The Early Word on Acme F&B

When Colleen O'Hare and Jeana Johnson (Good 2 Go Tacos, Goodfriend) announced seasonal, sustainable, and local venture Acme F&B with Barcadia's Brooke Humphries and Brianna Larson, the good people of DFW went berserk. Now nearly two months out, the hype for its whole animal allocation program has settled and opinions are taking shape. Here's what the local social media is saying about Acme F&B:

The Best News: Feed Me Dallas is delighted by the first course: "We arrived to Acme F&B and were pleasantly surprised by the impressive decor and even more surprised once we sat down and were greeted by tiny little glasses of complimentary wine. Now that is what I call amuse bouche. Once we ordered and the experience just got better. To start an Asparagus and Beet Salad on butter lettuce. The beets and asparagus created a tart and sweet flavor that adding a kick to the salad, highlighted by the choice of dressing (kind of a sweet and tangy ranch) Next, the Salmon with Sofrito and Savoy. The combination of the sofrito and savoy, blended with the flavor of the salmon perfectly, if I do say so myself." [Feed Me Dallas]

The Bad News: One Yelper doesn't feel sufficiently greeted: "My friends and I were excited to try it. Unfortunately, it was not worth the excitement. In fact, I doubt I'll ever go back. First, the hostess was not paying attention when I arrived to the point where when she did look up she allowed people who arrived after me to check in and be seated prior to me. Not a great start." [Yelp]

The Attentive News: Side Dish praised the waitstaff: "What's truly amazing about ACME F&B is the service. At no point during the entire meal was I ever left wanting or needing something that I didn't have already. A server assistant came by our table twice to wipe the crumbs off of my table and refilled my water glass several times. My dinner partner was recovering from a cold and asked for a cup of hot water at the beginning of our meal, but she ended up drinking three mugs full without ever asking for a refill." [Side Dish]

The Poor Execution: Another Yelp commenter is unimpressed: "Ordered the pate, fried artichokes, beef tongue, and beef tartar. The pate was rich and wonderful. artichokes were not well executed. I was expecting a flash fry and not such a heavy coating. the tongue was rich but my friend did not enjoy it and lastly the tartar was absolutely flavorless. So much so, (and I normally never do this) but I had to ask the waiter for some salt. To no avail, it made no difference- the texture was just was not there. It almost looked as through the chef cut the beef incorrectly and nothing saved that fact that it had no flavor." [Yelp]

The Scene News: Pegasus News praises the atmosphere: "Utilizing recycled and found materials, the decor is a stunner, and the interior redesign takes what was previously a strange and uncomfortable layout and makes it feel friendly and welcoming." [Pegasus News]

The Pricey News: City of Ate cautions diners: "Mains don't come cheap at ACME F&B. A vegetarian dish of summer vegetables with spaetzle gratin is $22, and prices rise steeply from there, up to $32 for farmers cut beef, pork or lamb." [City of Ate]

The Bowl Lickin' News: One Yelp user couldn't get enough: "My 'dumplings were actually gnocchi that had great flavor and texture. The chicken was not a breast but actually a small roasted chicken and could not have been seasoned any better. I did not try my friends rabbit but she pretty much licked the bowl so I'm assuming it was good." [Yelp]

The Drink News: A Foursquare user offers advice: "Everything is good! I'm not even kidding. The drinks are amazing as well...and strong! I recommend the hummingbird." [Foursquare]

The Sour News: The Dallas Morning News critiques the asparagus and beet salad: "One of the salads, grilled asparagus tarted up with big chunks of roasted- then-pickled beets intense enough to make you pucker, jangles in a not-entirely unpleasant way. What makes it nearly work is a generous smattering of roughly chopped, perfectly hard-cooked egg (mimosa) blanketing it. The egg whites tame the beets into something weirdly compelling, almost delicious. (The dish has since been tweaked; the beets are now roasted but not pickled.) These chefs do seem to love their eggs!" [Dallas Morning News]

— Ashley Mason
· All Coverage of Acme F&B [~EDFW~]