The Boiler Room
2723 Elm St.
214-758-0104
Today, during a quick lunch at the newly opened Boiler Room on Elm Street in Deep Ellum, I had a conversation about actually, actively moving to the neighborhood as soon as possible, instead of meandering through hopeful speculation about how Deep Ellum is maybe, kind of, the place to be right now and wouldn't it potentially be fun to live here.
Our server expressed interest in securing a loft down the street, and as a neighborhood loft-dweller myself, I assured her that this was a quality idea. We talked of the weirdness of being able to see your bed from any area of your apartment, and about building walls, hanging curtains, getting cool room dividers. It was casual and easy conversation about a neighborhood that hasn't heard much of those two adjectives used about it in some time. The Boiler Room isn't spectacular, but it's all right. It's an option. And in Deep Ellum, options are nice -- and increasing.
The Boiler Room, sayeth Thrillist,
is the work of a used car salesman and sits in the old Daddy Jack's
room at Elm and Crowdus. As is the fashion these days, they glean
ingredients from local suppliers, serving up dishes in the brick-walled
dining room with black napkins. It's your standard American fare --
sliders, fish, chicken, salads and wraps. Which is exciting, in a way,
for Deep Ellum residents. So what if it's not exactly food to write home
about? Maybe this means we're building a neighborhood that doesn't have
to feel obliged to overcompensate for the past several years of
decline. Maybe sometimes Deep Ellumers can just eat some frozen french
fries and have a cold one or two. Hell, some of the stuff is actually
legitimately tasty, anyway.
My chicken-fried steak slider, piled
with a lil' steak and mashed potatoes with a creamy white gravy, was of
serious quality, while Lunch Buddy's spicy Western-style slider with
bacon was gone in moments. Two's plenty for $6.99, though three might be
in order for the especially famished. Our Deep Ellum-aspiring server
was quick to bring us out fresh chips and a chunky salsa, and we were in
and out of the place in 45 minutes or so. The restaurant is open only for lunch right now -- well, they've got dinner on Fridays -- but
it could certainly turn into a quick, no-frills stop for the workday
crowd.
