On February 6, 2016, Jenna and I had dinner at Proof + Pantry. I was immediately drawn to Proof + Pantry because its menu reminded me of some of my favorite restaurants in Chicago including Maude’s Liquor Bar, Ada St. and the Bristol. The dinner did not disappoint as the service, food and decor (other than the table being too big) were on point.
Based on some quick research, I learned that Proof + Pantry’s (PP) chef is Kyle McClelland, who is from Ne York and formerly worked at Driftwood, which was a seafood restaurant that PP’s owners closed in December of 2014. Being new to Dallas food scene, that didn’t mean much to me, but your mileage may vary.
In terms of food, the entire menu looked fantastic so we allowed our server wide latitude to make selections for us. We ended up trying the following dishes:
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Amuse - As this was our first time dining at PP, I am not sure whether an amuse is a standard start to the meal. I briefly searched the Yelp reviews, meaning only glancing at the first page, and did not see an amuse mentioned. I suppose we got lucky. Anyway, our amuse was a small piece of toast with Serrano ham, mustard seed, boysenberry, and a parsley puree. It was very nice. The bright green herbaceous notes paired well with the saltiness of the ham and sweet tart influence from the boysenberry. Unfortunately, this was the only course that I photographed. We were eating family style and most dishes were already being served prior to getting a picture.
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Shellfish - At this point, the Champagne and white Burgundy were open so we moved onto oysters. We went with Malpeques from Prince Edward Island and Kumamotos from the West Coast. The oysters were served on a bed of shaved ice with the traditional accompaniments–lemons, cocktail sauce and mignonette. The cocktail sauce had a nice bite to it. The oysters were fantastic. Fresh, buttery and briny. Not much else to say here. But, it was a great start to the meal.
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“First Course” - We didn’t really have courses per se, but the food came out in waves determined by our server, who did a fantastic job. We started with the the Rock Shrimp Risotto, the Soft Egg, and the Short Rib Bourguignon. I thoroughly enjoyed all of the dishes, but the Soft Egg may have been my favorite.
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Soft Egg - The Soft Egg is a sous vide cooked egg in cheddar polenta with brown beech mushrooms. The polenta was perfectly cooked which had a creamy consistency that didn’t border on runny. The mushrooms had a nice earthy component that brought in more butter and garlic. The star of the dish is the egg. If you don’t cook or eat sous vide often, this is a perfect dish to demonstrate the advantages of the technique. I think that the chef probably cooked the egg to about 140 degrees. Ah this temperature, the white has cooked enough to no longer be transparent. It has also gained enough firmness to retain some sort of structural integrity. However, the minute that you touch the egg, it bursts and runs like a yolk. This characteristic made it ideal to pair with polenta, because you can cut the egg and stir it in into the polenta and great a delicious rich combination. Definitely try this.
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Rock Shrimp Risotto - The Rock Shrimp Risotto consists of risotto with sunburst squash (the little ones that are golf ball sized), peas and creme fraiche. I really enjoyed the dish. The rock shrimp chunks were large enough not to be lost in the risotto and to ensure that you know you are getting your money’s worth. The peas and squash add a good sweetness that isn’t candied but more bright and natural. Jenna thought that the risotto was a little firm. I did not get that impression. We think it may be that she was the last person to get the risotto, so it had been sitting out a bit and could have dried out a bit by the time it got to her. Even this complaint, however, is minimal because Jenna also enjoyed the dish.
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Short Rib Bourguignon - The Short Rib Bourguignon was quite tasty. It pearl onions, thumbelina carrots, linguine and beech mushrooms. The beech mushrooms are the same delicious little guys that PP used with the Soft Egg. The short rib was tender, could be but with a fork but was not cooked to the point of being mush. The linguine was good as were the onions and carrots, but they don’t move you the way for example, Radiohead playing OK Computer live can move you the first time you experience it. Honestly, thinking back on dinner, I just think the dish was good but didn’t stand out in my mind. Be warned, this does not present like Julia Child’s Bourguignon, so if that is what you are looking for, you might want to try something else.
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“Second” Course - For the second course, we had the Salmon Medallion, Half Chicken, Whipped Potatoes, and Green Peppercorn Mac and Cheese. Other than the salmon, all of these dishes were impressive. That said, my raving about the mac and cheese may be due in part to my effort to avoid carbs during January.
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Salmon Medallion - Jenna and I are trying to make healthier choices, so fish is something that we also consider. As such, the salmon was on our radar after first glance at the menu. While waiting, we saw that salmon get delivered to another diner, which sealed the deal. The presentation is very cool. The salmon is a thick round of salmon - almost like a steak. Not really sure if it was one piece or if they somehow created the round. The salmon is topped with horeseradish crust and is served with whipped potatoes and peas. Sounds fantastic right? Well, it was underwhelming. Although the salmon was cooked to medium it still felt dry. The horseradish crust didn’t add that peppery, sneeze and snot inducing spice that you want from a horseradish. Overall, I felt like it simply needed some more seasoning. The salmon was a bit boring and was the one dish that did not get completely consumed.
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Half Chicken - The half chicken comes with polenta, sunburst squash and leek rings. Not sure what to say other than the chicken was fantastic. It rivaled the chicken at Maudes and Publican in Chicago which is saying a lot. No, that is saying A LOT. Look, I am not one to order chicken at most places. It is kind of the missionary position of eating out. It can be good, but you are never really excited to order it, and generally it doesnt move you or leave lasting memories. This chicken was different. This is the 50 Shades of Grey of chicken. The chicken was moist, the skin was crispy, the seasoning was on point. You could not ask for more. I will order this again if I go back. In fact, I liked it so much, I made buttermilk marinated roasted chicken last night. Unfortunately, mine was not as good as PP’s. The recipe is great though: Buttermilk Roast Chicken Recipe - NYT Cooking.
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Whipped Potatoes - Nom nom nom. No specific notes other than noms. Good taters, but if you have to choose between this and the mac and cheese, I’d say get both - kidding - get the mac and cheese.
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Green Peppercorn Mac and Cheese - This may have been the best mac and cheese that I have ever had. Again, this could be due to pure carb craving, but I do not think so. Otherwise, I would still be writing about the linguine that came with the short rib. There was just something about the spice from the green peppercorn. I have had plenty of mac and cheese with different peppers, but they are usually jalapenos or adobos (yes, I know that is a jalapeno), but usually they are just ok. I think that the different spice profile combined with the lower heat index of peppercorns made this a more nuanced and enjoyable dish. Also, the pasta that they used, I cant put my finger on the shape, was perfect for it. The noodles were a bit thicker and firmer and held the cheese really well. I wish I could better explain why this rocked, but I can’t. Just order it and thank me later. Then curse me for putting on 10 lbs from going back o keep getting your fix of PP mac and cheese.