Desiree Gutierrez for the Dallas Observer
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One month after opening, Walkers’ is Lower Greenville’s newest obsession, and one that didn’t compromise. Part market, sandwich shop, wine bar and restaurant, siblings Rosemary Walker-Greene and Russell Greene wanted it all, then filled the space with memories of their childhood, world travels and family history.
The Observer stopped by on July 15 and 16 for a peek at the new kid on the block.
The restaurant is imbued with the love of their grandmother Mére and mother Lulu, who passed away just two weeks before opening. Every night, the siblings set a fully dressed table lit with Lulu’s personal candelabras.
“We grew up literally around the dinner table, and every night my mother would set the table and light the candles with her candelabras, even if it was Chinese takeout,” Rosemary says. “She was the ultimate host. That’s why we did this because we wanted this space to feel like an extension of our living room.”
When to go (it’s complicated, but worth it)
Walkers’ hours are complicated. It’s open Wednesday through Sunday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. The market is always open, while sandwiches are only available til 3 p.m. There’s also a cafe with the basics.
The wine bar opens at 4 p.m. with a snacky menu available 3 to 5 p.m. During this time, half the space is shut down. At 5 p.m., dinner service begins.
Walking in on a weekday late afternoon, the lunch rush has passed and ladies in Lululemon sets stroll in for a vibrant green matcha. Others sit at the bar, baby in hand, catching up with girlfriends.
The space
The space is designed by Kevin Klein Design and is a well-dressed kaleidoscope of the Walkers: taxidermy for Russell’s love of hunting; an anchoring curved stone bar; and extensive millwork in various shades of wood filled with glassware and wine.
The bar is accentuated with a large mural. It’s built around a woman with a green apple head, inspired by Belgian artist René Magritte. It’s a snapshot of the Walkers’ childhood, from European summers to chickens running around with their heads cut off.
The chef
Chef Aldon Reyes, who runs the kitchen, has an affinity for adventure. Dallas knows the San Diego native from Cry Wolf, Georgie, the former Le PasSage and Mot Hai Ba. Before that, he spent seven years at the former Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant Juniper & Ivy, where the menu changed every two to three days at the nearly 300-seat restaurant.
“It was always exciting, so I wanted to recreate that for my team to get as stoked as I used to get back in the day, and it still stokes me out,” he says. “We get to go play with food all day and get paid to do it. It doesn’t get much better than that.”
At Walkers’, the menu is printed each day. The food program is heavily seasonal, giving the kitchen ample creativity and the agency to pivot. Reyes steers clear of the Dallas chicken tendy and steak pigeonhole, running two menus through the day.
“This isn’t your stereotypical menu here in Dallas,” Reyes says.
Lunch tackles the “Dallas isn’t a sandwich city” myth. More on that later. It’s offered from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. On the menu, diners will find sandwiches built atop housemade sourdough focaccia. Jack and Sally, the restaurant’s sourdough starters, are named after Russell’s son’s favorite movie, The Nightmare Before Christmas.
Nonna’s Webb is a massive protein-packed sandwich – made with sustainably raised Lady Edison Country Pork salumi, salame rosa, provolone, lettuce, tomato and an addictive hot giardiniera mayo – named after Russell’s grandmother-in-law.
For beverages, Rosemary, an advanced sommelier, curates a venturesome wine list. Bar lead Adam Stein complements it with polished classics like The Hotel Nacional, a $16 sip with El Dorado, apricot, pineapple, Demerara and citrus.
The main event
Dinner reservations are a hot commodity. Prime time serves buzzes with old- school hip-hop and shoulder-to-shoulder conversation. After 9 p.m., the vibe settles into a slower rhythm.
Start with the beef tartare topped with halved cherries. Every bite demands a piece of cherry, adding sweetness and whimsy to balance the richness.
Cherry Tomato is the number one seller. The dish is made with San Diego’s Girl & Dug Farm’s tomatoes. They arrive perfectly ripe, requiring very little pomp and circumstance.
“Simplicity is honestly one of my favorite things,” says Reyes.
None is simpler than Bonny Melon. The dish features the rare sweet-and-sour specialty melon.
“We don’t do anything to that except let the melon really be the star,” Reyes adds. The melon swims in a pool of coriander and lime. It’s proof restraint can be as memorable as complexity.
The Corn Carbonara is a new feature, replacing the sourdough gnocchi. Jack and Sally contribute to the sourdough tagliatelle that tangles with snappy sweet corn kernels and bacon. It’s topped with a satisfying egg, slow-cooked until it’s precisely 63 degrees Celsius.
Claws Out
Chicken is having a moment in Dallas. Walkers’ has a foot situation going.
“We leave the foot on because people are disconnected from what food actually is nowadays,” he says. “I want to try and show people your chicken has legs. It’s not always that nice little kneecap that you see that comes out when you order half chicken.”
After a 24-hour brine, the chicken is grilled, gently finished in the oven and returned to the fire for one last char. Ours arrived with a little extra char that we’re not complaining about. A Jimmy Nardello peperonata with Swiss chard is poured atop.
The chef is enthusiastically awaiting fall and winter. He’s ready to have fun with figs. Then comes the citrus season.
Save room for Bruce
There’s only one dessert to concern yourself with here: Bruce. Named after the infamous Matilda scene, Bruce is a ’90s crash course in gluttony: a giant slab of rich dark chocolate cake, fluffy icing, and a silky ganache arrives topped with flaky French fleur de sel.
The heavenly slice will have you wishing you’d be punished with an entire cake. Unfortunately, we don’t have an elementary-school metabolism anymore, but what we do have is an ID that surpasses the legal drinking age. Enter: Amaro Montenegro.
Amaro is a staff favorite, beloved by Rosemary. Trust the team. A sip cuts through the chocolate, forever changing the way you indulge in chocolate cake.
“We have so much opportunity to just continue to pull things and add and subtract and make a unique menu every night,” Reyes says.
Walkers’, 3016 Greenville Ave., Wednesday – Sunday 11 a.m. – 11 p.m.
