Combined, we have lived in Dallas for over half a century. During that time we have developed quite a few inarguable truths about the views of the citizens in our fair city. The Cowboys will always be the biggest show in town. Oswald really didn’t act alone. You can’t find even a car load of people who all agreed on the Trinity River Project. We feel ripped off every time we get on the tollway (wasn’t that paid off in, like, 1988?). And those living in north Dallas have a fear of veering south of downtown to eat out.
We’ve come to accept the first four as fact but the last one really deserves a thorough revisit by every astute eater domiciled north of I-30. The fact is, Oak Cliff – or the O.C. - has spawned a few culinary treasures that should entice even a semi-serious foodie to give their geographical dining restraints a once over. And on top of that treasure chest has to be Bishop Arts District stalwart Hattie’s.
Need persuading you say? Hey, that’s what we’re here for.
First, the Bishop Arts District is a funky and cool little neighborhood. Think of the Knox Henderson area before it was overrun by Restoration Hardware and Pottery Barn with a sprinkling of Lakewood mixed in. Art galleries, unique shops, spas and, of course, restaurants. It’s an absolutely perfect place to spend the day when you just want to throw on a T-shirt and go without worrying about running into a fellow Junior Leaguer or that ‘friend’ from work (that you’re really not friends with away from the office) at one of your old standbys. Or, if you’re IMAX’d out, it’s the nanny’s day off or Paciugo and the park isn’t doing it for you anymore, go spend an afternoon with the kids at the zoo and head over to Hattie’s for an early dinner.
Second, listen closely north Dallasites and suburbanites…O.C. is actually located within the city of Dallas!!!! Yep, you heard it here first. It’s not some far away community that you can only see on Fox4 News that’s a zillion miles away from your normal rotation of restaurants. Not buying it? I got a C- in my last Geography class but let me educate you, you poor sheltered soul. From Northpark Mall, it is less than 11 miles and 14 minutes to Hattie’s according to Mapquest. On most days you can’t make it to Plano, Highland Park Village, or Uptown from Northpark in 15 minutes. And don’t even get me started on Frisco…
Third, well, you know we are a fine dining recommendation site right? So, the fact that they made the cut for snootyfoodie should clue you in that the food (at least in our not so humble opinions) is well worth whatever fears you have to overcome and efforts you have to make to plug 418 N. Bishop into your GPS.
Executive Chef Estevan Galindo cranks out southern specialties with an approach that gives his dishes a haute cuisine sensibility while simultaneously keepin’ it real. Now, it’s a slippery slope when a chef begins to take liberties with time honored classics, sometimes tweaking and modernizing them to the point where their interpretation doesn’t even belong in the same cookbook as the original. We hate that. So we are especially pleased to say that Chef Galindo clearly keeps the heart and soul of the original dish in mind as he takes it from rustic to refined.
There are several starters that have completely won us over. As we’ve commented on a few other menus, fried green tomatoes are simply not seen enough and Hattie’s version is as good as we’ve had anywhere. There are a few Southern dishes that just shouldn’t be too gussied up and fried green tomatoes are one of them. Get the batter right and fry it crisp, leaving the tomato al dente and serve it up simply. A cool buttermilk dressing does dance across the top of Hattie’s offering and they serve it up with some nice mixed greens but, other than that, this is simple southern belle satisfaction to the nth degree.
The tomato bisque has become legendary (Dishes to Die For) and for very good reason. It’s not super chunky but also not strained so many times that there’s no tooth to it. It’s pureéd up perfectly delivering a bang up roasted tomato flavor with the texture of a nice bisque. They serve it with a mini grilled cheese sandwich that has a great crunch on the outside and even better gooeyness inside. If you find yourself hankering for some soul warming comfort food on a chilly evening, you really owe it to yourself to start your meal with a bowl of this with the grilled cheese riding shotgun. Bang!
And we couldn’t stop eating the calamari. It’s an excruciatingly overdone appetizer for sure but Hattie’s batters theirs in the same light yet crunchy mixture they use on their fried green tomatoes giving what I guess we would call a countrified kick to it. Nestled among the squid are whole fried sprigs of okra that catch you off guard at first (holy shit, did I just bite into a jalapeno?!?!) but work well in the end. And there are no marinara sightings here. Rather, Chef Galindo drizzles a lovely Meyer lemon truffle aioli across the top completing the rural meets urban crescendo.
For mains, you can’t go wrong with the shrimp & grits, pecan crusted catfish, or the pork chop. The Low Country Shrimp is made up of a half dozen jumbo gulf shrimp served over a goat cheese grit cake (you could call it firm polenta) and served with a jazzy Tabasco bacon pan sauce. Again, this is a minor twist to the more mainstream version that basically has sautéed shrimps thrown on top of a mound of soupy grits. But the taste and presentation is a decided notch above the original yet the essence and guts of the dish are still in tact.
Catfish is at the core of any southern comfort menu and Hattie’s is no exception. Their pecan crusted catfish (Dishes to Die For) is superb. A large farm raised filet is dusted and studded with crushed, toasted pecans, pan fried and topped with an unfussy lemon butter sauce, served over mashed potatoes and sided with sautéed haricot verts. For those health nuts out there that insist fried food is bad, dieticians on the snootyfoodie team would like to submit to you that poorly fried food is bad. But if the result is like Hattie’s - a greaseless dish with a crispy outside and moist inside, there’s just no way it can be bad. Basically, if you’ve got even 1 ml of Southern blood pumping through your body (and Yankees we’ll take you too), you can’t deny the greatness of this fish dish.
Looking for a non fish item on our most recent visit, we ordered the Butcher Block pork chop and we are oh so glad we did. Instead of the mammoth bone in cuts you find at some places, this is a meaty yet manageable chop. It comes with a homemade chunky apple glaze and braised greens with studs of bacon. This combination of sweet apple, roasted pork, and earthy braised greens with salty bacon alone is enough to whole heartedly recommend this dish. But, the real star of this entrée was the spoon bread. Served in a ramekin this is sort of like a really herby and savory cornmealy soufflé. Chef Galindo uses sage, oregano and other herbs along with jack cheese to create an ultra moist corn bread that you literally eat with a spoon. Without question, this is one of the best things we’ve eaten this year (Dishes to Die For) and we urged them to offer this as a side for any entrée. Even if we have to wander into the kitchen and threaten Chef Galindo with a meat mallet, we’ll get our fix on all future visits. Yeah, it’s that good.
You’ll find the requisite bread pudding and cheesecake on the dessert menu but we can’t urge you strongly enough to order up the fried strawberry rhubarb pie. Grown primarily in the cooler northern climates, rhubarb has long suffered with an identity crisis. Is it a vegetable or fruit? Technically referred to as an “uncommon vegetable” it is often shown in cookbooks as a fruit due to its commonality in berry pies. Hey, it kind of looks like celery but apparently has enough natural sugars in it to make it a great match with fruit so let’s not overthink it okay? In this pie, the diced rhubarb is folded with sliced strawberries and rolled up in several layers of phyllo before being dropped in the deep fryer. Dusted with some powdered sugar and topped with a couple of scoops of homemade vanilla ice cream and fresh mint, this makes us long for a blanket, shade tree, and a glass of wine on a warm summer day. Ahhh…
Speaking of wine, many people unnecessarily struggle with wines to match up with southern cuisine, particularly if it has any spice to it. I’ve heard many schools of logic, some of which tell you to go spicy with spicy (red zin perhaps) or something dry and white to offset the spice (sav blanc). You know our stance on wine rules so please don’t freak out people. At the end of the day the dishes we profiled above are easy wine matches (roasted tomatoes, shrimp, pork), so don’t discount their wineability simply because they’re not in the fancy shmancy category or because the dishes have a little pep in their step. Hattie’s wine list is short but to the point, providing predominantly food friendly reds and fish friendly whites. Easy enough, right? We certainly have no fear of the reds but we like to greet some of the heat with a nice Alsace. It not only cuts the spice but can stand up to most of the non-fish items too.
And is it just us or is this joint kinda like a speakeasy in New Orleans (or NOLA or N’awlins for those in the know)? Sure seems like we find ourselves saying that very thing every time we go down there. And it’s not just the hints of Creole on the menu. The well worn exterior and the simple furnishings inside. A funky statue here, a 200 year old book case there. The black & white harlequin floors, the melting pot of people that all seem to be relaxed and laughing and even the professional yet laid back staff that put you at ease the moment you walk in (note to self, check availability at the Royal Sonesta and call Galatoire’s). Yep, this place is a little Big Easy in south Dallas.
Foodies, it’s really this simple. If you don’t have Hattie’s on your radar, you are missing one of the city’s best. The food, location, and atmosphere give you something that is unique on the Dallas fine dining scene and truly provides a welcoming respite from the regular lineup. Hey, if the fear of breaking your routine prompts you to close your eyes and hold your breath as you cross over the Trinity, we understand. Just like braving the Pavilion at the Byron Nelson, dealing with another Cowboys playoff loss, or fighting your way through the party pics in D, every time seems a little bit easier than the last. And, trust us, after eating at Hattie’s, there will definitely be a next time.