News

December 5, 2003

DAKOTAS REVIEW

HAPPY RETURNS: Dakota's is back in a big way. When a water main broke in August 2002, flooding closed the downtown Underground landmark, which opened in 1984. What was expected to be a brief shuttering turned into more than a year off. After a fairly extensive renovation, the restaurant reopened in mid-September with executive chef Ted Grieb back at the helm and a new emphasis on steaks.
DAKOTA'S BY DAY: Lunch offers an array of moderately priced options from a seared ahi tuna salad ($11.95) to New York strip ($17.95) served with mashed potatoes and French green beans. Chicken-fried steak ($12.95) with ancho cream sauce gives a down-home favorite an upscale tweak with its use of prime aged beef.
CLASSICS ROCK: The dinner menu is heavy on steakhouse classics such as shrimp cocktail ($12.50), wedge salad ($7.50) and prime steaks ($21 to $39.95) with optional sides of bordelaise or house-made steak sauce ($3 each). An appetizer of seared Hudson Valley foie gras ($14) featured a lush, silken duck liver perched atop tender slices of roasted apples and rich French brioche. An evening special of sea scallops ($12.50) was also commendable thanks to a deft touch with the plump, sweet-tasting shellfish.
BEYOND BEEF: Nonsteak entrees range from cedar-roasted Scottish salmon ($21.50) and broiled Atlantic swordfish ($26) to Texas Hill Country quail ($21.50) and lamb chops with date-papaya pesto ($31.50). The Cervena elk rack ($28.50) was sliced into a couple of juicy chops, modest in size but full-flavored and perfectly cooked to a rosy medium-rare. The free-range, grass-fed venison was a wonder, but the burgundy wine sauce on the side was a tad harsh. No problem ? with meat this good, masking the flavor with any sauce would be a sin.
BY SEA OR BY LAND: Surf and turf can be a nice way to sample the best of both culinary worlds, but it's not for the faint of heart ... or wallet. Cold-water lobster tails are available in 12- or 18-ounce portions at market price. Our 12-ouncer was a whopping $45, and while the meat was sweet and fresh tasting, it was also a bit tough and disappointingly dry. This was the only real misstep we saw from the kitchen, but at $45, it was a considerable one.
The lobster is generally paired with a 6-ounce prime filet mignon ($21.95), but our waiter talked us into the 16-ounce bone-in filet ($35.95) instead. Pricey, yes, but unlike the lobster, it was worth every penny. All of Dakota's beef is USDA prime and dry-aged for four weeks, resulting in a seriously tender, flavor-intense piece of meat. Ours was seasoned simply with a sprinkle of salt and had flavor nearly gamelike in its intensity. The next day, we were still delighted by the leftovers.
ACCESSORIZE: As at most high-end steakhouses, sides are priced separately and generously portioned; here they're cheekily referred to as "accessories for two." Butternut squash casserole ($4.50) was a rich, creamy treat. Less season-appropriate but just as tasty was a dish of spring peas ($4.50), fresh and simple and topped with a melting dollop of lightly minted cr? fra?e. Other options include whipped potatoes ($4.95), creamed spinach ($5.50) and grilled asparagus ($6.50).
CHOCO-TECTURE: The chocolate tower cake ($6.50) is designed after the adjacent 45-story Lincoln Plaza office building, which sports the Dakota mahogany granite facade that gave the restaurant its name. The dessert features a chocolate cylinder filled with all manner of gooey, cakey goodness, decorated on the outside with an outline of the downtown skyline. Non-chocoholics can opt for Key lime pie, cheesecake or the Dr Pepper praline float (each $6.50).
WINNING WINES: The wine list is all over the map ? in a good way. There are more than 100 selections from around the world, including more than a dozen choices by the glass and nine offerings by the half-bottle. This allowed us to customize our wine selections, pairing a half-bottle of Oregon pinot gris with our appetizers and a half-bottle of a bold California red with our meaty main courses.
SERVE YOU RIGHT: Service was exceptional even before I was recognized. Our waiter patiently explained the benefits of dry-aging vs. wet-aging, described the daily specials and helped match wines without a stumble.
The only glitch became apparent days later when we examined the bill more closely and discovered we had been charged for a full bottle of wine rather than the half-bottle we ordered.
OUTSIDE'S IN: The restaurant's renovation included new booths and flooring inside, but it's still the subterranean patio and its cascading water wall that draws in romance-minded diners. A new outdoor bar was added for those desiring an alfresco tipple, and gas heaters and a large center fire pit make outdoor dining feasible on all but Dallas' most frigid winter days.
Food: 4 1/2 out of 5
Service: 4 out of 5
Atmosphere: 4 out of 5

By KIM HARWELL