We dropped by Shannon Wynne's four day old venture, The Meddlesome Moth, late Friday night to check it out. Incendiary will soon be the appropriate descriptive for this joint. What a sexy space. I'm into mood and detail, and felt like moving into this place immediately.
^ First of all, I love the taps - no clutter of branded pulls, they are uniform. But the handwritten chalkboard descriptions add a clever and personal touch.
The most stunning element of the room took a second glance to register:
^ Yes, these are the original (restored) stained glass windows from the stage of "The Supreme Court of Rock & Roll" - Dallas' first outpost of the Hard Rock Cafe.
Opened in 1986, our original branch of that eventually tired concept was once one of the most stunning in the country.
The now razed 102 year old building was at 2601 McKinney Ave - kinda across the street from the original Sfuzzi. Back in the day, we had quite a bit of fun down there.
^ A nice touch, and very Shannon.
^ My buddy Scott chatting up Moth chef Chad Kelley as we discuss plans to assault the menu for the next post; ^ Meanwhile... there's pie!
The menu gets me twitching with phrases like:
Shin of Beef - Vanilla Porter, Brie, Walnuts
Point Judith Squid - Braised Oxtail and Parsnip Purée
Veal Sweetbreads - Oyster Mushrooms, Bacon Jam
Five Spice Pork Belly - Pickled Carrot and Black Strap Glacé
Bone Marrow - Salsa Verde and Crispy Capers
Fried Hominy - Cayenne with Lime
Cajun Boudin Blanc - Buttered Leeks
Moth Balls - a nod to The Spotted Pig
(There's also, like, normal stuff for the less... adventurous.)
^ Moth GM Lon Goodwin (C) flanked by sommeliers D'Lynn Proctor and Scott Barber. We all agreed that in keeping with Lon's 'green' philosophy - he needs to knock down the wattage of the fixture over this corner power table.
^ As it was opening weekend and the throngs had yet to descend, Lon passed me the iPhone remote and I did the mix for awhile as we sampled the wares - including the exceptional Westmalle Trappist Ale.
^ A little Beer porn. ...then...
^ Lon's 'green' restrooms feature Dyson Airblades, among other amenities.
^ The sweet patio.
Next up: a post on the food - it better match up to the space, Chad! Love this place so far. Stay tuned.
, it was paid for with Cold Hard Cash, and that's that.
We went on Thursday last week.
Got to try a few items, and will be back soon for sure.
Starter: Thai Mussels, good, but not great, we didnt even finish the whole order, but that may be because of the generous portion.
1st entree: Shin of Beef, just ok. Only worked with all ingredients in every bite, and unfortuntely there was not enough brie or walnuts to make that possible.
2nd entree: Shrimp and Grits, these were the star of the night, believe it or not. Maybe the best shrimp and grits in town.
You have the try them.
Dessert: Lime Sorbet, it was pretty good, but priced way too high for a scoop of sorbet. Will not get that again.
Posted by: Jill | May 04, 2010 at 11:20 AM
I was there probably just after you were as I was sitting next to the couple pictured on the far left at the bar. We did several dishes and some flights of beer. Most notable were the sweetbreads and the shrimp and grits. Have had the mussels since then, and they were ok. Not the best season for them, we missed that a few weeks back.
Beautiful photography as usual.
Posted by: Steven Doyle | May 04, 2010 at 02:00 PM
Brad what were your thoughts on the food?
Posted by: Shane | May 04, 2010 at 05:06 PM
Shane - that's the next post.
Posted by: TheBrad | May 05, 2010 at 12:40 PM
Have you heard about Square Burger? It was listed above the Moth on Urban Spoon's "Talk of the town" for the last two days. Anyone been there?
Posted by: Mark | July 04, 2010 at 12:00 AM
I'm so happy someone got those stained glass pieces from the Hard Rock Cafe. I was so sad when I heard it was torn down. I can't wait to see these in person.
Posted by: jocelyn | August 01, 2011 at 02:19 PM