A crossover hit
Diners flock to Oak Cliff eatery for meals with an international flair12:00 AM CDT on Friday, May 11, 2007
Opening a modestly ambitious neighborhood restaurant is always a nerve-jangling gamble. Who really knows which idiosyncratic traits will spark the loyalty of a local audience: An intriguing cuisine not served anywhere else in the community? A particularly hospitable chef or waitstaff? Convenience or affordability? Uniquely inebriating cocktails?
Whatever the alchemy might be that entices the folks of Oak Cliff, Kavala Mediterranean Grill has it. Though it's about a mile up the street from Oak Cliff's epicurean epicenter, the Bishop Arts District, customers congest Kavala's limited parking lot nightly. Upon entering the restaurant, one feels that particular crackle of energy generated by a place experiencing an early, and perhaps unexpected, rush of success.
Much of Kavala's charisma can be attributed to its chef-owner, Kelly Hightower. Mr. Hightower, who was executive chef at nearby Hattie's before venturing out on his own, grew up in the area and remains a resident. The man obviously knows his 'hood.
The restaurant's building has that certain boxy je ne sais quoi that indicates a fast-food past. Indeed, it once housed a Dairy Queen. Though the space has been through a few incarnations since its days of dispensing Blizzards, Mr. Hightower spent several months renovating.
He darkened the walls, which were previously a shade of white he describes as "YMCA bathroom." He also added a curving banquette by the door (useful, since there can be a wait for a table) and installed a handsome slate counter near the restaurant's brick oven. It all feels comfortably retro-chic.
Of course, the liberating pleasure of being a chef-owner is that one has the latitude to freely futz with the cuisine. And Mr. Hightower certainly likes to play with his menu.
Greek is the basic culinary premise here, though there's plenty of Italian, Spanish and even North African crossover action. That includes the usuals, such as hummus and mussels with white wine and tomatoes, but also larkish offerings such as breaded, pan-fried chicken livers brazenly seasoned with potently smoky bacon and onions.
The menu has commendable breadth in terms of price and creative initiative. Mr. Hightower spent time in the kitchens of a Ziziki's outpost and learned how to craft a swarthy lamb gyro, which he serves over pita with tzatziki (thick, spiced yogurt) and lemon-oregano potatoes. For $12.50, it's an optimal choice for an affordable weekday dinner. Ditto an oven-roasted half-chicken scented with rosemary lemon butter and served nestled against a fluffy panzanella salad for $14.95.
But you can also venture into pricier, more sophisticated terrain with entrees like the Greek Island stew, a tomato-glossed montage that includes generous, gently cooked hunks of monkfish and octopus along with clams and mussels. The stew is perfumed with the dreamy duet of saffron and fennel that so sensually conjures Europe's warmer climes.
And a pan-fried halloumi cheese starter earns props as one of the more ingenious starters I've recently encountered. In a Grecian twist on the omnipresent Caprese salad, lumps of the browned, dense cheese are poised atop ripe tomato slices and accented with dill, rather than basil. Each element melds brilliantly.
The pizzas that emerge from the restaurant's brick oven have an interesting textural predicament. The consistency of the baked dough falls somewhere between thin and thick, with its outer edges slightly puffy. It seems to better support lighter ingredients, like the verdant combination of spinach, olives, feta and Greek peppers. More robust toppings, like hunks of Italian sausage and roasted red peppers, seemed too cumbersome for the midweight crust.
All this variety inspires Mr. Hightower to keep aspects of his menu in a near constant state of flux, which can be both maddening and laudable. I'm not sure if it's culinary restlessness or merely getting a feel for his customer's tastes, but some beautiful dishes have disappeared needlessly. A cured duck salad, in particular, with its slawlike trio of julienned green apples, celery hearts and carrots in pomegranate vinaigrette, was masterful. Bring it back, please.
And yet, other dishes have deservedly hit the road in a flash. A "pot roasted" rack of lamb, faintly fragrant with Moroccan spices, turned out to be a plate of muddled mush – and it cost $27. No hard feelings to see that misstep vamoose.
The pizza with the sausage and roasted peppers also vanished. It leads me to think that Mr. Hightower, more often than not, has a sense of which of his creations do and do not work. That's a mighty valuable quality in a chef.
Aside from a couple of food gaffes, the restaurant's only mild shortcomings seem to be in its sweet but green staff. Every server I encountered knew very little about the food and seemed flummoxed by questions.
Sure, it's early in the game, but those unseasoned staffers had better learn fast. As the good word spreads about this place, Kavala's loyal locals will soon be vying with the foodies from across the river for a space in its diminutive dining room.
Kavala
Mediterranean Grill {star}{star}{star} (very good)
Food {star}{star}{star}
Service {star}{star}
Atmosphere {star}{star}{star}
Price: $$-$$$ (appetizers $4.95 to $12.95, entrees $12.95 to $26, desserts $7)
Address: 1417 W. Davis St.
Phone: 214-942-8100
Hours: Lunch Tuesday-Friday 11 a.m.
to 2 p.m., dinner Tuesday-Saturday 5 to
10 p.m., Sunday brunch 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Credit cards: All major
Wheelchair accessible: Yes
Smoking area: No
Alcohol: Full bar
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