Go Fishing in the Lake

Thirty-One Lake Street is the place for seafood

Lisa Sokolowski

Not many menus come equipped with a dictionary. If you don't know a word, you're often left at the mercy of the server, hoping he or she can orally create what you're thinking about ordering. And, even with a great description, you sometimes still end up with a plate that looks nothing like you envisioned.

Thirty-One Lake Street in Dallas has eliminated much of the guesswork. The back of the restaurant's menu is a glossary, listing detailed definitions of what some of the lesser-known terms mean.

It sure helps.

We walked into the comfortable restaurant and were seated at a wooden bench with very plush pillows, next to a leopard print couch (which is a great seating area in case your guests are a little late). We examined the menu, flipping over often to use the glossary's aid, and decided on two salads to start: a Caesar salad with grilled calamari ($6) and a Boston bibb and raddichio salad, covered with an apple wood smoked bacon vinaigrette ($6).

The Caesar completely threw us off. Instead of calamari pieces like we had imagined, we were given a full squid with the tentacles chopped off. Though we thought cutting it might spill ink over the romaine lettuce, it didn't. The dressing over the Boston bobb was good, but a little oily.

When we had just finished with the salads, the rest of our food was set before us. We had ordered the lobster risotto ($12), which had a little kick courtesy of the bacon, tarragon, lemon zest, and garlic chips. Though tasty, we would have enjoyed a little more lobster in it.

We also tried the braised chicken cassoulet with white beans, pork, and two slices of ciabatta bread ($8), one of the few non-seafood items on the menu. We were a little taken aback by the skin on the mostly dark meat chicken, and overheard another patron with the same reaction. It was warm and tasty, though, and the white beans complimented the chicken very well.

"Our clientele pretty much enjoys a good fish," said owner Kevin Boylan, who opened the restaurant in December.

The menu has standard offerings of pepper-lacquered scallops over a bed of arugula and a white bean fricassee ($11) and oysters on the half shell (market price). As specials, the restaurant has offered fish like a wild Alaskan ivory salmon.

For land lubbers, the item of choice is the rack of lamb with a flavorful dried cranberry chutney that steals the show ($13), which is on the "small" menu. The style of the restaurant is a small plate concept, so instead of splitting food into a traditional appetizer and entree decision, you order "small" or "not so small" portions, which are all meant to be shared with your table.

Executive chef Yael Phillips does the ordering for the restaurant, and she has gotten great at knowing just how much she needs - keeping the product fresh. She buys more than will get ordered, however, because each server tastes the specials before work. When they tell you what the meal tastes like, it's their taste buds chatting.

"They really do know what they're talking about," said Phillips, who seems to never get a break. Between creating seasonal menus (the reason you can't get the acclaimed butternut squash soup right now), buying product, and designing entrees, she's a busy lady. "I would be home cooking, so I might as well do it here," she said.

We ended our night with two slices of cake - one cheesecake with white chocolate shavings and one peanut butter and chocolate (both around the $7 range), thinking we would take our dessert to go. We scraped our plates clean, leaving nothing but the forks.