Beth Rankin
Audio By Carbonatix
Leading up to September’s Best of Dallas® 2017 issue, we’re sharing (in no particular order) our 100 Favorite Dishes, the Dallas entrées, appetizers and desserts that really stuck with us this year.
Over the last few months, Small Brewpub has shifted its food menu to focus less on avant-garde meat creations and more on affordable brewpub fare. For this Oak Cliff brewpub and restaurant, the challenge lies in striking a balance between accessible and interesting. With at least one snack item on the menu, it has succeeded.
The beef belly on rolls ($8) are made with fluffy, house-baked rolls from pastry chef Maricsa Trejo, succulent beef belly, sweet but biting house-made pickles and a creamy aioli that binds it all together. The resulting snack – each order comes with two, and you’ll annihilate each one in two to three bites – nails it on all fronts: salty, fatty beef; cloudlike bread; sweet, tangy and shockingly fresh pickles; and a hit of creaminess from the aioli.
Small’s menu is largely snack-based, perfect for sharing with the table while sipping house-brewed beer or one of its seriously above-average cocktails. If your hunger surpasses snack-friendly levels, the new burger is a must-order.
