Image:(c)2009 Marye Audet, all rights reserved

When you are in the mood to get in touch with your inner Gatsby, Dallas offers the perfect spot.

The Melrose Hotel was built in 1924.  It was completely restored in the early 1980s, and acquired by Warwick International in 2007.  Walking into the lobby is like returning to another era, a genteel and elegant time when people had luncheon and ladies met for tea.

The Landmark Restaurant is situated in a sunny corner of the building.  The buttery yellow walls and white trim give the room a summery, airy feeling.  The tables are comfortable and spaced far enough apart to allow for a conversation in complete privacy.

A must try is the Five Spice Calamari Salad; tender calamari fried in a southern style batter, served on lightly sauteed greens with a sweet chili vinaigrette. These unusual flavors come together to create a comfort food experience.  You will want more.

The Souther Comfort Menu is more than just a nod to American Comfort Cuisine.  It features a different entree every day.  With it Chef Jeff Moschetti reinvents traditional comfort foods and then reintroduces them to our more sophisticated palates.  This is not your mother's meatloaf.

The regular menu is, as one would expect, brilliant.  Trying to choose between the menu items requires concentration and self discipline.  I watched plate after plate come from the kitchen and arrive at the various tables; each was beautifully and creatively presented.

There is a different lemonade served every day.  On this day it was honeydew, a truly addicting flavor.  The coffee was perfectly done, a dark Italian roast (Lavazza).  With flavors of fig and tobacco, this coffee would rival a good Armagnac as the perfect finish to a delicious meal.

Nowhere is absolute perfection.  I found the breads to be unimaginative and average.  I would like to have seen something more regional, a chipotle and garlic knot for example.  The presentation, however, was beautiful.

Prices are amazingly affordable for the quality of then entrees presented.  Maybe one of Dallas' best kept secrets for lunch, The Landmark Restaurant is Foodie Nirvana.  Well worth the trip no matter where you live.

I will be posting an interview with Chef Jeff Moschetti on Baking Delights in the next few days. 

Warwick Melrose Hotel of Dallas

Landmark Restaurant

3015 Oak Lawn Ave

Dallas, Tx. 75219

214 521 5151