When Toby Archibald opened Quarter Acre in Dallas, he wanted to introduce a tasting menu right away, but the New Zealand native knew he needed to wait until the time was right.
"The whole point was if we can keep it tight, we can also keep it accessible, so it's not daunting," says Archibald at his restaurant along Lower Greenville.
Archibald worked in fine-dining kitchens worldwide, including The Greenhouse in London and Cafe Boulud in New York and Toronto.
He followed his wife to Dallas and packed with him big ambitions to open a place of his own. But first, chef Bruno Davaillon talked him into being his chef de cuisine at much-lauded but now closed Bullion. Archibald was then the executive chef at Georgie by Curtis Stone. Over that time, he got to know Dallas.
In 2023, he opened Quarter Acre, a fine-dining spot with a sleek, comfortable interior and an upscale menu that leans coastal, emphasizing fresh produce handled with French technique and a touch of whimsy.
"The tasting menu at Quarter Acre is the best way I think you should be eating at this restaurant today," Archibald says, adding that it represents what the chef wants you to have that day. "If you come back tomorrow, this is what the chef wants you to have tomorrow. It's the best way to explore the story of a restaurant."
Less Talons More Meat
Tasting menus are traditionally known for being grand feasts. Noma in Denmark has a multi-sensory tasting menu that costs more than $400 and includes dishes like guinea fowl baked in a salt crust. The bird's beak and talons pop up from a mound of salt like it's being buried in the sand on a beach vacation. There are also peeled walnuts. Alinea in Chicago has several tasting menus, starting at $255 per person for 10 courses. But a less-is-more trend is playing out across the country at restaurants, including Dallas. The Michelin-starred Reverie in Washington, D.C., has a 14-course tasting menu for $245. That's commitment. And trust. But the restaurant was having trouble filling seats midweek, so it sliced the menu to just 10 courses and dropped the price to $180. It worked.
Locally, a rise in popularity of tasting menus can be traced to last fall, when the Michelin Guide released its inaugural Texas selections, which includes Quarter Acre. Since then, more restaurants have added tasting menus.
Stillwell's in the Harwood District offers a Michelin Tasting Menu, a seven-course dinner for $125 each, intended to serve as a guide to its "most beloved dishes." El Carlos Elegante's tasting menu, called the "Elegante Experience," is $99 per person. Monarch also has a tasting menu that changes seasonally.
A Kinder-Gentler Tasting Menu
In mid-April, Quarter Acre introduced its seven-course tasting menu for $125 per person. It starts with Archibald's quintessential dish: fish on chip. One thick chunk of smoked king fish is perched atop a single chip with a small dollop of caviar, speaking to his Kiwi roots and time in London. This is served playfully along with one Parmesan arancini with a delicate slice of duck prosciutto. Next is an impossibly smooth cold pea soup with creme fraiche and mint oil.Next up is smoked beef tartare with black mustard and caraway crackers that feels like a full portion, giving heft to this "tasting menu." The following three dishes are equally satisfying: barbecue cabbage with black sesame tahini, another round of fish and chips served more traditionally, and a seared duck breast with a sweet potato mille-feuille. These nicely portioned dishes are satisfying, giving diners more than a bite-sized taste.
All of this is finished off with a pavlova-like dessert that includes kefir lime caviar and lemongrass sorbet. It's a light, bright finishing touch.
For seven courses, this culinary journey is one we're excited about. And already, regulars are biting. Archibald told us that on a recent Saturday night, half the covers were for the tasting menu. The tasting menu is alive and well in Big D.
