Not Really Such A Bright Idea

I think Matt McAllister just might be the most talented and inventive chef in Dallas.  Dinners at his signature FT33 have perpetually been among my most memorable and delicious dining adventures.  So I was psyched when I heard he was opening a second restaurant in Big D with lower price points and less fussy use of tweezers to make his plates so fetchingly beautiful.  I am a planner, so I booked his newest hotspot, Filament in Deep Ellum, on Valentine's weekend, 8:30 Saturday night weeks in advance. Coincidentally, the Friday edition of the Guide in the Dallas Morning News contained a 4 star review of Filament  by the always controversial dining critic Leslie Brenner. "Yes!" I exclaimed to myself, as if I had just scored the winning touchdown in the Super Bowl.  (Of course I hadn't--that would have been Tony Romo.  Not.)  So I was giddy with anticipation as we navigated the complex pay-in-advance self-parking ritual at the surface lot beside the restaurant--thank you, Homeless Man, for your expert guidance on which buttons to punch and your cheerful reminder to display our receipt on the dashboard.  (I hope that money I gave you went towards groceries.)

We rounded the corner and saw that a renaissance of Deep Ellum is indeed underway.  Groups of club kids were emerging from the shadows with lots of make-up and spiky hair and heading into a place across the street called Brain Dead, while couples on dates strolled arm in arm, window shopping rotary dial phones, tattoo designs, and ornate samurai swords. We entered the restaurant and noticed how REALLY LOUD the music was, as well as the buzzy and exciting industrial chic ambience.  In a word, the place was rocking. A squadron of hostesses looked up warily as we came in but seemed to relax when we said we had a reservation--lots of walk-ins were waiting for tables-- and assured us our table would be ready in just a moment.  "Just a moment" was more like 20 minutes, but it passed quickly due to the excellent people watching.  (Have you noticed what passes for fashionable footwear on women these days looks like some sort of cruel and unusual toe torture?  I blame Lady Gaga.)

Good Vibrations

The decor is really cool--there was some sort of old machinery like a corn husker or a grist mill in a focal point of the waiting area that had flowers drooping out of it, and the bar had a righteous metal ladder that slid back and forth so folks could snag the literally top shelf liquors.  We were seated in a good spot and were immediately watered without having to answer any annoying questions about sparkling, still, imported or tap, thank you very much. Our very busy waiter managed to take our dinner orders promptly and we anticipated pure-D deliciousness to come sailing out of the kitchen forthwith.

No Comprende

The Johnny Cake Okonomiyaki was not very attractive to look at and tasted weird.  Not sure what the inspiration was behind a semi-sweet pancake with smoked ham, red cabbage, dried fish flakes and mayo. Do those ingredients sound rather random to you or am I just clueless? We shared about two thirds of it, and honestly, just didn't get it or like it very much.  Our other app came out--Ember Roasted Onion Dip with crispy onions and sea salt potato chips, which sounded good but was sort of stringy and tasteless. I yearned for a packet of Lipton onion soup mix and a half pint of sour cream.  The next thing out was Appalachian Fried Chicken Thigh with a Cheddar Chive Biscuit, Pepper Jelly and B&B Pickles.  Ding ding ding we had a winner!  Thankfully, it was generously portioned and enough for the both of us to enjoy.

Sadly, the last dish to come out was nothing short of vile.  Smelly, overcooked pork stuffed inside a sticky, white wrapping made the MS Delta Tamale one of the worst things I've ever stuck in my mouth.  It was supposed to be served with ham hock pinto beans, but I think they hocked the ham and the beans were bone dry since there was no broth.  Our server noticed that we had shoved it as far from us as the table would allow and inquired if everything was all right.  I know I sounded like that orange presidential candidate with problematic hair when I pronounced it "terrible" but I couldn't help it.  He actually didn't seem very surprised and whisked it away quickly (it also was not on our final bill.)

Maybe my admiration for Chef McAllister's talent in the kitchen made my expectations too high. Maybe the four star review from a real restaurant critic made me think it would be so much more. Maybe the cool decor, fun ambience, and hip crowd overshadowed the food itself.  I don't know--but the filament is the part of a light bulb that makes it work, and to me this concept was not a very bright idea.