Farnatchi
3001 Knox Street
Dallas TX 75205
214.219.7200
Farnatchi
Farnatchi Truffle Risotto
November 2, 2012
Farnatchi bills itself primarily as a pizza restaurant. However, Farnatchi is a bit more of a condundrum. Facing the Highway 75 service road just south of Knox Street Farnatchi serves not only pizza but Italian and Middle Eastern fare as well. You can start your meal with hummus and beef cigar (think dolomites stuffed with beef), proceed through calamari that could easily be mistaken as having either an Italian or Middle Eastern twist to it, move onto any number of pizzas that could be Italian or Greek inspired and wrap up with traditional Italian dishes. There is even Farnatchi’s take on the traditional American hamburger available. In short, there is no rhyme or reason here. Just a mish mash of items for you to explore time and again during repeat visits.
We arrived right at 6:30PM for our reservation and were immediately greeted and shown to our waiting table. Once the remainder of our party of six arrived we ordered the Calamari and the Garlic Fries as appetizers for the group to share. The Calamari was fresh, crispy and well flavored. I’d order it again. The Garlic Fries were good but a bit too mild for my liking. Ask the kitchen to dress them up with a bit more garlic or truffle oil and they’ll be happy to do so. Recommended if modified.
As an intermezzo we ordered a pizza Quattro Formaggi ($12 regular; $18 large) with white cream sauce, garlic and mixed cheeses. The pizza was slamming good and probably the best thing I had all evening. Four very flavorful, gooey cheeses liberally spread across the top of a thin to medium, perfectly prepared crust. Highly recommended.
My entree for the evening was the Truffle and Parmesan Risotto ($12). Good texture and feel to the risotto. However, do ask the kitchen for a little extra truffle oil to dress it up a bit. They are happy to do so. It makes the difference as the thick, never ending risotto seems to absorb the truffle oil. This dish is recommended slightly modified with extra truffle oil and perhaps grilled chicken on top. Be forewarned: the risotto is made fresh and it is piping hot when served. Let it cool before you stick your fork in it. Trust me.
Farnatchi has a very limited beer and wine menu. However, they do allow BYOB so feel free to bring along that special bottle to accompany your meal. Corkage fee is $5.00 per bottle but the restaurant is willing to work with repeat customers on those fees so come often. Stemware is passable but if you’re particular about your stemware then feel free to bring your own.
Farnatchi is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner. Reservations are accepted. Attire is casual so feel free to wear nice shorts and a t-shirt, jeans and a button up shirt to dress it up a bit. Parking is free in the strip center lot although it can be a bit hard to find parking in busier times. Major credit cards are accepted.
Farnatchi: recommended for a casual lunch or dinner.
Nice review!
Looks great. Never noticed that place before – looks like some unique choices. Will have to check it out.
Thanks for sharing.
Nice little BYOB location Bill. I’d definitely recommend grabbing a nice bottle of Chianti or wine from the Mediterranean region such as Provence and giving it a test drive.
Thanks for the comment Bill. Comments are always appreciated.