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foodRestaurant Reviews

The Charles, a glam Italian spot in Dallas, serves up a rare thing: Service that elevates the experience

Chas Martin - the Charles himself - runs the front of the house like an old-style maître 'd, while chef J Chastain turns out a boldly flavored, Italian-influenced menu filled with finesse.

Roll up to the Charles on a Friday night, drop the car with the valet and push through the heavy wood door and you'll be hit with a scene that feels straight out of a Scorsese film: The place is packed, a knot of dressed-up diners in sharp suits and high heels pressing toward the host stand, hoping for a table. But a reservation is like a golden ticket, parting the crowd and landing you a tiny two-top in the bar.

From the gilded mirrors and backlit classical artwork in the bar to the the Dalí-esque columns and leopard-print booths in the dining room, this 6-month-old Design District restaurant pulsates with style. There's theatrical lighting from above, and on the floor a total, swirling party scene, backed by an open kitchen spewing sparks into the air. Before you can take it all in, a distinguished gent in a three-piece suit squeezes by and plucks the napkin from your table and drops it onto your lap. "Oh, I work here," he says, smiling and disappearing into the crowd.

It's just the beginning of a night filled with madcap energy and delicious surprises. Chas Martin — a co-owner and the Charles himself — runs the front of the house like an old-style maître d', schooled in the art of social engineering and a brilliantly lighthearted approach to good service. He seems to have trained a whole squadron of mini-me's. Air kisses at the door. Bartenders who walk to the other side of the bar to serve your drink, if you don't happen to have a seat. The waiter who carefully rearranges a round table for two, putting the seats close together and facing the action of the room, fluffing the flowers and smoothing the linens until everything is just so. Another can't wait to tell you about the Chef's Special at the end of the meal: a shot of espresso, a shot of grappa and a cigarette, which he would be very pleased to light for you outdoors.

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Chef J Chastain has his work cut out competing with the spectacle, but he is up to the job. His long history in Dallas — he is a native — includes being executive chef at Stephan Pyles Flora Street Cafe and executive sous-chef under Bruno Davaillon at the Mansion. Here he channels that kind of finesse into a boldly flavored, Italian-influenced menu and dishes that seem simple but are layered with complexity.

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Gutsy wood-fired oysters are bathed in a pepperoni-infused beurre blanc and topped with crisp breadcrumbs and a tiny dice of pepperoni, an idea that grew from classic Spanish mussels and chorizo. The chicories salad rethinks the Caesar by dialing back the creaminess (and the garlic — so much air kissing, after all) with a bagna cauda dressing made with ancho chiles, roasted garlic and parsley purée, the bitter greens interspersed with fresh basil, strands of preserved lemon and a coarse grating of Parmesan.

Veal ragu cappeloni
Veal ragu cappeloni(Carly Geraci / Staff Photographer)

The house-made pastas take similar liberties. Instead of a classic linguine with clams, Chastain's spicy creste di gallo — frilly, ridged crescents shaped like cockscombs — are rosy with paprika and tossed in a buttery sauce with juicy rock shrimp, parsley, tarragon, lemon and crunchy bread crumbs. His veal ragu cappelloni — pasta packets that are usually served in a clear broth — are lavished with Parmesan cream and dabbed with emerald olive oil, basil leaves and bits of dried olive.

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Focaccia di Charles isn't the usual pillowy herbed bread but a disk the size of a medium pizza, filled with melting Crescenza and Tallegio and cut and served tableside. Martin, who does the honors, credits chef Nancy Silverton, whose restaurants he encountered during some time in California. Silverton famously refined the recipe for the regional focaccia di Recco at her Los Angeles restaurant, Chi Spacca, and while this version isn't quite Silvertonian, it makes a fine accompaniment to a glass of wine or one of the sophisticated cocktails, including an Italian Old-Fashioned made with Basil Hayden's Bourbon and orange oil.

The Italian Old Fashioned
The Italian Old Fashioned(Carly Geraci / Staff Photographer)

Though the menu doesn't brag about provenance, the beef for the rib-eye is premium Angus and the porterhouse bistecca is dry-aged for 30 days. The succulent pork chop, redolent with fennel pollen, is from Niman Ranch.

Chastain is careful to offset the richness of the meats, and he is especially successful with the rib-eye, which is showered with a deconstructed chimichurri sauce: a tangle of whole sprigs of cilantro, delicate rings of red chiles, slivers of onion and a slick of Fresno chile reduction. The flavors are even better paired with a side dish of grilled beets, the thick red and gold rounds pickled and then infused with smoke on the mesquite grill and dressed with mustard vinaigrette and crisped farro.

Grilled beets
Grilled beets (Carly Geraci / Staff Photographer)

It seems like the kitchen turns out about a million orders of "the Pie" every night. Another idea inspired by Silverton, who serves an oxtail pie impaled with the bone at Chi Spacca, this version is a tall, bronzed beauty with a savory filling that changes weekly. On this night, it is sausage, braised chicken, sweet corn and squash, and as lovely as it looks, it makes a heavy landing, especially compared with the skill Chastain uses to lighten other dishes.

A couple of other items share that half-click-off feeling, such as beef tartare with an almost ketchupy sweetness. Among the appealing grilled-vegetable dishes, the charred broccoli arrives oddly hard and nearly uncooked. There are just three desserts: a chocolate budino that's more like a bowl of thick ganache, a simple affogato float, and an olive oil cake that's light and delicious with the peppery flavor of good olive oil, strawberry caramel sauce and shards of almond tuile.

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The Charles calls itself a casual restaurant, and you can certainly look at the menu that way and even come dressed that way. But a room like this calls for high heels and a good tailor, and Chastain's menu deserves more respect. It's a proper night on the town, even on a Tuesday night. Martin and Chastain have pulled off a neat trick, creating a restaurant that feels exclusive as a private club, but that welcomes all of us.

The Charles

Rating: Three and a half stars

Price: $$$ (starters $3.50 to $19; pastas $16 to $19; mains $23 to $39; porterhouse bistecca $70; desserts $12)

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Service: A friendly, forward style of service with air kisses at the door, napkin drops at the table and personal attention throughout the evening. It's a big part of the fun and carried off with professional polish and a thorough understanding of the menu and the wine list.

Ambience: This 6-month-old Design District restaurant pulsates with style: leopard-print banquettes, gilded mirrors and backlit baroque artwork, Dalí-esque columns — designers Corbin and Ross See have pulled out all the stops. Chas Martin, the owner and the Charles himself, runs the front of the house like an old-style maître d', while chef J Chastain, whose long history in Dallas includes Flora Street Cafe and the Mansion, turns out a boldly flavored, Italian-influenced menu filled with finesse.

Noise: Loud (83 decibels)

Drinks: Martin's short wine list focuses on Italian producers and covers a lot of ground despite the limited number of bottles. Go big (2014 Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia, $399) or go value (2015 Vietti Perbacco Nebbiolo, $59). Excellent by-the-glass selections include unusual varietals such as Ciprea Pecorino ($14). Cocktails are made with precision.

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Recommended: Wood-fired oysters, chicories salad, spicy creste di gallo, grilled rib-eye, porterhouse bistecca, grilled beets, grilled kale, olive oil cake, Italian Old-Fashioned

GPS: The best seat in the house is the center booth, under the Castiglioni bubble-glass chandelier (of course). But any of the booths along the back wall will let you take it all in while feeling a bit more secluded.

Address: 1632 Market Center Blvd., Dallas; 469-917-9000; thecharlesdallas.com

Hours: Monday-Wednesday from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m., Thursday-Saturday from 5:30 to 11:30 p.m.

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Reservations: Accepted and advised. The 10 seats at the bar are reserved for walk-ins.

Credit cards: All major

Health department score: Not inspected at publication time

Access: Entrance and restaurant are all on one level, except for the booths, which are one step up.

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Parking: Valet parking at no charge; additional free parking in front of the adjacent storefronts.

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)

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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.

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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.

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Prices

Average dinner per person:

$ -- $19 and under

$$ -- $20 to $50

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$$$ -- $50 to $99

$$$$ -- $100 and over