Petrus Lounge

1217 Main Street
Dallas, TX
214.760.9000

I will admit it. On more than one occasion I’ve fantasized about living a perfectly glamorous, cosmopolitan life (a la Sheila E) filled with gallery openings, trendy eateries, and swanky lounges. Imagine my excitement when a friend of mine tipped me off to Petrus Lounge. Let me set the scene: located at the corner of Main and Field in downtown Dallas, Petrus Lounge offers its patrons four levels of glamour – an art gallery on level 1, a high-end restaurant called Luqa on level 2, a sexy club/lounge with plush couches and dark corners on level 3, and a rooftop deck/garden - complete with elevated “catwalk” and wishing fountain flowing beneath it - on level 4. This review concerns itself primarily with the restaurant on level 2 as the bulk of my time at Petrus Lounge was spent there.

At first glance, Luca has everything a hip, new upscale restaurant should have – good location, ambient lighting, covered tables with full place settings, waitstaff with European accents, and seating along glass walls so that you can be entertained by the goings on of the street below (and simultaneously be the envy of all who see you in return). Then, you open the menu and that’s where all the trouble begins and ends.

I went there for dinner Saturday evening. As with any good meal, I started with an appetizer – fried green tomatoes, a southern favorite. My appetizer arrived artfully arranged on a black marble tile – not a plate, not a tray, but a black marble tile not much unlike what you would find at a home improvement store. I immediately could have judged the restaurant to be pompous and unnecessarily pretentious, but instead, I reasoned that the restaurant was simply maintaining the artistic values of the gallery on the first floor. I took my first bite and it was all downhill from there. My fried green tomatoes were bland (to put it mildly). I tried to sop up (yes, I said sop up; it is a southern dish) as much of the hollandaise sauce as I could, but when you consider there was approximately ½ a teaspoon of hollandaise on the entire plate, excuse me, tile, that was easier said than done. The only things tasty were the marinated cherry tomatoes that were used to garnish the fried green tomatoes.

My entrée, California Artichoke Ravioli, was unremarkable as well, but more bothersome than the lack of flavor was the lack of variety in the selection. In essence, there were seven entrees to choose from: fish, chicken, lamb, a meatless option, pork, steak, and lobster (unavailable the night that I was there). Considering that I eat neither pork nor red meat, the only options I had were fish, chicken, and the meatless option. Since I eat chicken all the time, and the butterfish on the menu was replaced with salmon for the night (which I didn’t have a taste for), the only option I had left was the California Artichoke Ravioli – another pretty presentation, another unsatisfying dish.

Finally, I get to the best part of the meal – dessert. I chose the Mascarpone Cream. It ended up being the highlight of my meal. Mascarpone is basically the Italian version of American cream cheese. My dessert tasted not much unlike cheesecake filling. Again, I was bothered by the poor selection. In addition to my choice, there were approximately 4 ice cream based offerings, and a cheese plate. WTH? Ice cream? Give me a break. I can buy a tub of great ice cream (Blue Bell, anyone?) for $5 at my local Kroger. And more importantly, what kind of upscale restaurant doesn’t have Crème Brule on the dessert menu? Isn’t that the first rule of the upscale restaurant handbook?

My bottom line is this: no matter how many bells and whistles you place on a restaurant, no matter how many glamorous accoutrements you attach to it, its merit is determined by one thing and one thing only - its food. I have no problem paying $124 for a meal (2 people + 1 bottle of wine) as long as I can walk away with a full stomach and a satisfied grin. I got neither of those from Luqa. Still, if the restaurant isn’t your cup of tea, you need not give up on your fantasies of a glamorous life. Remember, you’ve got three other levels of glamour to choose from.

Tip: Don’t be fooled by the menu posted on the website. What you see isn’t necessarily what you’re going to get. http://petruslounge.com/