Meet Chef DAT of the Soon to Open Mason Bar

by Steven Doyle

In collaboration with Brandt Wood and chef David Anthony Temple will be opening the kitchen at the Mason Bar in just a few short weeks. You may remember Temple, often referred to as Chef DAT. He is the 28-year old chef who has been honing his skills by running a successful series of underground dinners in the Dallas area. Now the DAT has gone legit.

The Mason Bar rests comfortably in its digs at 2701 Gulliot in Dallas in the State Thomas section of Dallas that just borders Uptown. There we find the interesting building which was originally a church in the 1930’s and eventually a Freemason Lodge in 1951. For seven years it was the home for artist James Sasso and the artist has promised to send out some artwork to represent that period.   

photo by Robert Bostick

In more recent history the new restaurant was Rosebud and Angela’s Bistro 51. And empty for the past several years until now.

DAT along with Wood have been working feverishly to prepare for this month’s opening and the young chef shows great promise for an interesting new gathering spot in Dallas. Temple has been working on some new recipes that reflects his style of cookery that includes a New Orleans flair, but do not mistake the menu for Cajun. It is anything but.

Temple spent time working in restaurants in California and Hawaii as well, and some of the freshness of the sea plays forward on the menu. But much is a throwback to his childhood where he first learned to cook at his mother’s knees, reaching upwards to stir pots he couldn’t see.

Temple’s experience is actually understated. Whereas he has worked the front of the house for many local restaurants, he has also spent time working with local chefs as well as many in New Orleans and Hawaii. In the past several years Temple has also been invited to chef at local charity events and is the official chef for Artizone, the grocery delivery service in Dallas.

photo by Robert Bostick

Some of the dishes are very playful as in his frog-in-the-hole appetizer that is a slimmed down version of a toad-in-the-hole and made with tiny quail eggs and seared into a half slice of good, toasty bread.

During the planning phase we were able to drop in on Temple and watch him conjur up a few of his dishes and was excited to see a beautiful boudain on the menu with ladles of large pearl cous cous to support the sausages.

photo by Robert Bostick

Bread dough is being imported from New Orleans to be freshly baked on premises and promises to be dense and crusty for the perfect po boy sandwich.

This past weekend we were invited to attend a special preview brunch (we paid) which gave us even more of an idea where the chef was taking the restaurant. We will share a few photos below.

Additionally, Temple has imported a terrifically talented chef de cuisine Cable Smith who we will meet tomorrow on craveDFW.

Biscuits with Chipotle Maple Cream Gravy and Sharp Cheddar Grits

Braised Pork Hash, Jalapeno Pesto and Poached Egg

Buttermilk Tobasco Fried Chicken