The Brad's Adventures in Food

I'm a moth to the bright flame that is The Meddlesome Moth - Dallas

So much for my scoop. I do this blog for fun, so my real job intervenes once in awhile.

 

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.

Summer Cocktail Watch: Chelada

To celebrate the fact that it's only 88° right now (instead of the 104° it's been this last week,) I sat on the patio, caught up on some back-issues of Bon Appétit, and drank a few of these:

I call this a Chelada (not to be confused with the Budweiser offering - or the Michelada on which the canned version is based).

Mexican Beer (here some left behind Modelo), Ice, Sea Salt, Lime. Refreshing as hell! I do like Micheladas as well - made by adding to the above: Clamato, Worcestershire Sauce, pick a Hot Sauce, Maggi Seasoning Sauce (or Soy Sauce as a substitute.) It's heartier but delicious. I get them often at MiCo's, and they have a great one at Pepe at Mito's.

Time for a cold one, elBulli style.

This is an open call to all my Chef and Sommelier pals: Somebody get some of this - NOW!

Ferran Adrià, famed chef of the impossibly brilliant elBulli restaurant in Roses, Spain, has teamed with Damm brewmasters to create INEDIT, a beer specifically designed to pair with serious modern cuisine. "Inedit is a unique coupage of barley malt and wheat with hop, coriander, orange peel, liquorice, yeast and water. After bottling and capping, a secondary fermentation in the bottle occurs, leading to a more complex product." Sounds good to me!