Was bored on a conference call and wrote this too long review about Ame, the new French/Indian place in Bishop Arts for my FB neighbors/friends.
For those of you eagerly waiting for an Indian restaurant in Oak Cliff, Ame (in the old Hattie’s space in Bishop Arts), may or may not make you happy.
It opened this weekend. We went last night with friends for our first indoor dining experience in a year. It was fabulous. And I am using that word intentionally.
If you wanted a cheap lunch buffet with all you can eat chicken tandoori and take away chicken tikka masala, this is not it. This is a dress up, luxurious French restaurant, with a French trained chef transforming the dishes and flavors of Indian food. Picture a beautiful velvet banquette, gold cutlery, Christian La Croix wallpaper, a “secret” champagne and cocktail bar behind heavy curtains, and one of the beautiful owners (a mother – daughter duo opened the restaurant) managing the place in a runway ready outfit featuring black palazzo pants and a billowy white blouse. Fabulous.
Did the food live up to it? Yes! We loved it. The dishes definitely felt Indian, just different. Not “better” than more authentic Indian food, but different. It’s an experience. The Chaat for instance, is no street food snack, it was an incredible and beautiful plate of chickpeas , veggies and yogurt topped with pomegranate seeds. It was fried perfectly and was our favorite dish of the night. The other highlights were a cashew chicken tikka and the shrimp curry. The chef (the mother of mother-daughter duo) really knows how to use spice and heat. Every dish had the requisite heat (nothing “mild” here) but the heat didn’t overwhelm the dishes. The saag paneer and aloo gobi were spot on.
The cocktails were also great and mostly French inspired. If you go for a cocktail first, ask to be seated or make a reservation in the Elephant Bar (the bar in the back). There is also a bar at the entrance (now on 7th, not on Bishop like Hattie’s.) but the front bar is not nearly as special as the Elephant Bar.
Ame is not for everyday dining. It’s more for special occasions or planned nights out with friends. We’ll be back.
EDIT: I was thinking about why this so familiar and I finally remembered a film called The Hundred-Foot Journey. It's a wonderful film for foodies starring Helen Mirren. It's about families and the interplay of French and Indian cuisine. I highly recommend it.