Wayward Sons Earns Three Stars; Canary By Gorji Still Keeps It Real

This week, Dallas Morning News food critic Leslie Brenner headed to Graham Dodds’ farm-to-table spot Wayward Sons on Lower Greenville. After complimenting Dodds’ continually experimental approach to Texas cuisine and careful consideration of local ingredients, the critic did find some snags along the way.

But I do wish there were fewer flubs. A perfect, classic brandade – French-style salt cod and potato gratin – was just plain weird with a vinegary herb salad loaded with little sardines, pickled red onions and capers. Too bad, as the name of the starter – sardines and toast – is so enticing. Fried whole red snapper, a special, came to the table underseasoned, with accompaniments that didn't work (a sauté of green garbanzos, celery root and turnips should have been more vivid, and a salad of pickled turnips and carrot tops – a cool idea – whose flavors were too vehement). A couple of main courses were near misses: a giant portion of an otherwise likable beef Bolognese lasagna weighed down by a clunky dried-tomato sugo; nicely cooked blackened redfish lost in a one-note red pepper purée.

At the Dallas Observer, Brian Reinhart filed a review of Canary by Gorji, the much-beloved Addison establishment that’s been open for more than a decade. In his review, Reinhart argues that Canary just hasn’t been getting the props that it deserves.

Canary’s secret is to keep it simple. Meats are seasoned with olive oil, salt and pepper, then grilled to perfection. Beef, lamb and boar arrive with a glorious ribbon of pink which reaches from the center of the cut to the edges. Taste each animal in turn and, thanks to the simplicity of the grillwork, your attention will be drawn to the flavor differences inherent in the meats. The beef tenderloin ($44) in particular is one of the best in the Metroplex.

Elsewhere, Texas Monthly critic Patricia Sharpe scoped out Nick Badovinus’ Montlake Cut, saying that the restaurant will “make you homesick for Seattle even if you’ve never lived there,” and raving about Badovinus’ approach to both surf and turf. The Observer’s Nick Rallo was equally enthusiastic about Montlake Cut’s burger, calling it a “beautiful, medium-rare escape.”