▼ Dish Say Amen Odelay preaches Tex- Mex to the masses. BY CHRIS WOLFGANG L et’s start this off by clarifying what Odelay isn’t. Odelay is not an authentic Mexican restaurant. There are no chapulines (might we suggest El Oaxaqueño) or birria (might we suggest Maskara’s) or car- nitas (might we suggest Las Almas Rotas). Odelay is also not an attempt at elevated Latin fine dining in the vein of Javier’s, any Mi Cocina location, or Dallas’ latest entrant to the space, The Mexican. Instead, Odelay is classic Tex-Mex that most of us know and love, but handled with a little more style than simply slathering chili con carne over a plate and calling it a day. That love of Tex-Mex starts with Ode- lay’s founder, Julian Barsotti, who grew up in Dallas eating the cuisine. “When I lived in the Midwest, and later “THE TASTE MEMORY I MISSED THE MOST WAS TEX-MEX.” – JULIAN BARSOTTI in California, the taste memory I missed the most was Tex-Mex,” Barsotti says. “Always, my first meal when I returned home was Tex-Mex.” And while Bar- sotti has several re- vered local Italian restaurants (Nonna, Fachini and Car- bone’s), he was ap- proached by now-investor Mike Kerr with the idea of opening a Tex-Mex restaurant a couple of years ago. But for him it had to be personal and differentiated from competitors. For the menu, he says he started with the greatest hits of Dallas Tex-Mex and added a few out- liers (see the New Mexico section). Then, for that personal approach, he called up some staff meals, like chimichangas and snapper calabacita. From there, he focused on the fundamen- tals. “We wanted to make the commitment to high-quality ingredients, with no compro- mise,” Barsotti tells the Observer. “The most obvious examples are the proteins we use.” Wagyu beef is sourced from Rosewood Ranch, the pork is Berkshire and the seafood is caught from the Gulf of Mexico. Tortilleria la Nortena in Oak Cliff provides the corn tortillas and Odelay’s chef Jesse Sosa created an in- house flour tortilla program. Barsotti gives the bulk of the credit for the food to Sosa for “scal- ing up small recipes” for the daily masses. Barsotti and his partners gutted the for- mer Cafe Express in Inwood Village, trans- forming it into a colorful hacienda. Stucco walls, wooden beams and Saltillo-tiled floors provide ambiance, along with dozens of La Catrina dolls at the entrance. Several fresco murals are painted along one wall, including one depicting Jerry Jones pitching the Cow- boys head coaching gig to Jimmy Johnson at Mia’s Tex-Mex on Lemmon Avenue in 1989. Once seated, diners are quickly served the mandatory chips and salsa. The fried chips arrived fresh, crunchy and hot, with just the right level of saltiness. The single red salsa offered only flirts with spice and never fully commits to heat. It’s refreshing that Odelay hasn’t joined the trend of offer- ing a litany of salsas at the table, but a little more dinamismo wouldn’t hurt either. Fortunately, other appetizers allow Ode- lay to flex its Tex-Mex chops. Yellow queso ($7) from the popular Ritas & Queso pop-up reappears, or there’s a queso blanco that of- fers a creamier alternative for a dollar extra per cup. On one visit, we also opted for chi- michangitos ($13), which are bite-sized fried tortillas filled with black beans, chicken and corn. The quartet of fried bites comes with a scoop of fresh guacamole and buttermilk chipotle crema for dipping, but a party of four may want to double their order. On another night, we opened our visit with a half order of Odelay’s “perfect” na- chos ($8). For a half order, a whole tortilla is quartered and fried, then loaded with a healthy portion of cheese, refried beans and pickled jalapeños that would overwhelm a lesser soggier chip. The chips border a plate centered with guacamole, sour cream, shredded lettuce and pico de gallo. We added cubes of succulent grilled chicken to our nachos for an extra two dollars; tender- loin steak is an option for three bucks more. Perfect is a bold claim, but these nachos come close to the ideal. Odelay’s entrees cover more common Tex-Mex ground. There are seven combo plates of various tacos and enchiladas, served with rice and fried beans. There’s also an a la carte section of tamales, tacos and the like that lets you customize the pre- cise meal you seek. We did most of our dining on Odelay’s house specialties. The shrimp tinga ($21) brings fresh shrimp served in a chili adobo sauce and topped with tortilla strips and a mild crema. Green rice, a small ensalada and a cup of black beans round out the dish. The shrimp were well cooked, but the adobo sauce seems to be missing a touch of heat. We also had some spicier high hopes for the pork steak in mole verde ($18), but again, the dish errs on the milder side. It’s a shame, because the mole verde has an otherwise excellent fla- vor, and the strips of grilled pork were juicy and tender. The entree is capped with crunchy lettuce and radish salad and served with fresh tortillas that make for a great pork taco, provided you kick up the heat with a splash or two of hot sauce. No such flavor adjust- ments are necessary for Odelay’s brisket tacos ($19). As mentioned, Rosewood Ranch provides the wagyu brisket, and the flavor and tenderness pay off in spades. Instead of shredded beef like you might find in other brisket tacos, Odelay’s brisket is sliced pencil-width and nestled into the tortilla with lightly caramelized onions and a touch of queso blanco. Topped with a wedge of av- ocado and a dash of tomatillo salsa, it’s one of the best brisket tacos we’ve had in some time, and two large tacos are plenty filling. We also found more beefy pleasure in the tenderloin tampiqueña ($24), consisting of beef tips cooked to order and served in a to- mato and poblano sauce. The whole dish is smothered in cheese, with obligatory rice and black beans. As with the pork mole verde, fresh tortillas accompany the order and are the consummate tool for piling the beef, peppers and cheese into your mouth. Odelay has been open only since April, but the word is already out on the street. On both of our visits, patrons gathered two and three deep at the bar. Those of us waiting for Photos by Alison McLean Top: Rosewood Ranch brisket makes stellar tacos. Bottom: The former Cafe Express space was gutted and redesigned. tables didn’t suffer, and our actual wait times ended up being significantly shorter than we were quoted. Reservations are available only for parties of 8 or more, so ex- pect a wait during peak hours. Dallas needs another Tex-Mex restau- rant like the proverbial agujero en la cabeza, but Odelay takes the Tex-Mex essentials, weaves them together with top-tier ingredi- ents, then assembles them with finesse and skill. Odelay is both new and familiar, viva- cious and casual, and proof that our love of cheese-soaked Tex-Mex knows no bounds. Odelay, 5900 Lovers Lane, Sunday - Thursday, 11 a.m. - 10 p.m.; Friday - Saturday, 11 a.m. - 11 p.m. 111 dallasobserver.comdallasobserver.com | CONTENTS | UNFAIR PARK | SCHUTZE | FEATURE | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | MOVIES | DISH | MUSIC | CLASSIFIED | CLASSIFIED | MUSIC | DISH | CULTURE | UNFAIR PARK | CONTENTS DALLAS OBSERVER DALLAS OBSERVER MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2014 AUGUST 4 - 10, 2022
