12/23/07

Good neighborhood restaurant

by dallasboiler

I've been to Kitchen 1924 twice, and I've found the food to be above average and a reasonable value. It may not be a destination restaurant, but it's become one of the nicer places to go in the Lakewood neighborhood. The entree menu is relatively simple, but each dish that I've tried was well-executed.

If I had to generalize what the restaurant is, I'd call it southern/home cooking with healthier ingredients. The dishes seem to be thoughtfully prepared with more 'organic' ingredients, and they tend to be prepared with lower-fat techniques than what you'd see at a typical place with similar cuisine.

My only complaint about Kitchen 1924 is the noise level. There are tons of hard surfaces in the restaurant, so it tends to be very loud. This would probably not be the best place to go with a large group if you're trying to maintain conversation with several people at a large table.

This is a restaurant that I hope stays in the neighborhood for a long time!

• Pros: Good value, interesting menu, outstanding service
• Cons: Restaurant tends to be a bit noisy

09/24/07

Go here if you want the prep staff to eat off your plates!

by oldeastdallasrocks

We've been "regulars" for the past 2 years and have always been pleased with the food and service. However, this weekend we watched in horror as the prep staff (the prep area is open to the dining room) ate off our plates prior to handing them over to our waiter. We, of course, refused the meal and notified the manager. Management was cavalier about the disgusting incident, despite our bringing it to their attention that they comitted a health code violation. We won't be back and we're warning everyone we know to stay away.

07/26/07

Painfully mediocre -- especially given the prices and the hype

by consigliere77

1924's buzz has been quite good, but I think the restaurant's flouted star-power and high prices are masking the below average food, selection, and service. My party of two dined about a week ago on a rather slow mid-weeknight. The restaurant decor and ambiance do have a great feel, with the open kitchen and hearth oven, and the wall of natural light. Appetizer: "Jimmy's Spicy Sausage Flatbread with Sweet Tomato Sauce"...aka a miniature pizza with some sliced sausage thrown on top. But even as $9 mini pizzas go, this dish was completely unremarkable. The sauce had very little depth of flavor, and the sausage was not particularly flavorful or spicy (and really had the feel of just having been put on top as an afterthought). Salad: "24 Chopped Salad: Tomato, Cucumber, Shallots, Bleu Cheese, Avocado, Poppy Seed Vinny." This was the biggest miss of the night. My salad had zero cucumber, shallots, or avocado. What I got was a very odd and unappetizing chopped lettuce, jicama, tomato, and sultana raisin salad - the only thing correct was the poppy seed "vinny". Unfortunately, the waitress never came by our table to see if everything turned out right - and the disinterested service turned out to be the underlying theme of the night. Main courses - Grilled Tenderloin Steak, Grilled Pimenton Pork Chop, Sweet Potato Gratin, and Sauteed Asparagus. Main course took at least 25 minutes to come out after the salad was long gone. The positive: the asparagus was well prepared, with the stalk slightly peeled to remove the woodiness. Otherwise, very unimpressive. The steak was slightly charred (destroying any unique flavor) and the cut of meat was not that great (although the Merlot demi was a nice - and needed - addition). The pork was rather dry, and the sweet potato gratin was slightly greasy and had an artificial sweetness to it. Everything tasted or was presented like something I could have done (and done better), and that should not be the feeling after a $100 meal.

• Pros: Ambiance, decor, open kitchen, detailed wine list
• Cons: Below average food, high prices, poor service