Oddfellows
Cider Braised French Toast with Vanilla Cream and Berries
Honey Waffle and Chicken, Country Gravy, Clotted Cream, Pure Maple Syrup
Bottomless Coffee
Located in the trendy Bishop Arts district and open at 7am seven days a week my first day in Dallas began at Oddfellows, the heavily wooded room and well-inked staff both seemingly direct imports from Portland or Williamsburg, but friendly Southern service, well crafted comfort foods, great coffee, and free Wi-Fi bolstering the experience to something far more than a “me too” hipster hangout. Arriving just after 7:30 sand finding the space mostly empty as light snow swirled outside I was given my choice of seats and as tunes from Phantogram played overhead I perused the menu, eventually settling on two of the five items that most appealed, the fifteen minute wait that followed filled by a few cups of coffee and local restaurant chat with my well-informed server. Quite hungry when plates simultaneously arrived it was a difficult decision as to where I should start but generally favoring sweet over savory I turned to the toast, a slightly ‘bready’ rendition with subtle spice notes plus fresh berries and cream both adding nuance, but moving next to the supple waffles and perfectly brined and crispy bird with top quality accoutrements the spotlight was immediately stolen as flavors salty, sweet, and entirely decadent wowed with each bite – the clotted cream particularly impressive on the honey tinged waffles, and all the more so with warm syrup that surprisingly worked quite well with the spicy gravy applied lightly to the chicken. Admittedly a bit bummed that the restaurant outsources its desserts – and moreso by the fact that they were out of the carrot cake because “the daily delivery got held up by the weather” suffice it to say that Oddfellows impressed enough that I’d gladly return – the pancake trio and beignets ordered by a nearby table looked divine.
