The Barflies At Boulevardier Dine Well

by Steven Doyle

Checking out new restaurants can be a difficult task when there are so many elements to soak in, especially when it comes to a restaurant as interesting and inspiring as Boulevardier. Boulevardier is the latest attraction in the Bishop Arts District run by a dream team of the guys from Restaurant Ava (Nathan Tate and Randall Copeland) and the brothers who own Veritas (Brooks and Bradley Anderson).          

We went to check out the new digs last evening, as it would appear half the known foodie universe. There were plenty of food writers, chefs and other industry friendlies in the restaurant.  We walked in during the rush of dinner service and tables were a premium, so we cozied up to the bar next to Dallas Morning News Mr. Dallas who was slurping up the last of his oysters and a cocktail.

We decided that might be the best plan of action and perused a few menus looking for bar friendly fare.

The menu is ripe with excellent sharable dishes such as a burrata, pork rillettes, crawfish beignets, a charcuterie board and a selection of oysters that are cold and expertly shucked at the bar.

We went for the charcuterie board which included the night’s favorite, a tongue pastrami that was piquant and flavorful.

Eddie Eakin runs the show at the bar, but we also spotted a certain bartender who was featured on craveDFW last week, Ashley Williams. We had her make us the namesake cocktail, a Boulevardier which is swishy concoction of vermouth, Campari and bourbon. Excellent, as you might expect. This qualifies as a classic crave cocktail worth sipping.

Along with the cocktails we checked out the beer selection. There were just a few taps available, but Eakin, who is a cicerone, thought out the choices well. We spotted a few local brews but decided on a Tripel Karmeliet which is a full-bodied but smooth beer with a lacy head and a tender nose of fruit. A perfect summery beer that is worth drinking, especially with the nice selection of briny oysters we purchased.

The final dish, and the one most buzzed about as we passed the plate across the bar was Boulevardier’s take on escargots. This is the third time we sampled a snail dish this week, and these babies were by far the most sophisticated.

We are all anxious to go back for another run at this new restaurant, but perhaps we need to go a bit later in the evening so we can snag some prime real estate — or actually make reservations.