Steel, an "Indochine, Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese and Korean Restaurant" has been around in the trendy Oak Lawn neighborhood of Dallas for as long as I can remember (which is not long due to the countless brain cells I've destroyed by living life to the fullest in the manner of an impish yet sincere frat boy.) About once a year we remember to go back to Steel and we always enjoy it but last weekend it reached a new level of gastronomic greatness for us.
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| Me Llamo Guapo |
It all started at the bar (natch) when (brain cell malfunction alert!) Ernesto/Rodrigo/Jesus, the smiling and hospitable bartender, concocted the best Ketel One Martini Up with a Twist I've ever gulped in two swallows. I don't know what he did to it except smile brilliantly as he made it but it was crisp and cold and completely right. It seemed a little unfair to limit his chances of showing off such bartending brilliance to just one display so I had another due to my generosity of spirit(s). (Pun intended,but admittedly not particularly clever.)
The dining room is smart and sassy and so Sex and the City I always look around for Carrie or Miranda or Charlotte or Samantha but never see them. The shirt guys and the balloon smugglers are there as well as silver foxes with yoga moms mixed with professorial types who wear leather patches on the elbows of their sweaters plus a smattering of gays getting their sushi on before a night of sophisticated debauchery. In other words, Uptown Dallas.
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| What IsThat Ring Thingy? |
We were seated after 20 minutes or so and were tap watered but not breaded. I love the napkin presentation at Steel,which is rolled around both chopsticks and a fork, then secured with a metal, adjustable ring that probably all of you know the name of but I don't. It suggests "cool" and "don't be embarrassed if you can't use chopsticks" and "this place is well thought out and has great attention to detail" without saying a word.
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| Calamari Chameleon |
Steel's Calamari are perfect. The breading is wonderfully light and the polar opposite of greasy. They are served with Julienned Carrots and fresh, Sliced Jalapenos but they could be served with Raspberry Pop Tarts and they'd still be remarkably tasty. We also started with Spring Rolls which are stuffed with Chicken and Shrimp and Vegetables and wrapped in what seems like a layer of skin that was gently lifted off a recently sunburned albino. (I mean that in a metaphorical rather than a cannibalistic sense.) Those came with Thai-spiced Peanut Dipping Sauce.
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| Spring Forward, Throw Back |
I had the Roasted Miso and Sake Marinated Sea Bass with Tempura Asparagus that was so delicious I spontaneously belted out a rousing refrain of Sitting On The Dock of the Bay until I was rudely shushed by my spoilsport table mate. He had Vietnamese Shaken Beef (despite my warning that shaking beef is looked down upon on certain cattle ranches) and pronounced it a perfectly palate pleasing plate. (No he didn't, I just made that up--he never alliterates.)
I can't believe I didn't have the Sushi this trip. It is probably the best in town and the line-up of sushi chefs with their matching headbands and tae-kwan-do costumes lend authenticity to the experience. They really get their raw right and it looks nothing like bait.
This blog post has made me realize I should go there more often and support Steel's unflagging hospitality and delicious cuisine with wads of cash. In fact, I think I'll go there after work. Ernesto/Rodrigo/Jesus no doubt misses my admiration for his unsurpassed mixology skills and I'm Jonesing for a Rainbow Roll.
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