Gemma — Restaurant in Dallas

Update 8/18: This was my first time back in almost 8 years. I came once in 2017 and have been dreaming about it since. I finally made it back, and it did not disappoint. The excellent service started before we even visited when I emailed them for some help and they quickly responded. Upon arriving, we were seated right away to a comfortable table by the window. Our server was fantastic (I am unable to remember his name--he was very kind and had great hair). He made recommendations upon request. When we asked about wine and didn't have an answer to our specific question, he didn't just make something up. He got the sommelier on staff, Philip who helped us choose a bottle. Little things like this mean a lot to our group that dines out together monthly. We remember these things and appreciate them.

Onto the food: wow. Everything was impeccable. We tried quite a bit. Oysters, roast carrots, the crab cake, beef carpaccio, peach and tomato salad, creamed spinach, the rabbit pappardelle, duck confit, trout almondine, and the pistacio bar and creme brulee for dessert.

Everything was truly fantastic, but there were some standouts. Our group gets oysters often. I loved that Gemma's were served with a mignonette (which we all love) but instead of traditional cocktail sauce or horseradish, they served it with this really neat jalapeno ice. It sounds weird, but it brightened up the oysters so much. It was such a nice pop to these gems of the sea.

The crab cake was seriously one of the best I've had. The carpaccio was top notch. The roast carrots could have been a star of their own entree. The rabbit has apparently been on the menu since day 1 and there's a reason for that. The trout almondine could have been boring, but it was so perfectly cooked and the squeeze of roast lemon added the perfect punch of acidity.

The creme brulee was one of the best creme brulees I've had in a long time. It was simple and no frills, but so perfectly done. And the pistachio bar was an explosion of delight in my mouth.

We all started off the night with the cucumber basil cocktail. 2 of us made the superior choice of exchanging the vodka for botanist gin and it was sheer perfection. Noting a lack of gin cocktails on the menu, I would highly suggestion Gemma make this a permanent change.

The restaurant is adorable. Cozy and comfortable. Not too overdone. The food and service are the stars.

Highly recommend.

note: Deleted my old review because it was 8 years old and google won't let me post even more of a novel. But this place was awesome 8 years ago and is still...

I️ will do my review by each meal this time around:

Starter: Salmon Tartar - The salmon tartare is very delicious. In terms of overall quality I️ would say it ranks about low level fine dining establishments. It doesn't present itself much of a strong flavor, and it isn't suppose to. It represents the freshness of the herbs, and the quality of salmon they use.

Side: Butter Salad - The butter salad while simple in t design and presentation has shown itself to be such a strong contender. The perfect balance of wine and vinegar has left this to be one of the most memorable dishes of my life.

Entre: Red Snapper He red snapper was worrisome at first. I️ have always had experiences that most establishment try to please the general consensus. Instead of creating their own dish. Gemma had created not only the perfect snapper in consistency, but with their red sauce as well. The potatoes cooked to a perfection left this to be the best fish meal I️ have ever eaten.

To be more detailed is was like eating a perfectly cooked steak. The meat itself was so tender is melted in my mouth like butter. The skin was fried perfectly that it gave a crispy that I️ will never forget. I️ could have had half the portion and been satisfied. Even a fourth.

Dessert: Apple Crisp with Coffee Sorbet The apple crisp with coffee sorbet hand is only delicious together. The crisp alone suffer what many pie dishes face. To be over saturated with what "apple and brown sugar" should taste like. Once combined with the handmade sorbet it creates a complete compliment where the brown sugar is cut down, and the crisp has the opportunity to stand out of the apples. I️ would not reorder, but that in no way means I️ do not enjoy it now.

Service: Ashley was a complete treat, and the main reason I will return. Her friendly nature, and genuine care in my experience is what set this restaurant apart from everywhere else.

I’m anxious and hungry to...

Very good. If I could give it 4.5 stars, I would.

The restaurant itself is pleasant - it's upscale but not stuffy at all.

Service was excellent - attentive, not overbearing, and a small issue we had was handled with zero fuss at all.

We shared a burrata dish as an appetizer - it was fantastic - unique and made with great touch.

The entrees were solid and met our expectations at this price point - the duck breast (advertised as cooked to medium) was cooked to medium and was quite tasty - if you prefer your duck rare it might not meet your expectation. The filet au poivre (ordered medium rare - came out a touch over but wasn't quite medium) was very good. We also ordered some broccolini as a side, and it was very good.

Drinks were great.

Dessert wasn't their strong suit. We ordered the chocolate cake (huge portion but very dry - was sent back and removed from the bill without question - the waitress was very understanding and didn't seem surprised), and a very weird pana cotta dish - I love weird desserts, and this one almost worked - it was campari flavored with blood orange cream and coriander brittle (I think - it was a few weeks ago) - I think the liqueur flavor was a bit too intense on this, and as strange as the coriander brittle sounded it worked pretty well. The portion was excessive for one - good for sharing. I don't regret my choice but I'm sure the tiramisu would have been tastier.

Overall it was very good and I will strongly consider returning on future visits...