We Go to The GOAT, Just to Try the ‘Something Chocolate’ Dessert

In the heart of Victory Park, you’ll find The GOAT Restaurant and Lounge (not to be confused with The Goat bar on Gaston Avenue in East Dallas). It’s a swanky Euro-Mediterranean restaurant that serves upscale fare and cocktails during the week while seamlessly transitioning to a posh lounge setting on weekend evenings, complete with DJs and live entertainment.

Leading the gastronomic efforts at GOAT is executive chef Ozzy Samano, who cut his teeth at steakhouses such as Bob’s Steak & Chop House and Nick & Sam’s. Samano and chef Pascal Sanchez are the masterminds behind GOAT’s menu, which offers dishes like Lobster Oreganata (lobster tail in a lemon white wine sauce), 32-ounce tomahawk USDA prime ribeyes ($150) and plancha-roasted red snapper with chimichurri purée garnished with pico de gallo and grilled corn ($39).

We may get to all that eventually, but this time, our sights were set on Sanchez’s totally over-the-top (in the best way possible) dessert simply called, “Something Chocolate” ($16).

First, a little background on Xhef Sanchez. He has a loaded resume – over 30 years of experience in kitchens in France, Switzerland and the UK. Sanchez helmed executive chef roles at Pierre Gagnaire in Paris and Sketch in London, both of which achieved the highest honor in the business – three Michelin stars. He led Twist in Las Vegas and was named Las Vegas Chef of the Year in 2010. Under Sanchez’s guidance, MIA in Montpellier, France, earned a coveted Michelin star in 2015.

To be clear, Sanchez isn’t in the back of GOAT’s kitchen churning out this sinfully indulgent dessert treat himself. He did design it, though. (He’s currently executive chef and culinary director at Highland Park’s Park House social club.)

We dropped by on a recent weekend, took a seat at the bar and placed an order for our targeted dessert. While waiting, we decided to sample a couple of GOAT’s exceedingly creative cocktails.

First came the Lost Duck ($16), an aqua green (or was it blue?) concoction with a Caribbean flare made of Bacardi Superior and Kuleana Hui-Hui rum, Blue Curacao, coconut, lime, pineapple and Illegal Mezcal. Following that was the very elaborate (and showy) Garden of Temptations ($18), with Patron Silver, El Silencio mezcal, Strega, kiwi, lime, pineapple, smoked chili bitters, and…fire. Yes, it comes with a flame on top that lasts about 60 seconds (if that) before burning out, and our bartender politely reminded us not to drink it while it was lit. Duly noted. We preferred the Garden of Temptations, though both cocktails were fine. However, $34 for two cocktails is something we’ll never quite get used to but, hey, that’s the world we inhabit now.

Something Chocolate

So, the reason we came: Pascal Sanchez’s “Something Chocolate” dessert for a mere $16. We’d describe this chocolate lover’s dream creation as peak decadence. A half-chocolate sphere glazed with hazelnut and mouse, feuilletine (a crispy wafer of baked sweetened crêpes crumbled into flakes), chocolate ganache, a meringue insert all topped with bourbon vanilla Chantilly. There’s certainly a lot to unpack here.

And while the dessert isn’t exactly what you’d call sizable, there’s more to it than it appears. A couple of us worked on it for a solid 10 minutes, trading turns as we whittled it down spoonful by decadent spoonful. To us, the best approach was attempting to get a little of each ingredient in each spoonful. Or you can throw caution to the wind and work your way around it randomly – that works also, as you’ll get varying experiences with each bite.

It’s not every day you get to indulge in a dessert created by a Michelin chef. It was a memorable experience, and we were happy to have it. So, remember to save room for dessert next time you’re at The GOAT.

The GOAT Restaurant & Lounge, 2601 Olive St., Ste. 100. Monday – Thursday, 11 a.m. – 11 p.m.; Friday – Saturday, 11 a.m. – 1 a.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.