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By J. MUNCH Times Leader Food Critic
Wednesday, March 12, 2003 Page: 1D
J. Munch, food critic DALLAS – Silly us.
“S” and I thought Connor’s Grillroom would be a locally owned T.G.I.
Friday’s sort of place. We saw “grill” and thought burgers, potato skins and
wings.
There was nothing of that sort on this menu. The old Little Nicky’s has
been transformed into a more upscale joint. The pizza, pasta and checkered
tablecloths have been replaced by $100 bottles of cabernet,
rice-noodle-wrapped eggplant and a trendy moss-green interior.
Little did we know, but “grillroom” is actually a hip restaurant name
here and abroad. Some trivia: The Grill Room at Windsor Court Hotel is one of
the finest restaurants in New Orleans.
But anyway, back to Connor’s.
The new restaurant, open for dinner only for a little more than a month, is
good news for northern fans of the Powerhouse Eatery, White Haven, and Ovalon
Restaurant, Hazleton. They share the same owner – John Scalleat – and dishes
from both places are included on the Connor’s menu.
Four appetizers were offered the night we dined, ranging from $4 to $9.95.
S selected the vegetable fritters with sundried yellow tomato aioli. The
fritters were light and fluffy with plenty of fresh vegetables, but there was
no aioli – a garlic mayonnaise sauce – served with the dish. The fritters
needed some zip, so the sauce was missed.
I chose the escargot, mostly by default. The other options – French onion
soup and cornmeal crusted oysters – didn’t appeal to me, and I’d wondered what
escargot tastes like.
This dish featured garlic escargot, cabernet-saturated exotic mushrooms,
blue cheese and bordelaise sauce. The mushrooms and escargot – sans shells –
were served together in a lettuce leaf.
I was afraid it’d be weird eating a snail, but it was actually difficult
separating the snails from the mushrooms because they were so similar in
taste, color and texture. The blue cheese added a much-needed zest. The
bordelaise and cabernet were too salty for my taste and overwhelmed the dish.
Three salads were offered at $6.95 or $7: Caesar; Belgian endive with
marinated peppers, shaved fennel and sharp provolone and lemon horseradish
vinaigrette; and cantaloupe, spinach and prosciutto with apple bacon dressing.
The restaurant offers plenty of alcohol selections – 18 types of beer with
two on tap and 32 bottled wines. Bottles of wine ranged from $16 to $100.
House wines were $4.75 a glass.
Our waitress told us the menu changes weekly. But eight “Ovalon Powerhouse
Classic” entrees are always offered. Most are standards – prime rib, two
filet mignon variations, New York strip steak, crab cakes and chicken
Parmesan. Of note were pork a la Powerhouse with jumbo lump crab and a dill
cream sauce, and the chicken calabrese with caramelized onions, mushrooms,
peppers and a garlic white wine sauce.
There were nine specials that week, with many seafood options. Entree
prices ranged from $14 for rice-noodle-wrapped eggplant with asparagus,
braised fingerling potatoes and oyster mushrooms in a Thai dressing to $27 for
the New York strip steak, a 14-ounce executive trim.
S selected the gorgonzola filets – twin medallions with a gorgonzola cheese
herb crust and marsala brown sauce. The meat was satisfactory, but the thick,
strong crust was overwhelming and S scraped most of it off. The dish was
accompanied by thick, bland mashed potatoes, but the brown sauce spiced them
up a bit.
I selected the Frenched chicken with apples, pears and raspberry Chambord
sauce. The sweet sauce was a nice accompaniment to the rice and chicken, and
the fruit slices on top were tender and tasty.
Seven dessert options, ranging from $5.95 to $6.50, were available,
including ice cream, macadamia Oreo cheesecake, a blueberry tart and mango
creme brulee. I selected the stuffed pear Napoleon – a poached pear with
Bailey’s cream cheese filling, almond krokant and caramel sauce.
The pear sat upright with the krokant – similar to brittle shaped into a
thin cookie – wedged between layers. The dessert was beautiful and delicious.
Always a chocolate fan, S ordered the “choc o lot,” described as a
flourless cake with a dark chocolate glaze and chocolate sponge roulade. The
flourless cakes I’ve encountered were thick and rich, but not so thick that
they were unmanageable. This dessert was so dense it was difficult to
penetrate it with a fork and so rich it was overbearing, not decadent.
With three glasses of house wine and the tip, our bill was $115. We weren’t
unhappy with our meal, but for that sort of money – and the Powerhouse and
Ovalon reputations – we expected a bit more. We’ll give Connor’s the benefit
of the doubt because it’s very new. But we’re hoping the next time we visit
we’ll leave more satisfied.
EDITOR’S NOTE: In the interest of integrity, Times Leader restaurant
critics remain anonymous to the establishments they review and their bylines
are pen names.
IF YOU GO
WHAT: Connor’s Grillroom
WHERE: Memorial Highway, Dallas
CALL: 674-5100
CREDIT CARDS? Yes
HANDICAPPED ACCESSIBLE? Yes
SMOKING/NONSMOKING? No smoking allowed
RESERVATIONS NECESSARY? Suggested