The 2nd Floor Bistro is constantly reinventing itself thanks to its incredible culinary team. The latest change comes to us in the form of their new spring menu boasting bold, inventive dishes. SDD Contributor Rico and I were lucky enough to get the chance to preview the new menu items a couple weeks back and were blown away.
The new dinner menu includes items like Seared Hudson Valley Foie Gras (I’ll be back to get this … believe), Grilled Block-cut Akasushi NY Strip, and Crispy Confit Salad and the lunch menu offers a few Rustic Pizzas.
The evening started with some of their new cocktails thanks to their mixologist Seth Brammer. They passed some of their new options around and one of my favorites was the House Tonic & Gin–a classic made amazing thanks to their house tonic. We also enjoyed the Cucumber Sip (Crop Organic Cucumber Vodka, elderflower, strawberry, and soda) which was perfectly refreshing after experiencing humidity that you could cut with a knife that day.
Other new cocktails include: Muzzle of Bees (Rittenhouse Rye, lemon-infused honey, lemon bitters, and fresh black pepper), Meet Me in Rome (Deep Eddy Grapefruit Vodka, Cappelletti, Cocchi Americano, and bubbles), and the Quick Pittance (Four Roses Bourbon, Giffard Apricot Liqueur, lemon, mint, and ginger ale).
The meal began and we were delighted by item after item. The appetizers that I died for were the Quail Wings, Deviled Eggs (WITH LOBSTER!) and the Potato, Leek, & Kale Soup. (I can tell that the soup is one of those dishes that will pop into my mind at some point and I won’t be able to sleep until I get my mouth on some.)
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- Quail Wings (Crispy asian quail, bahn mi veggies)
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- Deviled Eggs (New england lobster, lemon parmesan crisp, tarragon oil)
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- Potato, Leek & Kale Soup (Kale chips, toasted almond)
Chef Scott Gottlich and his team joined us before each entree to tell us about the amazing new items they dreamt up in excruciating detail. (I mean that in a good way … we couldn’t wait to sink our teeth into them once we’d been teased with the explanation!) Of this group, the Pork & Seeds was the dish that really made a strong impression. It was Executive Chef Andrea Maricich’s take on the dish she had as a child complete with housemade mustard to give some kick to the perfectly crispy pork belly.
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- Chef Scott Gottlich
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- Agnolotti (Brown butter, camembert/potato/chive agnolotti, smoked beech mushroom, dill, english pea puree)
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- Pork & Seeds (Braised pork belly, toasted sesame seeds, chinese hot mustard)
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- Chop Salad (Boston, chicory, radicchio, egg, ricotta salata, poppy seed dressing)
The dishes kept coming and our bellies started to grow weary … but our palates didn’t. Each dish had such unique flavors that each bite let us discover the depth of each ingredient. I’m not usually a Shrimp & Grits fan, but they added Grilled Kaffir Lime to the giant Gulf Prawns which completely revolutionized the dish. (And don’t get me started on the accompanying saffron cauliflower grits.)
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- Prosciutto Wrapped Pork Tenderloin (sautéed beet greens • rhubarb demi-glace • rhubarb leather • roasted fingerlings)
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- Shrimp & Grits (grilled kaffir lime gulf prawns • saffron cauliflower grits • pickled radish & carrot • grilled green garlic)
Dessert, as always, comes too late in the meal. Your stomach realizes by this point what you’ve decided to it with the previous courses and it’s usually too difficult to give it your full attention and appreciate it for how brilliant it really is. We were given bites of the 2nd Floor’s take on Carrot Cake which was actually a cake filled with cream cheese accompanied by a pine nut cookie. Take that, cupcakes! My favorite of the two items was the Bananas Foster Pudding. While not a huge bananas Foster fan, I thought the silkiness of the pudding really lent itself nicely to the taste. I’d order the crap out of it again.
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- Carrot Cake “Jellyroll” (Cream cheese filling, pine nut cookie, crispy carrot)
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- Bananas Foster Pudding (Whipped cream, caramel, house ‘nilla wafer)
As usual, The Second Floor Bistro didn’t disappoint and intrigued me to the point that I’ll need duck back in to try out some of the new dishes for the spring.
To find full menus, visit their website.
The Second Floor Bistro
thesecondfloorrestaurant.com | @2ndFloorBistro
13340 Dallas Parkway (in the Galleria – Westin entrance)
(972) 450-2978
I always ask my waiter for his/her suggestion and this time, it worked. I was told to get the ginger gimlet with vodka … and it turns out, it was a Moscow Mule. That girl knows what she’s doing. I could tell that they didn’t use Rose’s lime juice and the ginger beer was just bitter enough to keep me from downing the entire glass in one gulp.
The decore is modern and luxurious, all “leather” seating at the tables, the bar, the lounge (complete with awkward fireplace – pictured on right), and the back room. The staff is (REALLY) friendly and provide snappy, efficient, and CORRECT service.