Parigi
A neighborhood bistro
REVIEWS Review: Parigi by Jennifer Chininis Published 10.21.2009 From D Magazine NOV 2009 Parigi is a bona fide neighborhood restaurant in a city that has few. It’s a small, chic, chef-driven place where the menu changes frequently based on what’s fresh and available. You can even find a list of partner farms and local sources, such as Dominion Farms in Denison and Lemley Farms in Canton, on the first page of the menu. Owner Janice Provost was one of the first in this town to do the “eat local” thing, and her dedication to this movement has never wavered. Portobello fries, a starter, were magically delicious, with a crispy, crunchy crust that gave way to a fat, juicy mushroom inside. Dipped in truffle buttermilk cream, they could turn any carnivore into a vegetarian. Same goes for Ninny’s Salad: thin slices of okra, lightly battered and fried, with halved cherry tomatoes, scallions, and a “Southern” white balsamic vinaigrette. I’d give up meat forever to have this “salad” every day. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Snooty Foodie Review July 2009 Parigi has the friendliest wait staff in Dallas. Yep, this is the first time we’ve led a recommendation with an assertion like this. After our many visits and discussions as we began to write, we kept coming back to that one thing that always left us with a smile on our face as we walked to our car. Of course the food is great (or they wouldn’t be on our site) and we’ll get to that later and we love the bistro-y atmosphere and the commitment to all things local. But it’s that dying breed, the unfortunate anomaly of the wait crew that clearly enjoys what they’re doing and are happy you’re spending part of your day or evening with them that really turns us on. Imagine – someone that’s both competent and conversational, knowledgeable but not overbearing, attentive without being annoying, and kinda hip and cool all at the same time! The Parigi team really comes off as a family that is relaxed in their own home…just ready to host you. Snootyfoodie proverb: In any customer service business, it’s your product that brings in customers but it’s your service that keeps them coming back.
So, where does this elusive spirit of people pleasing come from? Is there something in the Natura water at Parigi? Do all those JT Lemley tomatoes have special powers of pandering seeded into them? We think the answer is much simpler. Chef/Partner Janice Provost is clearly one of the good guys, er, girls in the local restaurant business…and she’s the mama of this family. She left a catering job at Marty’s in 1995 to be a prep cook (read: chop onions) and get a more hands on experience of a restaurant. She ended up buying Parigi in 2001 and now plays the role of chef, restaurateur, host, sommelier, happiness consultant, you name it. There’s something to knowing a restaurant from the inside out that makes leaders successful and garners respect from everyone else. People follow people they believe in. End of story. She took on partner Chad Houser in 2008 after quickly realizing they shared the same culinary vision and commitment to localology. Two organic peas in a pod if you will…
And after a QUARTER OF A CENTURY there’s obviously a loyal following that is a bigger testament to the place’s greatness than anything we’re writing here today. For whatever reason, we didn’t have Parigi in our normal rotation. Now, granted, it’s a very large rotation but we always had a good experience there and neither of us could figure it out. So, we’ve slapped each other to our senses and Parigi is in the mix now – better late than never!
The website says Parigi is patterned after the bistros of Paris. And, although not too many around here are going to mistake the Reunion for the Eiffel, DMA for the Louvre, or the Trinity for the Seine, we can agree the wonderful patio, unassuming location, quaint feel of the dining room, and unpretentious menu remind us of a couple of spots in the city of lights. But, screw the frogs. I mean, we can go there but we’d much rather refer to Parigi as one of Dallas’ few true bistros.
But as quickly as I dismiss the Frenchies, let’s start the food discussion with the paté which is one of the best we’ve ever eaten. In fact, I’m struggling to think of a close second. Now, do you like yours smooth or country style? No worries, Parigi’s rendition serves it both ways. The smooth blend is pork and dark chicken with studs of truffles. Ohhh, it’s good. But the country, pork only version is great too, particularly when you smear a little whole grain on the crouton and put one of those little tart pickles on top. Yum Yum.
My, oh, my what did we ever do in this city without a Lemley tomato. It’s pretty much the holy grail of the tomato faith and….for good reason. As a kid growing up, we grew rows and rows of tomatoes but I refused to eat them. It was a texture thing. Thankfully I came to my senses years ago and now can’t think of anything much better than a slice of ripe tomato in the summertime. Here you can order them straight up, in bruschetta, or paired with some mozz and drizzled with pesto and pinenuts. We’ve tried them all and they’re all pretty amazing in a taste the garden goodness kinda way. We’ve tried to think of one thing we would change about the portobello fries but we honestly can’t come up with one. Wedges are lighted dusted and deep fried and served with a creamy buttermilk truffle sauce. Now, this isn’t ranch dressing with a swirl of truffle oil on top. Bits of truffles are swimming throughout and that makes me want to jump in the bowl and swim with them. As it were, I just plunged the mushrooms and gobbled them up like they had a 30 second expiration date on them.
And we would be remiss if we didn’t laud the award winning Cesar salad (AWIF competition 2007). It’s everything a good Cesar should be – leafy, not overdressed, with great croutons. Tack on chicken, shrimp, or cheese if you like. Off the lunch menu, we tried the lobster knuckle sandwich – a Panini like combo of lobster, bacon, scallions and avocado. There’s a lot of flavors going on but the hunks of lobster are plentiful and their sweet meat taste comes through big time. Eggs Benedict is one of those brunch dishes that we judge a restaurant by. I mean, if you’re doing brunch, you’re eggs benedict had better rock. And rocks their’s does! Toasted muffins, a perfect poach on the eggs, Canadian bacon and creamy hollandaise is all that’s in the recipe but its really not that easy to find a place that does it right. It is said this dish was named for a wall street broker who, back in 1894, wanted a cure for his hangover. Well Mr. Benedict, our stomachs and pounding Sunday morning headaches thank you for your contributions!! They also recently had a soft shell crab sandwich on the menu and it was equally satisfying in its freshness and simplicity. And, for what its worth, our 3 year old was really digging the waffles with hot maple syrup.
Whatever the fresh fish special on the dinner menu is, get it. We’ve had parm crusted flounder over pappardelle with grilled vegetables and recently a mahi mahi with a sweet corn sauce. Both were simple, fantastically fresh and delicious. And if you’ve read our reviews, you know we’ve never met a piece of dead cow that we didn’t like. Sauced with whole grain mustard or green peppercorn over skin-on mashed potatoes? Um, count us in. It wasn’t UFO size like you might find at your favorite steak place. Rather it was a reasonable cut of tenderloin cooked perfectly. You good with that? It’s rhetorical…we’re good with it and that’s all that matters!
Then she also cooked up a great combo of bay scallops over a pureé of beets and mashed potatoes with a grapefruit beurre blanc. It was to die for and we’re hoping it takes up permanent residence on her dinner menu.
And now, deep breath everyone. Let’s go to the desserts. We love a good buttermilk (chess) pie. Blame it on our southern roots but with a good flaky crusty, thick and rich filling and just a tad past firm top, this makes me miss my grandma.
The Chocolate Glob has been on the menu since day one. It’s a bowl of absolute decadence with a slightly crispy outside that, when prodded, gives way to a chocolate gooeyness that truly makes my mouth water. Thank God those doctors are saying chocolate is good for you now! And I have to say I’m a sucker for peach cobbler and the thicker and doughy-er the crust the better. The good folks at Parigi share my love. But, hmm, we love chocolate AND we love peach cobbler. What to do, what to do?!?! Well, our friends at Parigi have that figured out too. Go for the Half and Half – a truly blessed bowl half filled with Chocolate Glob and half filled with Peach Cobbler. A la mode? You’ve come this far, so why not?
Earlier we alluded to how locally focused Janice and Chad are. But it’s worth mentioning that she was going local before going local was cool. And in addition to the lauded Lemley tomatoes, you’ll routinely see as many as a half dozen other Texas farms and creameries listed on her menu. Heddin, Bluebonnet, La Cuesta and others.
Cocktails anyone? We love the idea that Parigi shows a by the glass wine with every entrée shown on the menu. It makes it easy on the diner to have a wine pre-selected allowing them to keep their focus on the important things like food and conversation. Beyond the by the glass selections they do have a smart, worldly wine list. Sparklings, Champagnes, White Burgundies, and Rhones to accompany a solid lineup of Italians and some very interesting selections from California and Washington as well as a couple of ice wines from Oh Canada. Outside of a few big name bottles, the list is reasonably priced with plenty in the 30’s and 40’s. But before you dig into that bottle of vino, do yourself a real favor and order a couple of the Parigi signature cocktails. The SOLA (South of Lemmon Ave) is a frozen concoction of Smirnoff vodka, limeade, and mint. The St. Germain Stroll is a refreshing blend of Hendrick’s Gin (our personal fave), Elderflower liqueur, accompanied by splashes of cranberry, grapefruit and Natura water. For a hot summer afternoon reprieve, check out the Cucumber Cooler. Square One organic vodka, lemon juice and simple syrup poured over the rocks and garnished with a thick slice of organic cucumber. Its damn near healthy!
So we painted a well rounded mural of booze huh? Speaking of murals, you’ll notice a local artist’s work on the dining room walls. The artwork rotates and is for sale so go on and support your local starving artist people!! But, the deets of Parigi’s relaxing vibe don’t end there. Your shoulders drop when you walk in and this is no accident my friend. This “family” wants you to settle in and stay for awhile. If you’re really paying attention, you’ll notice the ridiculously gorgeous flowers set against a backdrop of soothing tones at the front bar. If you notice the little pops of chartreuse and fuscia and the borderline OCD attention to detail on the napkins, creamers, etc then you’re in the Parigi zone.
The dollar is still not all that strong against the Euro and those jackasses at AA are charging the price of a good entrée to check your bag. So, why go to Paris and roll the dice on rude service and that not so subtle anti-American sentiment? Wasn’t it McArthur that said he’d rather have a German army in front of him than a French army behind him? Anyway, I digress. Just navigate your vehicle down to Oak Lawn to get a Parisian experience that is decidedly Dallas at the same time. The Parigi family is waiting with open arms. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Review: Parigi by Kim Pierce Published 2007 Dallas Morning News ''Cosmopolitan'' may not always be an apt word to describe a Dallas restaurant, but it fits Parigi. Through more than 20 years with different owners and different chefs, Parigi's uniqueness has miraculously survived, from the unusual placement of the tucked-away yet open kitchen to its elbow-to-elbow seating. It feels intimate, not claustrophobic, thanks to a tall ceiling and a narrow mirror running the length of the banquette. Parigi's servers add to the urbane air: They are poised, connected and relaxed. Ours handled a special request knowledgeably and with care and managed friendly, even playful, repartee. And when he offered to split a salad, it required essentially plating a complex dish twice. The ambition of Parigi's seasonal, French-leaning menu matches the restaurant's ambience. Its far-reaching variety includes locally produced cheeses and interesting, not tried, items such as portobello fries with truffle buttermilk cream and posole with a petit sincronizada (a tortilla sandwich). Golden and candy cane beet salad with celeriac, sun-dried cherries, red onions, Stilton, pine nut brittle and blood orange-champagne vinaigrette was like a work of art, its beets sliced wafer-thin and the celeriac spun out into long, spaghetti-like threads.....Three-cheese-and-truffle fondue included an elegant blend of sottocenere, fontina and gruyère....Grilled fish of the evening was wild New Zealand salmon over zucchini strands with garlic-infused olive oil, oven-dried tomatoes, basil and pine nuts....A heart-healthy selection created by chef-owner Janice Provost proved more satisfying. Quinoa, peas, carrots, parsnips, spinach and asiago cheese were tucked into half a roasted acorn squash. The melted cheese stretched mercilessly down our lips and chins. New World entries dominated the thoughtfully chosen wine list, but it was two Old Worlders by the glass, aromatic Pio Cesare Cortese di Gavi and robust Guigal Côtes du Rhône, that made good matches for us. The half-and-half dessert offers an easy way out of decision-making. It's half ''chocolate glob'' (dark, intense lava-cake-like stuff) and half excellent peach cobbler under whipped cream. Here's to another 20 years. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gayot.com Though Andree Falls, the original owner-chef and author of The Parigi Cookbook is long gone, her vision of a contemporary oasis of Mediterranean charm lives on into its third decade---probably due to the fact that every owner after her was either a former employee or client. Parigi is Italian for Paris and it perfectly intones the style of this Mediterranean mainstay with its mix of seasonal French and Italian dishes with a little California thrown in. Two dishes have remained on the menu since opening, the whole roasted garlic and the infamous chocolate glob, both are still must-haves when you visit. The menu changes weekly with an emphasis on salads, pastas, meats and fish made with fresh herbs and seasonal vegetables. The open kitchen, a well-trained staff and a large group of regular customers who all seem to know each other gives Parigi the feel of a private club where anyone is welcome. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D Magazine Under the laid-back rule of Janice Provost, who’s owned the casual-chic Mediterranean boutique restaurant for four years, Parigi is doing just fine, thanks. Half-chef, half-hostess, she makes an effort to greet every table, and most of her clientele seem like friends. Her shoebox of a kitchen, open to the dining room, engenders a drop-in informality, like someone’s home—a quality Salum clearly worked to duplicate at his place. The food had a homey thing going on, too, but imagine a super-savvy home cook who’s up on all the trends. Starters included a crunchy salad with glorious chunks of hearts of palm and a totally au courant appetizer of portobello fries, cleverly served in a Belgian-style cone. The mushrooms were cut into thick rectangles, dusted with crumbs, and fried until crisp, yet stayed moist and meaty inside—a very nice textural experience. Entrées showed versatility, from a sizzling pork chop with maple sweet potatoes to a surprisingly satisfying vegetarian dish: acorn squash stuffed with a mixture of parsnips, peas, carrots, spinach, and quinoa and topped with Asiago cheese. Side vegetables such as broccoli and carrots were impeccably cooked. The menu changes weekly, though the notorious chocolate glob dessert never goes away. Dark and gooey, like uncooked batter, it’s a Parigi trademark. But the tall, tender lemon cake was much better. There’s much more to Parigi than the glob. 3311 Oak Lawn Ave. 214-521-0295. $$-$$$. —T.G. June 2006 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Zagat It may look like (and be named as) a “Parisian-style bistro”, but this “small”, “cosmopolitan” Oak Lawn old-timer actually features a “frequently changing menu” of “fabulous” New American–Med dishes that “still draws in the crowds”, “many of them regulars”, after nearly a quarter-century; then again, it could be the “lovely” digs, with rotating exhibitions from local artists, or the “personalized service” that keeps it so “trendy.” --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D Magazine Best Royal Salad Caesar Salad at Parigi There are at least 6,000 restaurants in Dallas and more than 6,000 recipes for Caesar salad. This city is so Caesar crazy, the local branch of the American Institute of Food & Wine holds a standing-room-only Caesar salad competition each fall. After years of roaming the range for the best tossed romaine, only one still pings off of our palate as perfect. It’s served at Parigi, where the crisp cool lettuce is tossed with the proper amounts Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, egg yolk, and black pepper. The secret ingredient? Chef Janice Provost keeps it locked in her head. 3311 Oak Lawn Ave., Ste. 102, 214-521-0295. February 2001 ''Lunch here is extraordinary. A puckery, pistachio-crusted chèvre cheesecake crowned a beautiful roasted fall vegetable salad sprinkled with warm balsamic vinaigrette. Mellow vodka-tomato sauce dressed a huge split chicken breast enfolding a shallot-and-artichoke stuffing. If that weren't enough, it was sided by fabulously rich roasted 'smashed' potatoes. The oven-hot fresh peach cobbler is the best we've ever had.'' February 1999 You want stunning? Here's stunning--a salad of frisée lettuce, roasted fig, and bacon with a crunchy Stilton cheese biscuit alongside. Also highly recommended are the cheese risotto cakes (with ratatouille) and the lovely marinated venison médaillons with an amazing carrot-scallion pancake. For a civilized dessert, try the poached pear in chocolate. The menu changes weekly. Parigi began as part of the Alice Waters aftermath, the passionate chef-inspired restaurants that came in the first frenzy of New American food. Parigi, like other New American disciples, featured daily menus relying on fresh ingredients, preferably purchased that same day. The restaurant has been sold a few times since its inception and has become more of a neighborhood restaurant than a destination...menus still change weekly, and the food is prepared to order, by hand....the food — specials and perennials — was excellent. The famous beef tenderloin with mustard sauce and ''smashed'' potatoes was as good as ever, the beef rare and unusually flavored, the potatoes buttery and just lumpy. This dish has been on the menu since Parigi opened. And that's a long time. — Mary Brown Malouf and Nancy Nichols
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