Almost two years after it opened, the dining room at José, the modern Mexican restaurant on Lovers Lane, is as beautiful and boisterous as ever. The interior is still splashed with bright colors and dazzling ceramic artwork, the bar still twinkles with more than 150 different bottles of tequila, mezcal and sotol, and the space is still packed with party-every-night Park Cities regulars, sipping terrific cocktails and tucking into artfully designed plates. Out on the patio, the golden ceramic piña fountain still bubbles over like the heart of an agave overflowing with spirits.
But about three months ago, there was a seismic change at José: Anastacia Quiñones, one of the most innovative chefs in the city, took over the kitchen and, within weeks, almost completely rewrote the menu.
Since the Dallas native returned about 10 years ago from San Francisco, where she worked for Traci Des Jardins at Jardinère, she has been on the move. Victor Tangos, Alma, Komali, Kitchen LTO, Oddfellows, Cedars Socíal: Quiñones hopped from restaurant to restaurant, doing acclaimed work but never quite settling in.
At her last stop, Cedars Socíal, her vision of modern Mexican seemed to be coming into its own. I managed to have a few dishes there, including a memorable aguachile made with Texas peaches and shrimp, before she posted a terse Facebook message last fall announcing that she and owner Monica Greene had parted ways just months after opening the restaurant. Greene, who told me she needed a more traditional menu to attract more customers, soon transformed Cedars into Monica's Mex-Tex Cantina. Quiñones, determined to stay the course, launched a series of pop-ups, cranking out her signature creative tacos made with flavored tortillas and an unpredictable, delicious assortment of fillings. Despite not having her own restaurant, Eater Dallas named her chef of the year.
Now Quiñones seems to have stuck the landing at José. Within weeks of arriving at the restaurant — which is owned by Woodhouse, the hospitality group that opened Trees and the Green Room, as well as the new Park House private club in Highland Park Village — Quiñones introduced her first menu on Dec. 17. This time, compromising just a bit, she kept a few of the most popular items, like the beefy Park Cities enchiladas. Then she had her way with the rest of it.
The result is exciting and soulful, with dishes that reinterpret the classics in a deliciously visual style that feels perfectly at home in the bright, art-filled room.
Carrot habanero soup, a brilliant orange puree, may sound like a timid choice, but each spoonful has the complex flavors of a mole, set off by a nubbly swipe of pepita pesto and, as your spoon probes the bowl, an occasional pillow of fried masa hidden in the broth.
Quiñones' seasonal aguachiles are back and changed up weekly. A recent version made with tender cubes of tuna was arranged like a wreath with a smooth salsa of tamarind, chile de arbol and mango at the center. Thin disks of avocado, sweet yellow gooseberries, triangles of pink radish, black sesame seeds and a frizzle of shallots decorated the top, creating a gorgeous dish that married sweet and sour, tartness and heat in a single creamy bite.
Another appetizer of pork riblets riffed on asador tacos, with spare ribs cut into chunks and braised to melting tenderness, then finished with a piquant pineapple gastrique, bits of onion and cilantro. They were so good, I regretted ordering them for the table. Even though there was just one other person at the table.
Like the aguachile, the tacos de tacha, the chef's choice tacos, change up every few days, depending on what Quiñones has in the kitchen. An unexpected delivery of Chihuahua cheese resulted in a terrific riff on a fish taco, made with a stick of the cheese, battered and fried in a crisp panko crust, with cabbage slaw, lime juice, onion and avocado crema, all on a ruddy corn tortilla scented with guajillo and pasilla chiles.
An oversupply of wild mushrooms — enokis, maitakes and trumpets — was turned into a puffy tempura and piled onto a jade-colored cilantro tortilla, with tiny red rosettes of pickled watermelon radish, dots of white habanero crema and a scattering of tiny, peppery nasturtium leaves.
In between those two sensations, a grilled halibut taco, also on a cilantro tortilla, topped with a citrus salsa, avocado crema and cilantro, was wan in comparison. The flavors didn't marry, and it tasted like leftovers from one of the better main courses.
That would be the grilled halibut with butternut squash mole. The pool of pale green sauce, filled with elusive flavors (seeds, nuts, dried fruits and herbs), played beautifully against the purity of the fish and the surprising addition of Brussels sprouts esquites, tossed with mayonnaise and cheese, and a tangle of pea shoots. It was a terrific dish, unfortunately marred by leaving the fish too long on the grill.
Carnitas de olla, juicy slow-cooked shredded pork, was another highlight. The meat, layered over a mild tomatillo salsa, was presented with a stack of warm corn tortillas, finely chopped onion, serrano chiles, avocado, radish and lime. A mature chef knows when dishes need nothing more than perfect execution.
That build-it-yourself interactivity carries over to a couple of the drinks on the cocktail menu. Bar manager Carlos Marquez has more than 150 agave spirits at his fingertips, and he makes the most of them, concocting refreshing drinks such as La Malinche, with Herradura Blanco, cucumber, serrano chile, white pepper and lime, and, in a couple of cases, leaving the mixing up to you. A cocktail called the Usual is a serving of Casamigos Blanco on the rocks with a shot of lime juice and Topo Chico on the side, while the Unusual takes the same approach with Ilegal Joven mezcal and grapefruit juice. Each is a really good drink, and it's fun to play with the proportions of fruit and fizz.
After just a few months, Quiñones is off to an impressive start, but there are a few areas that need attention. Some dishes miss the mark, such as a Caesar salad with timid dressing and violently acidic pickled red onions. And with the exception of the churros, desserts tend to be heavy and cakey, whether it's concha bread pudding or Grand Marnier flan. Those churros, though, were spectacular -- roughly crisp, slightly tangy and set off by a cinnamon-infused cajeta and Mexican chocolate sauce.
The service, while generally good, can go so far off course it will ruin a meal. On a busy Saturday night, our table of four ordered two appetizers and four main courses, only to be surrounded by waiters bearing huge plates. Those couldn't be our apps, we told them, and they took them away. A few seconds later, they returned to explain that the big dishes were our main courses and began setting them on the table. I had to insist, multiple times, that we wanted our appetizers first before they gave me a look and took them way.
But it wasn't over. Once the appetizers were on the table, they returned with main courses, meaning to serve everything at the same time. Finally, they accepted that we wanted the main dishes afterward — not an earthshaking concept. But when they brought them back the fourth time, after a good 20-minute wait, the tortillas were stone cold and other dishes barely warm. Knowing how exciting the food can be, it felt like a punishment both for us and the kitchen.
On another night, when Quiñones was not at the restaurant, the halibut mole arrived with the fish perfectly cooked, but the sauce transformed into something thick and, weirdly, tasting of Dijon mustard. Even without the chef present, the kitchen should be able to maintain consistency. And the front of the house should be able to keep up its good work on a busy night and be able to better explain dishes as surprising as the ones Quiñones is making here. The shortcomings were serious enough to detract from what should have been a three-star experience.
But these are still the early days of a restless chef settling into a new home. The fact that the two best dishes on the menu — the aguachile and the tacos de tacha — are also the ones that challenge her to change them daily bodes well for the future. Here's hoping that Quiñones has at last has found a place to put down roots and grow.
José
Rating: Two and half stars
Price: $$ (Lunch starters $6 to $14, mains $12 to $25, desserts $8. Dinner starters $6 to $19, mains $13 to $34, desserts $8. Brunch $12 to $18.)
Service: Friendly and efficient, though not well-versed on details of the menu. On busy nights, things can go haywire.
Ambience: This chic cantina on Lovers Lane is one of Dallas' prettiest and busiest dining spots, splashed with bright colors, dazzling ceramic artwork by José Noé Suro (who inspired the restaurant's name), and a bar twinkling with tequila, mezcal and sotol. Now it also has an exciting new chef, Anastacia Quiñones, whose bright, creative and delicious take on Mexican cuisine feels perfectly at home here.
Noise: Indoors, it's loud (81 decibels); outdoors, merely shouty (75 decibels).
Drinks: It's all about cocktails and tequila. With 111 tequilas, 38 mezcals and five sotols, the bar is a library of agave spirits, including some impressive premium, gran clase and extra añejo tequila selections. By the glass, prices are generally high ($9 to $240); flights of three ($19 to $75) may be the best deal, offering tastes of bottles that can hit $100 retail. Bar manager Carlos Marquez browses the list to make refreshing drinks such as La Malinche ($14), with Herradura Blanco, cucumber, serrano chile, white pepper and lime, and the Usual ($14), a mix-it-yourself serving of Casamigos Blanco on the rocks with a shot of lime juice and Topo Chico on the side.
Recommended: Seasonal aguachile, pork riblets, carrot habanero soup, tacos de tacha, carnitas, grilled halibut, churros, Carajillo cocktail
GPS: Indoors is louder, see-and-be-seen; reserve a booth along the wall, if you can. Outdoors is slightly quieter and lower key. Dinner at the bar puts you in the thick of it -- and close enough to your companion to have a conversation.
Address: 4931 W. Lovers Lane, Dallas; 214-891-5673; jose.mx
Hours: Lunch daily, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dinner Sunday-Monday, 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.; Tuesday-Thursday, 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. Brunch Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Reservations: Accepted; bar is reserved for walk-ins.
Credit cards: All major
Health department score: B (87, March 2018)
Access: Restaurant and bar are all on one level
Parking: Free valet parking
Ratings Legend
4 stars: Extraordinary (First-rate on every level; a benchmark dining experience)
3 stars: Excellent (A destination restaurant and leader on the DFW food scene)
2 stars: Very Good (Strong concept and generally strong execution)
1 star: Good (Has merit, but limited ambition or spotty execution)
No stars: Poor (Not recommended)
Noise Levels
Below 60: Quiet. Maybe too quiet.
60-69: Easy listening. Normal conversation, with a light background buzz.
70-79: Shouty. Conversation is possible, but only with raised voices.
80-85: Loud. Can you hear me now? Probably not.
86-plus: Tarmac at DFW.
Prices
Average dinner per person
$ -- $19 and under
$$ -- $20 to $50
$$$ -- $50 to $99
$$$$ -- $100 and over
