The Raves Keep Rolling In For Filament; The Theodore’s Cocktails Are ‘Slurpilicious’

Last week, the Dallas Observer raved about Filament. This week, Texas Monthly critic Pat Sharpe is joining the chorus of praise for Matt McCallister and Cody Sharp’s southern stunner. In addition to a "beautifully laid out" charcuterie plate with chicken liver mousse, country ham, and duck rillettes, Sharpe praised Sharp’s eye for creative plates, like "johnnycake okonomiyaki:"

Basically a Japanese pancake pumped up with ham and red cabbage, it had been Southernized by the addition of cornmeal gruel. As Sharp said later, "People either love it or hate it." I could see that. Though mild, it had a distinctive ferment-y flavor, thanks to a shot of Kentuckyaki (a bourbon-infused teriyaki sauce) in the batter and fluttery shavings of dried bonito on top. Our group had mixed reactions. The haters sniped that it was spongy and bland, while the lovers deemed it a cool fusion experiment and quite comforting.

Sharpe also enjoyed a buttermilk pie served with Campari granita, and beverage director Seth Brammer’s cocktail program, especially their cheekily-named "aftereffects," like "inappropriate back rubs."

The Dallas Morning News’ Leslie Brenner checked out The Theodore, the Grand Budapest Hotel-inspired concept from Tim Byres’ Turn The Tables Hospitality. Some "unevenness" left Brenner skeptical out of the gate, but she still found a few things to love, "liquid architect" Kyle Hilla’s cocktails, most notably:

Nothing in the restaurant narrates it as convincingly as Hilla's cocktails, many of which are named for national parks. At a time when-craft cocktail fatigue is feeling endemic (see your doctor about CCF), his sometimes wacky-sounding creations are often thrilling. Who wants a frozen cocktail in midwinter? You do! If it's Hilla's Everglades, that is: a slurpilicious rum punch gone highbrow with celery, sexy with green Chartreuse and delightfully silly with ginger pop rocks. Eventually the weather will warm up, and that will be delicious on the patio.

Slurpilicious, indeed. Three stars.

Elsewhere, D Magazine’s Nancy Nichols scoped out Pera Wine & Tapas, praising the restaurant’s "inventive" tapas and "unusual" wine list. The Dallas Observer’s Nick Rallo weighed in on the burger at Mudhen, and decidedly wasn’t enthused about being served a pile of crudite (with no dip!) as a side dish at the vegetable-obsessed restaurant.