Dining Review: Lonesome Dove Western Bistro

If you ever get a hankering for “urban Western” cooking, a red deer chop or wild boar ribs, then you need to mosey on over to Lonesome Dove Western Bistro, the New York-ified version of the Fort Worth original, and belly up to the bar.

Enter street level to a raw-brick and warm-toned bar area, with wrought iron bar stools decorated with Navajo-patterned seats.These stools are roomy, wide enough for the most demanding carcass. Decorated panels supply the western sunset so you can sit back and enjoy a jalapeño margarita, or a nice glass of wine. Ledges along the wall and incredibly friendly and knowledgeable bar staff make this a great after-work spot. 

After some talk at the bar, Chef Tim Love and his ten gallon cowboy hat are ready to hand cut a steak for you, or to let you be wowed by this new “urban Western” fusion. Taking the sacred red meat of the West and turning all notions of proper upside down, Chef Love shows us that Cowboy does not mean sirloin tips and a baked ‘tater. He introduces us to prairie butter (buffalo marrow served in the bone), lobster bacon, buffalo corndogs and boursin-stuffed kangaroo nachos.

Saucy: Qualifying the Dove for “fusion” are the sauces that accompanying dishes, such as the roasted red pepper hollandaise that accompanies the red chili jumbo shrimp, or the huckleberry habanero that compliments nachos. But there is more. Sides range from satisfying onion rings to magnificent white truffle mac-n-cheese made with orzo to sublime fried spinach. Comfort food here meets the open ranges of Love’s imagination.

While there are some truly innovative dishes that show Love’s passion for exploring a world of flavors and textures, his strong suit remains the hand-cut steaks. These are as tender as they are well-cut and served. A good steak is not as easy to find as one would think; just ask anyone who comes from steak country. You will be pleased with the steak presented at your table. But don’t forget to choose an appetizer that sounds unlike anything you’ve ever had before, once you’ve settled on that New York strip.

The wine list is Californian, largely Sonoma, with some Australian selections. These wines underscore the main themes of the menu: the American west and the Australian outback. In fact, there are very few things on the menu that do not have roots in rugged places. An exception is the foie gras brulee, although it pales next to the kangaroo nachos.

One could look at Lonesome Dove as just another steakhouse, but that would not be fair. It is a cookout for those who dare to explore the wide open range of flavors that is New Urban.

This is a great place to meet your secret meat-loving friends, to take college buddies or guests who will never visit Texas, or to have game meats, such as antelope, red deer, quail, wild boar and duck. The dining room is not a cavern, so phone ahead for reservations.

Tags:   antelope, buffalo, Chef Time Love, game meat, lobster bacon, Lonesome dove, new urban cowboy, prarie butter, quail, red deer, urban menus, western cuisine, white truffle man n cheese, wile boar

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Posted on 11/6/2006 ( Permanent Link )
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