Great Bar Food at The Whistling Pig, & More Reviews

Leslie Brenner reviewed Cadot: The food at this five-year-old Far North Dallas restaurant "has remained stuck resolutely in the butter-enriched, flour-thickened, slow-simmered quagmire of time," but "that's not necessarily a bad thing." Many of the basics here are well-executed, like duck pâté, "spot-on" steak frites, and souffles that are "beautifully puffed, carefully baked and served with just the right fanfare." The less traditional dishes are often less successful, though, like Copper River Salmon that's oddly paired with a whiskey-langoustine sauce, fiddleheads and artichokes; many of the entrees taste reheated, too. "Service is generally warm and engaged," but hopelessly uninformed about the wine list. [DMN]

Scott Reitz went to The Whistling Pig: The recently opened sister pub to Lakewood's Cock and Bull has some damn good food in an unexpected location, surrounded by "a Dollar General, a laundromat, a couple of styling salons and a vape store." Pastrami is housemade and served on toasted rye with beet Russian dressing, and a Cuban sandwich with house-smoked pulled pork is "a force to be reckoned with." Burgers are messy, "three-napkin affair[s] that should not be ordered by the timid." It's not all bar food, though; "[Chef Asher] Stevens' list of entrees is as diverse as any restaurant's," including perfectly cooked lamb chops over lentils. Less successful were overcooked fish and chips and a "gluey" open-faced pot roast sandwich. [Observer]

ELSEWHERE: SideDish tried the new menu at AF+B; The Taco Trail trekked out to Monterrey Cafe in New Braunfels; DFW.com went to Aspen Creek in Irving; Fort Worth Weekly checked out Ume Sushi and Korean BBQ; Daniel Vaughn reviewed Kerlin BBQ in Austin.