A friend of mine had mentioned a new restaurant in Dallas, so on arrival I headed to Billy Can Can located near the American Airlines arena in downtown and settled in to the comfy worn brown leather banquette in the huge open dining room.
It's more than two stories high with lots of windows and a huge bar in the center with wooden high chair-like stools and there are loads of stuffed animals on the walls. Check my FB page for photos of my dinner dates!
Southern hospitality oozes here and my server Brenda was a gem and super helpful on suggestions. They've been open less than 4 months but they have signature Crispy Oyster Slider with Slaw and Comeback Sauce on a Sweet Potato Roll by the piece, so I tried one at $5 and while I wanted more, stuck with two other starters, knowing how big Texas portions are.
The Snapper Crudo had a lot of tasty fish with Citrus, Fresh Peaches (yes still fresh down south)and Citrus-Basil Vinaigrette. A glass of Texas Viognier from Brennan Vineyards in Texas High plains was sublime with this, crisp and dry, yet full of flavor showing how the wines in this state have grown in the past decade!
It was the Texas Venison Tartare, however, that had me hooked with Egg Yolk Juniper Cherries, Fried Shallots and tasty grilled Rosemary Toast and super dollops of horseradish aioli.
I saw an order of the Hot Fried Quail go by and had plenty of time left before the opera. so I indulged. The dish was huge with three battered and deep fried quail halves sitting atop two slices of fried pickle biscuits and an amazing Ranchovy(read rich white sauce with an anchovy kick and lots of spice) for dipping. Radish slaw on the side was with carrots as well and cut the spice when you needed a cool bite. One of the best southern fried dishes anywhere for sure. Brenda suggested a glass of the Mourvedre 2016 William Chris “Lost Draw”, also from Texas High Plains.
I had arrived at 530pm and the place was fairly quiet, but by 630pm,it was heaving due to a basketball game at the nearby arena. I waddled off to the opera knowing I would return, but clueless it would be the next evening.
After the Sunday matinee, I was invited to a cast and patron party for The Dallas Opera but didn't have any of the unexciting penne with tomato sauce or other dishes and headed back to Billy Can Can for a reprise. The staff recognized me and I got a warm welcome like a regular and Brenda was so excited to be my server again. As I sat down, she mentioned some specials and the folks at the next table showed me the huge bone remaining from a giant steak and recommended it highly. I told them I wanted to try several more dishes and could never eat that much and they immediately passed over the remaining Cast Iron Cornbread and Brussels Sprouts they had left!
I ordered the 1/2 dozen Deviled Eggs which were:
Blue crab(the best), Pickled shrimp and crunchy fennel(also tops), Pickled Okra and fried shallots, Smoked Paprika with avocado, mustard seed and pickled red onion, Crispy country ham and Candied Bacon which was delightfully chewy and flavorful.
A glass of Rose of Carignan from Yellow City Cellars in Dead Flowers, Texas was another superb local treat as was the Texas GSM(Grenache,Syrah,Mourvedre) Melange from Pedernales Cellars in Texas Hill Country! This paired ideally with my "Bowl of Red" a Texas beef Chile with Beef bacon, Longhorn Cheddar and pickled jalapenos. The dish was extremely salty, but superb and the cornbread with green chilies and whipped honey butter from my neighbors was the perfect foil to the salt. The Brussels Sprouts with Fig Glaze, Mint Yogurt and pecans were winning as well.
That was it for me... Billy CanCan sure can!
