Two Critics Agree Proof + Pantry is Pretty Awesome

Scott Reitz reviewed Proof + Pantry: With Michael Martensen as a partner, it's no surprise that P+P has great cocktails made with "obscure bitters and oils, and other elaborate flavors and garnishes"; you should "expect to be drunk if you spend much time here." "The food coming out of the kitchen at Proof + Pantry is every bit as good as the drink," though, particularly off-menu specials like spaghetti and meatballs "so tender they almost fall apart," followed by cannoli "with an impossibly crisp shell." A 30-ounce dry-aged T-bone is "perfect for sharing" and worth the $125 price tag. Chef Kyle McClelland "seems particularly adept with seafood," including "a creamy seafood stew" and a kampachi crudo. "This is the space One Arts has been sorely lacking," Reitz declares. [Observer]

Teresa Gubbins also filed a review on Proof + Pantry: Gubbins finds the food here "sophisticated and fun, with warm service and whimsical touches from the kitchen." A $44 whole chicken for sharing boasts "a golden, crackling skin, while the texture of the meat was so tender, it was almost creamy." Sweetbread nuggets "offered tenderness and decadence," while their version of bone marrow has "an unduplicated flair" thanks to tomato jam and onion-foie gras marshmallows. Those feeling brave can enjoy a shot of Fernet poured "down the hollowed-out bone and into the diner’s mouth" in a trick they call the luge. Overall, P+P is "an exciting new restaurant ... with a cool vibe, good food and well-crafted drinks." [DFW.com]

Mark Vamos went to Meddlesome Moth: He declares the food here "varied and inventive," and the atmosphere "casual yet sophisticated." Don't miss the "the fried chicken-skin chips, crispy and chewy in their little cast-iron skillet, with a sweet-and-spicy glaze." Other standouts include Belgian mussels in a lemony broth and "the rabbit potpie, with a flaky crust that conceals a deeply flavorful filling packed with collards, hominy and shiitake mushrooms." Less impressive were the ricotta-filled pasta spheres known as moth balls (they "seemed bland and baby-foodish" to Vamos) and the steak tartare. Three stars. [DMN]

ELSEWHERE: DFW.com rounded up their favorite bowls of pho; SideDish checked out the new menu at Dallas Chop House; Daniel Vaughn went to Mesquite Wood Bar-B-Q in Iraan, Texas; Fort Worth Weekly went to Spazzia Italian Cantina.