by Alex Gonzalez
The worlds of music and food collide at Deep Ellum’s newest bar and grill. In the space that once occupied Idle Rye, Bitter End serves up a variety of music-inspired cocktails, wings, burgers, and sandwiches. Bitter End also has an oyster bar, a pleasant rarity in Deep Ellum.
Although Bitter End quietly opened in February, the new artsy, funky restaurant celebrated its grand opening this past weekend.
An inviting patio welcomes guests to a spacious area, where guests and parties can sit without feeling cramped or crowded. Inside, the walls are bedecked with portraits of Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie, and other musical icons. Guests can sit at comfortable, large booths with leather-esque seating, or at the bar, which is bordered with enough barstools to fit multiple parties.
Notable drinks include the Madonna, a frozen beverage containing frozen coffee liqueur, espresso, and vodka, topped with a special vanilla whipped cream. Another good choice is The Duke, which is a whiskey-based beverage infused with vanilla bean and flavored with housemade bitters and orange peel. Although these drinks rely on vanilla, they are truly anything but! None of Bitter End’s cocktails are for the lightweight or the fainthearted.
While Bitter End’s oysters may be the bar and grill’s selling point, their land food is still worth a bite. The Heirloom Tomato Caprese Skewers are a good, light way to start things off, followed by the Double Dipped Hot Chicken Sliders. The Chicken Sliders consist of a fried, crispy chicken breast coated in a Nashville hot sauce, with cheddar cheese, house pickles, mayo, all sandwiched between two mini brioche buns. The hot sauce is a pleasant combination of sweet and spicy, and the sponginess of the brioche buns soaks up the heat, allowing for the sandwich to retain its flavor.
Bitter End’s happy hour takes place every day from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., offering $5.00 wells, $5.00 wines, and $5.00 beers. They also have reverse happy hour from 10:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m, where they serve $1.50 oysters.
