16 July 25 - 31, 2024 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents has brought his classically trained technique to bear with inventive dishes that speak to Texas flavors. Over on Greenville Avenue, Quarter Acre’s Toby Archibold turns out art- ful dishes imbued with a playful sense of whimsy. Local favorites like Lucia or Petra and the Beast could definitely earn Michelin love if the reviewers can get past their more down-to-earth presentations. Dallas institu- tions like The French Room and The Man- sion on Turtle Creek have likely received multiple looks. Finally, there’s the question of reach. Dal- las, Fort Worth, Houston, Austin and San An- tonio are said to be included in the Michelin guide. But what of the suburbs in these cities that are undoubtedly part of the urban fabric, yet beyond the city limits? Could a restaurant in Cypress be excluded because it’s not in Houston? What’s of Roots Southern Table, with its Farmers Branch address? According to D Magazine, the guide will include Dallas and “close surrounding areas,” but Collin County is “out of scope.” Sorry, Hutchins Bar- becue. Better luck next time. Much of this is speculation until the Mi- chelin Guide’s first Texas edition is pub- lished. So let’s focus on the highlights. Bringing an influx of visitors partaking in culinary tourism is good for everyone in the area (unless you’re sitting in traffic). There’s also a good chance many restaurants will simply try harder, knowing that Michelin in- vestigators could be in their midst. And when the first list drops, the discussion about the winners, the losers and the snubs will be lively. The mood was perhaps best summed up by Whisk Crepes’ Julien Eelsen in a comment he made on Facebook. “So many people are going to be mad! Let the hunger games begin!” Eelsen wrote, fol- lowing up with a heart emoji. Eelsen is probably right. And the fever of today will pale in comparison to the chatter when Michelin drops its initial list in a few months. May the odds ever be in our favor. ▼ DESSERT GETTING OUR GOAT A NEW RESTAURANT HAS A DESSERT DESIGNED BY AN ACCLAIMED CHEF. A CHOCOLATE LOVER’S DREAM, THIS CREATION IS PEAK DECADENCE. BY NICK REYNOLDS I n the heart of Victory Park, you’ll find The GOAT Restaurant and Lounge (not to be confused with The Goat bar on Gas- ton Avenue in East Dallas). It’s a swanky Euro-Mediterranean restaurant that serves upscale fare and cocktails during the week while seamlessly transitioning to a posh lounge setting on weekend evenings, com- plete with DJs and live entertainment. Leading the gastronomic efforts at GOAT is executive chef Ozzy Samano, who cut his teeth at steakhouses such as Bob’s Steak & Chop House and Nick & Sam’s. Samano and chef Pascal Sanchez are the masterminds behind GOAT’s menu, which offers dishes like Lobster Oreganata (lobster tail in a lemon white wine sauce), 32-ounce toma- hawk USDA prime ribeyes ($150) and plan- cha-roasted red snapper with chimichurri purée garnished with pico de gallo and grilled corn ($39). We may get to all that eventually, but this time, our sights were set on Sanchez’s totally over-the-top (in the best way possible) dessert simply called, “Something Chocolate” ($16). First, a little background on chef San- chez. He has a loaded resume — over 30 years of experience in kitchens in France, Switzerland and the UK. Sanchez helmed executive chef roles at Pierre Gagnaire in Paris and Sketch in London, both of which achieved the highest honor in the business — three Michelin stars. He led Twist in Las Vegas and was named Las Vegas Chef of the Year in 2010. Under Sanchez’s guidance, MIA in Montpellier, France, earned a cov- eted Michelin star in 2015. To be clear, Sanchez isn’t in the back of GOAT’s kitchen churning out this sinfully indulgent dessert treat himself. He did de- sign it, though. (He’s currently executive chef and culinary director at Highland Park’s Park House social club.) We dropped by on a recent weekend, took a seat at the bar and placed an order for our targeted dessert. While waiting, we de- cided to sample a couple of GOAT’s exceed- ingly creative cocktails. First came the Lost Duck ($16), an aqua green (or was it blue?) concoction with a Ca- ribbean flare made of Bacardi Superior and Kuleana Hui-Hui rum, Blue Curacao, coco- nut, lime, pineapple and Illegal Mezcal. Fol- lowing that was the very elaborate (and showy) Garden of Temptations ($18), with Patron Silver, El Silencio mezcal, Strega, kiwi, lime, pineapple, smoked chili bitters, and…fire. Yes, it comes with a flame on top that lasts about 60 seconds (if that) before burning out, and our bartender politely re- minded us not to drink it while it was lit. Duly noted. We preferred the Garden of Temptations, though both cocktails were fine. However, $34 for two cocktails is some- thing we’ll never quite get used to but, hey, that’s the world we inhabit now. So, the reason we came: Pascal Sanchez’s “Something Chocolate” dessert for a mere $16. We’d describe this chocolate lover’s dream creation as peak decadence. A half- chocolate sphere glazed with hazelnut and mouse, feuilletine (a crispy wafer of baked sweetened crêpes crumbled into flakes), chocolate ganache, a meringue insert all topped with bourbon vanilla Chantilly. There’s certainly a lot to unpack here. And while the dessert isn’t exactly what you’d call sizable, there’s more to it than it appears. A couple of us worked on it for a solid 10 minutes, trading turns as we whit- tled it down spoonful by decadent spoonful. To us, the best approach was attempting to get a little of each ingredient in each spoon- ful. Or you can throw caution to the wind and work your way around it randomly – that works also, as you’ll get varying experi- ences with each bite. It’s not every day you get to indulge in a dessert created by a Michelin chef. It was a memorable experience, and we were happy to have it. So, remember to save room for dessert next time you’re at The GOAT. The GOAT Restaurant & Lounge, 2601 Ol- ive St., Ste. 100. Monday – Thursday, 11 a.m. – 11 p.m.; Friday – Saturday, 11 a.m. – 1 a.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. ▼ EAT THIS SUSHI WITHOUT A SECOND MORTGAGE NAMO’S LUNCH OKONOMI IS DALLAS’ MOST AFFORDABLE OMAKASE. BY AAREN PRODY I n theory, everyone loves the idea of going to omakase, a style of Japanese dining in which the diner lets the chef choose the meal. But once you get down to the logistics — strict reservation system, limited seats, high price tag and the appetite you need to be comfortable after nearly 20 courses — it’s not in the cards for all of us. Take away the strict reservations and limited seats, drop a few courses, reduce the price to $75, and the result is the lunch oko- nomi at Namo. Technically, okonomi is the most tradi- tional way of ordering sushi: You order a la carte based on what cut and type of fish you like, etc. At Namo, it’s served as omakase, with the courses preset and paced for you. Don’t let the jargon fool you. It starts with a few light options: Namo salad, fujisan salmon, sawara (Spanish mackerel) sashimi and chawanmushi, a silky egg custard with ikura (salmon roe). The most interesting was the Namo salad, which had daikon, bonito flakes, mi- cro greens, shirasu and a yuzu vinaigrette. It was our first time trying shirasu, which is a small whitebait fish, usually sardines. Visually, it’s an interesting experience go- ing in for a bite, but the texture wasn’t weird and the fish added a meaty element to the refreshing salad. Then came a full platter of nigiri with sea bass, belt fish, horse mackerel, fatty tuna belly, Japanese brown barracuda and fresh- water eel. It’s served in the traditional way you should order sushi, starting with white fish and ending with eel, so it’s best eaten from left to right. The fatty tuna belly and eel were major standouts, as was the sea bass. Use the pickled ginger on the side as a pallet cleanser between bites. Aaren Prody The beautiful fujisan salmon at Namo Nick Reynolds The “Something Chocolate” dessert created by Michelin star chef Pascal Sanchez. City of Ate from p15