The food, ambiance and experience have to be darn near perfect to convince us to fight Dallas traffic and pay for parking. For Thompson Dallas’ newest addition, Little Daisy, we’ll do it any day.
Franco-American bistro Little Daisy opened on March 4 on the ninth floor of Thompson Dallas, replacing the former Nine at the National. It’s an open-daily restaurant serving breakfast, lunch, dinner and weekend brunch.
Little Daisy nods to Parisian cafe culture with Texas and Louisiana twangs. The Texas influences come from Little Daisy’s locale and the Louisiana influences come from Thompson executive chef Jeramie Robinson. The bistro concept is based on a fictional storyline of an expat's journey to Paris with stops in Texas and Louisiana.
The Observer was invited to a media dinner preview on March 20.
When you enter Little Daisy, the eye-catcher isn’t the food but the decor. Little Daisy, designed by Caroline Todd of Todd Interiors, is lovely. It’s warm, vibrant and booming. The varying custom dining room chairs are designed by Los Angeles-based A. Rudin with fabrics from the artisanal fabric house Namay Samay. Fleurons d’Hèléne textiles enliven the space. The showstopper is the hand-drawn custom wallpaper by artist Meredith Stringfellow that covers the ceiling.
Table tops are not busy. There is a candle and a single daisy in a palm-size vase, a cute, simple touch. Dinner lighting is dim.
The first thing to note: Little Daisy is a made-to-order kitchen. Our server advised us to put our appetizer and entree order at the same time, although it would be brought coursed out.
We started with cocktails, of course. We ordered the lauded Marguerite Parfaite, a not-too-sweet, not-too-tart $23 on-the-rocks margarita made with Patron Reposado, Grand Marnier, agave and lime. Marguerite Parfaite translates to perfect daisy. We also had a punch-packing $17 Hemingway daiquiri.
Influencers are loving Little Daisy's seafood tower. We opted for the King Crab Louie and Wild Salmon Crudo instead.
Brittany Conerly
Little Daisy’s seafood tower has received much attention on social media, but based on our server’s suggestion we opted for the King Crab Louie ($23) and the Wild Salmon Crudo ($24). The king crab salad was light, refreshing and packed with generous chunks of crab. The Wild Salmon crudo comes with six slices of raw salmon soaking in a zucchini mignonette sauce, topped by absinthe-melon consommé and herbes de Provence. A pressed honeydew melon enhances the flavor.
The wait for entrees was lengthy, but well-accompanied by a gimlet ($16) and a glass of French sauvignon blanc J de Villebois Quincy ($15).
There are seven dinner entrees to choose from, including a Hemingway Burger ($24) and barbecue shrimp ($36), Little Daisy’s take on shrimp and grits. We ordered the possion rôti — roasted fish — a delicate skate wing fish served with melted leeks, pimento relish and a bell pepper nage sauce ($38).
The chef's special gumbo is made with the "holy trinity" (onions, bell pepper, celery) and sausage, shrimp and "Jazzmen" rice.
We also had a tender melt-in-your-mouth wagyu filet ($54), but please don’t skip the truffled mac and cheese gratin ($12). The a la carte side, which is an entree during lunch, is made from fusilli pasta, sharp white cheddar-truffle mornay, toasted panko and sharp cheddar gratin. It’s your childhood favorite’s rich, luxurious and sophisticated counterpart without the uncomfortable heaviness that accompanies a gooey bowl of carbs.
The dessert menu includes seven fairly priced desserts. The signature dessert is the Daisy Vacherin ($9), a cute offering that looks like a daisy with meringue petals and tastes like a margarita, according to our server.
The French, Texas and Louisanna concept speaks to Little Daisy’s paramount attribute — it’s versatile. It’s romantic enough for an intimate date, aesthetic enough for a girl’s lunch, vibrant enough for brunch and sophisticated enough for a power lunch. You can go big or you can reel it in. Either way, there’s something for everyone.
Little Daisy, 1401 Elm St. Breakfast daily, 7–11 a.m.; lunch daily, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.; dinner, Monday – Thursday, 5–9 p.m. and Friday – Saturday, 5–10 p.m.; weekend brunch, Saturday and Sunday, 7 a.m. – 2 p.m.
