The Early Word on Shannon Wynne's Lark on the Park

Lark on the Park has been satisfying Klyde Warren Park visitors hungry for something more than food truck fare for one month now, enriching people with civilized food (you know, the kind with a fork and knife) prepared by husband-and-wife chef team Dennis Kelley and Melody Bishop. Locals warmly embraced the restaurant for its succulent entrees of smoked duck breast, coq au vin, and seared scallops, and delighted in the promise of a hip place to dine in the sun. But some wonder if its chalkboard artwork and well-dressed staff is overly trendy. Here's the early word on Lark on the Park:

The Good News: An Urbanspoon user has a great time: "I ate there last week and this place is just amazing from the hand drawn illustrations to the fantastically prepared food I just loved it. I had the Lamb Shank and it was absolutely delicious. Their Kremlin cocktail is by far one of the best Ginger Beers I've had. Totally recommend this place!" [Urbanspoon]

The Bad News: Dining Dave isn't sold on the concept: "There's nothing really wrong with Lark. There's just not anything particularly right with it either. It's the bottom floor of an office building or a condo building perched beside the feeder road of a highway and it feels just like that. On a Saturday night at 8:30 the mostly empty bar had the forlorn, antiseptic atmosphere of an orthodontist's waiting room minus the Highlights magazines. The three interchangeably blonde hostesses were bored and the pleasant bartender polished glasses that were already sparkling since they'd rarely been used." [Dining Dave]

The Experience News: Dallas Beer Snob seems impressed by the opening: "I normally refrain from trying a new restaurant in the first few weeks because I know that there are going to be lots of hick-ups which will annoy me so much that I will probably not return. I am not a very forgiving soul ... major character flaw. But we surmised that with their soft opening on Friday that not so many people know about the Lark and that they would not yet be inundated with the beautiful people (of Marilyn Manson's definition, not Hollywood's) and lo and behold we were right! The second welcome surprise is that the food was magnificent and the service, while not yet polished, was friendly and professional. Not flawless but certainly not flawed." [DBS]

The Food News: Entree Dallas evaluates the dishes: "Though they do strive to let the ingredients speak for themselves, the dishes at Lark belie Kelly and Bishop's professed technical modesty; the Massachusetts Haddock with carrot puree, braised fennel, carrots and a parsley-chive sauce is a colorful and vibrant testament to freshness both protein and produce, while the braised lamb shank with Israeli couscous, pine nuts, black olives and feta is a Mediterranean feast in itself. Bishop states that the technique is all French-based. The Coq Au Vin with with mushrooms and gnocchi seems to confirm it, but the Moo Krob – Thai pork with sticky rice and lime-cilantro slaw – may seem a little less obvious." [ED]

The Drinks News: On Foursquare, a user recommends: "Try the gluten free hard cider. It pairs well with most dinner dishes and a great value if you want an alternative to a light white wine." [Foursquare]

The Service News: A Yelp reviewer observes the staff: "They had an imbalance of wait staff and people standing around at the hostess station, but the service itself was great (although slower than had the waiters/waitresses had a more reasonable number of tables to juggle). Our waitress was friendly, showed up to make sure we were doing okay often enough, and also replaced a drink that came out not to our liking. All the staff were well dressed - in a half upscale dining, half fancy hipster manner." [Yelp]

The Value News: One Yelper thinks it's a bit pricey: "As for the food, this is where I was a bit underwhelmed. The Curry Pillows were okay, but nothing special. The Moo Krob is good if you like pork, but if you aren't a fan of fatty meats, steer clear. Just okay. The food itself is not worth the price, but the overall experience of the restaurant makes up for it." [Yelp]

The Crowd News: The Eats Blog sets the scene: "But over the weekend, dinner was quite the scene, with the sprawling dining room packed with a well-heeled collection of sophisticated-looking diners that morphed into a younger, more laid-back crowd as the evening progressed. It feels like a chic urban canteen, with high tables fitted out with comfortable banquettes along a raised platform on the back wall, and enormous blackboards sporting now-you-see-'em, later-you-won't white chalk illustrations by local artists." [Eats Blog]

The Seating News: SideDish raves about the sun room: "The Lark on the Park offers a beautiful, sit-down environment where you can eat equally beautiful food, sip on a cocktail, and watch all the suckers outside get attacked by summer heat as you peer through wall-length windows. That's what I call a good life." [SideDish]

— Ashley Mason

· LARK on the Park [Official Website]
· All LARK on the Park Coverage on Eater Dallas [-EDFW-]