Update: Amuse Restaurant and Lounge

1326 South Lamar
Dallas, TX
214.428.7300

Restaurants in Dallas’s “southern sector” (please read between those lines) are pretty routine and predictable. You’ve got your classic fish, chicken, and BBQ joints. You’ve got a few chain restaurants, fast food places, cafeteria style restaurants, Chinese buffets, and a seemingly endless supply of taquerias. Residents of Dallas’s south side often travel to northern Dallas in search of something fresh and new. Thankfully, that’s starting to change. Exhibit A: Amuse Restaurant and Lounge.

Amuse is located just south of downtown Dallas across the street from the South Side on Lamar Lofts. I will admit, this location isn’t truly South Dallas but it’s a heck of a lot closer than Addison or Plano. Though the building itself is nondescript (a blue one-story building on a somewhat lonely street corner), the interior is alive with prompt, friendly waitstaff, an open kitchen, comfy, bronze-colored booths, and dark, distressed floors offset by sparkling wine glasses on every table. It’s definitely more than you might expect.

I popped in one Friday evening thinking I would choose something light from the dinner menu (like a salad) and was pleasantly surprised to learn that in addition to its lunch, dinner, and brunch menus, Amuse has a tapas menu as well. I tried the hummus (delicious) and the cheese plate (tasty), but the hit of the evening was the FREE (that’s right, FREE) seasoned pita bread (or is it flatbread?) that they provide. The bread is served fresh from the oven with some kind of pizza/marinara style dipping sauce. I have no idea what the recipe is; I just know that the pita bread is positively scrumptious. My companion and I had no shame in asking for basket after basket. Each subsequent basket was delivered with the same promptness and cheery smile as the first.

Amuse definitely gets my approval. I will have to go back for lunch/dinner to get the full experience, and I’m already excited by the variety of options on the menu. The only drawback is that Amuse is kind of pricey. The median entrée price for dinner is $17 (unless you’re ordering a sandwich or salad). BUT remember, the pita bread is free. So order something from the tapas menu and tell’em to keep the bread coming.

Update: I have now enjoyed the full dining experience at Amuse: endive salad with walnuts and blue cheese, shrimp cakes as my entree, vanilla bean crème brulee for dessert, and a cocktail in between. I can’t remember the last time I sent an empty plate back to the kitchen, but that’s exactly what I did Friday night. I would describe my dining experience as “controlled decadence” – decadent enough to feel self-indulgent, but not decadent enough to feel guilty about it.

Don’t Forget: There is a lounge and small bar located in the front of the restaurant. The cushy seating in the lounge invites you to linger over your cocktails making Amuse a nice place to grab a drink (or more if you have a designated driver) before a night on the town.

Tip: Try the Red Apple Martini. It’s perfection!

http://www.amusedallas.com/