Quarter Acre — Restaurant in Dallas

Greenville Avenue has a Bright Shining Star in Quarter Acre! Celebrating a 50th Birthday should be something special, and Quarter Acre made it so much more. Two tables next to us were also there to fete loved ones. We arrived five minutes before our 7:30 reservation and were promptly seated. In retrospect, we should have planned an earlier arrival so we could enjoy the bar. Just another great reason to return for our next adventure. The staff was professional, welcoming and attentive - without hovering or being intrusive. We were offered bottled sparkling or still water, but selected Dallas tap. Our server Russell, welcomed us and asked for our drink orders. My husband ordered his usual, Rye Manhattan with Luxardo cherries, I perused their cocktail offerings. Gin, Tequila, Bourbon, Scotch and Rum - all make an appearance in their specialty drinks. I went with the Nile Valley Vespyr, a combination of Bombay Sapphire + chamomile + olive oil. With so many craft Gin’s and floral bouquets, I was wary of the Bombay. It’s lovely to be surprised, perfect taste and great balance and depth of flavoure. The server offered us a gift from Chef Toby Archibald, Sourdough char grilled bread, which the pungent distinct flavor - from a 6 year old stater. We ordered some Snacks - Bites for the Table, these are literally bitesize treats with 4 options (other establishments this would be an amuse Bouche. Offerings were grilled garlic Mussel, Chicken Liver Mousse, fire-roasted Wagyo, and mushroom croquette. We ordered 2 of each. They were small - one bite experience tastes. Chicken liver mousse with the fried bread and smoked blood Orange was the winner. The mushroom croquettes with goat cheese + pickeled enok + pecorino. Wagyo had a lovely hoja santa leaf and chili lime. $38, for the two of us, you will thank me. Appetizers were Roasted Celeriac, golden raisin + hazelnut + celery salad, butter cooked and luscious and Kingfish Ceviche, coconut + lime foam + chili jam, light and citrus with an Asian flair. We followed with the Clams, watercress + white wine + shallots and Smoker Beef Tartar, olive oil emulsion + black mustard + crispy shallots A bottle of Sergent du Roy Sancerre 2020 was an elegant counterpoint to these four items and the Entrees to follow. Parmesan Buttered Grouper and Hot-smoked Glory Bay Salmon and Winter Salad to share. French Press Coffee and Tawny Port were ordered to enjoy with the Grapefruit Crémeux and the Tropical Mille Feuille. A final sweet treat of cocoa dusted truffle and white and dark chocolate covered lemon curd. A small footprint boutique dining experience. There is a ‘Chef’s Table next to the open kitchen, where you can observe Chef Tody expediting, and put the finishing touches on creations coming from his kitchen. A trip to the Unisex restrooms, some of the most beautiful in a restaurant anywhere: Green floral and bird inspired wallpaper with backlit light-tone adjustable mirror. At the entrance, a cozy bar with some truly creative and inspired cocktails, and a cold storage meat locker near the entry, where beef is being aged with patrons names attached. To sum the experience up - when great talent crosses with exceptional skill and the ability to think beyond the common-place, you get this one-of-a-kind dining experience you won’t soon forget. And…you will seek it out again soon. The are always special restaurants where people celebrate occasions focused on another trip around the sun, Dallas has just found another such place to reflect on that passage of...

Quarter Acre – A Promising Concept Let Down by Service and Execution Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Quarter Acre in Dallas presents an intriguing concept: a Kiwi-inspired tasting menu rooted in the chef’s New Zealand heritage and delivered with French culinary technique. Unfortunately, the execution—particularly in terms of service and pacing—left a lot to be desired.

The evening began with a rushed introduction from our waiter, who repeated himself multiple times and asked twice if we’d been there before. While he introduced himself three times, his attention quickly shifted to a nearby table that was clearly the priority. That imbalance in service would continue throughout the night.

We started with a slice of house-made sourdough, made from the chef’s nine-year-old starter. Hearty and deeply toasted, it was a strong beginning. This was followed by bright, citrusy oysters and a well-fried arancini ball—both enjoyable. However, our wine pairing was forgotten. When I reminded the waiter, he responded with, “You do know it’s $55 extra?” The tone suggested we might not be able to afford it, which felt presumptuous and inappropriate. He also stated that because we ordered cocktails he wouldn’t think we would have ordered the wine pairing which was a poor excuse for his inattentive service.

The cold green pea soup that followed was fresh but flat. The tomato tart, paired with red wine, had promise, but the ricotta overwhelmed the dish and it lacked salt and acidity. A persistent fly at our table made it difficult to focus on the meal, and staff made no attempt to address it.

The pasta course, with asparagus, was a standout—perfectly cooked, well-balanced, and nicely paired with a white wine. The salmon, flown in from southern New Zealand, was high quality but uninspired, coated in a sweet glaze and served with a garnish of radish and greens that added little.

The duck dish aimed for a deconstructed duck à l’orange, with sweet potato purée, crispy chips, and an orange salad. Interesting concept, but it didn’t quite come together.

Dessert was hit or miss. The strawberry mousse profiterole with chocolate sauce was tasty but unremarkable. The sticky date toffee with cardamom ice cream didn’t work for me, though my dining companion enjoyed it.

One bright spot was the sommelier—knowledgeable, friendly, and clearly a Lord of the Rings enthusiast. I didn’t always agree with the pairings, but he brought genuine personality and warmth to the experience.

The biggest issue was the service. Long gaps between courses, inattentiveness, and overt favoritism soured what should have been a premium evening. When I remarked to our waiter that it was obvious someone more important was receiving all the attention, he assured us he serves all the guests equally. This was clearly not the case.

At $594 after tip, the experience fell well short of expectations. While there were moments of culinary merit, they were overshadowed by the uneven service and lack of attentiveness on behalf of our dedicated waiter. With that said, the rest of the staff did perform well.

That said, I’m not completely closing the door. I believe Quarter Acre has potential—especially with a more engaged front-of-house and tighter pacing between courses. If those improvements are made, I’d be open to giving it another shot..

But as it stands today, I can’t recommend it. 2 out...

Ambiance was great, service was pretty good- few details here and there with not asking for cocktail refills etc but very personable and professional Food: -curried egg salad bite- good! -sausage egg they were out of- got arancini instead- very bland -fish n chip was fantastic best bite -fried gnudi- was good just needed a little punch of something besides the ricotta lemon flavor -smoked beef tartare- really great but Fried onions were a bit over so some bites were rather bitter -king fish ceviche- needed salt badly also kind of a copy cat from Georgies old menu -the onion- not sure why we got this course in the middle of entrees? Was very strange and did not go- way too strongg -potato chips were great texture -rabbit rillette- didnt love how bland the rillette itself was- needed the aioli- the radishes on top seemed to be quick pickled? But was too soft because of it which was not a great texture on top of the already soft rillette -BLT was fantastic!!! Just a little crunchier on the bread part would have been nice- ours was a little soggy- honestly the flax seed cracker on this instead would have been killer -octopus- the creamer peas on bottom were fantastic same with the sauce, but the octopus itself was WAY too salty -linguine- amazing best dish of the night by far- so so good -venison osso bucco- the concept is here with the puffed grains to counter the soft and the acidic grain salad to counter the fat on the side, but the osso bucco itself was over braised and dry on the inside and the sauce was over reduced to the point where it was a very strong acidic paste on the...