7, 2023 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents Low Lights, Big Elegance Beckley 1115 is the local gem every neighbor- hood deserves. BY CHRIS WOLFGANG T here’s a moment, when the lit tallow candle continues to melt and spread decadent rendered fat all over your perfectly cooked filet and you slice off an- other bite, that you’ll ask yourself how such a nondescript house in Oak Cliff turns out such an inventive and delicious take on a common dish. According to Beckley 1115’s new chef and owner, Luke Rogers, that’s the idea. “I think people come in and they expect maybe just a regular small restaurant, but I really want to show them some really cre- ative and elevated dishes,” Rogers says. Beckley 1115 opened in January 2022 un- der the guidance of chef and restaurateur Sharon Van Meter, who envisioned a neigh- borhood wine bar with great food. As we re- ported in March of this year, Rogers bought a majority interest in the restaurant and kept Van Meter on as a partner. But as of this week, Rogers tells us he and his wife are purchasing the remainder of Van Meter’s share and will be full owners. “I think Sharon saw how well things were going since we came in, and decided the time was right,” Rogers says of his deci- sion to go all-in with the purchase. Beckley 1115 is not a large restaurant. Save for the parking lot next door, the out- side could pass for just another adorable neighborhood cottage. Inside, there are eight seats at the wine bar, and fewer than a dozen tables, with a couple of more spots outdoors on the modest patio. Dining at Beckley 1115 feels like being invited to your friend’s house. The small size appeals to Rogers, and he says it has rejuvenated his creativity in the kitchen. “It’s just me and one other person back there,” he says of the kitchen. “When I was at Cathedral, I was overseeing a line of cooks, and you just make sure they’re exe- cuting your ideas. Now I’m back here work- ing the hot side, and I’m really enjoying myself.” Rogers’ wife, Geniselys, is the general manager and oversees the front of the house. She also came up with the wine pairings for the new tasting menu that Rogers just rolled out. On our last visit, the tasting menu spanned five courses, each served with a dif- ferent wine, for $120 a person or $190 for a couple. Considering that five glasses of wine alone might run you $75 to $100, the tasting menu is a screaming deal. And right now, it’s the only way to get the phenomenal steak basted in melted fat from the tallow candle. “We had it on the menu as a ribeye, but it wasn’t selling, so I moved it to the weekends as a special,” Rogers says. “Now I’ve got it on a filet on the tasting menu.” The steak is perfectly cooked to order, and sports a crunchy char on the exterior that still holds up to the as-you-eat-it bast- ing. The filet was simply seasoned with salt, pepper and a touch of garlic, and the quality of the Hyplains prime beef shined. Rogers’ plan for the menu leans heavily into seasonality, with monthly revisions to the menu. But he’s also keeping an ear open to guest feedback, which means keeping popular dishes on the menu. For example, an apricot-stuffed pork chop strikes a decid- edly autumn tone, but Rogers says it’s one of the most popular items on the menu, so it stays. However, a roasted half-chicken will likely come off the menu soon. We hope it’s replaced with Rogers’ take on chouriço a bombeiroo, a Portuguese style of sausage seared table-side on a clay dish over an open flame. Rogers let us sample his version, with an Italian sausage for the pro- tein, and slices of a 60-day aged gouda to complement the meat. We are suckers for anything flamed table-side and hope to see it on the menu sooner rather than later. Appetizers here are smartly executed. On one visit, we opened with a charcuterie board ($22) loaded with cured meats, aged cheeses, dried fruits and olives that was plenty to share among two people. On our next visit, a brilliant octopus carpaccio ($19) kicked off our meal in style. Thin shavings of sous-vide octopus are topped with chopped arugula and slivers of crisp-fried tortillas, dressed in a lemon and chili vinaigrette that brought just the right amount of spice and acid to the ten- der octopus. Another winner is the burrata with herb-marinated tomatoes ($16), and should be ordered for the tomatoes alone, which explode with flavor when placed with the cheese on the buttery crostinis. Beckley 1115 offers up a fresh pasta of the day; on our visit it was a lightly sauced pap- pardelle ($23) whose wide noodles held as- paragus, heirloom tomatoes and Parmesan. The pappardelle made a repeat appearance as a bed for the seared scallops ($36), this time in a brighter lemon cream sauce that shone against the heavily seared mollusks. Beckley’s simple elegance extends to a brunch menu on the weekends as well. There are brunch standbys such as eggs Benedict and French toast, but a breakfast flatbread ($15), when it’s available, is a gem; ours was topped with scrambled eggs, diced ham, cheese and fresh fennel. The chicken chilaquiles ($15) are a must-order. Fresh tortilla chips serve as the bed for eggs, Monterrey Jack cheese and to- matillo salsa, and the mix of light and dark meat chicken is brilliant in flavor. My visits to Beckley have always left me pleased, but I often wondered if enough people knew of its elegant simplicity to keep it in business; I’ve never visited and seen the dining room full. But Rogers says business is on the upswing, with a healthy mix of locals from the neighborhood as well as staff from other Bishop Arts and Oak Cliff eateries. “We get a lot of industry folks in, and to me, that’s a huge compliment,” Rogers says. It definitely is a compliment. Beckley 1115 is one of those neighborhood spots that feels like a secret among people on the block. There are no gimmicks or bling to draw you in. The appeal is on the inside, where Luke and Geniselys’ skills are the star attraction, not some glittering marquee facing the street or a publicist-polished Instagram page. The secret is spilling out, though; Beckley 1115 is the neighborhood gem that’s worthy of your attention. Beckley 1115, 1115 Beckley Ave. Monday – Thursday, 3–10 p.m.; Friday, 3–11 p.m.; Satur- day, 11 a.m. – 11 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. Alison McLean Above: Charred steak basted with melting fat from a tallow candle. Left: Pappardelle with seared scallops in lemon cream. t Dish Alison McLean
