Toulouse Cafe & Bar

Drive or walk by Toulouse Café and Bar on the west end of Dallas’ Knox Henderson restaurant district and you first see the pleasant patio with the familiar beige and brown rattan chairs and petit tile floor reminiscent of Champs Elysee café society letting your mind wander to that time you were in Paris at Brasserie Lipp.

Step inside and your trip from Dallas to Paris without your passport is complete.  You'll see bustling wait staff, marble café tables and artwork evoking early 20th century Toulouse Lautrec paintings.

Start at the bar with a classic Kir Royale or Pernod.

And, the food completes your European journey.  The menu beckons: Escargots, Steak or Ahi Tuna Tartare and 5 kinds of Mussels – the Belgian national dish – and those are just the appetizers.  They’re all done just as well as they do it in Paris.  Concept designer and owner, Alberto Lombardi, wouldn’t have done it any other way.  He fell in love with the French / Belgian cafés in Brussels while working in Europe and he wanted to recreate the ambiance and the tastes of “the Capital of Europe.”

Brunch, lunch or dinner, the food is phenomenal.  My daughter loves the brunch waffles – Belgian, of course, with mixed berries dusted with powdered sugar.  I love the Salade Nicoise which is available for either lunch or dinner – pepper crusted rare Ahi Tuna, mixed greens, olives, red onion, sliced hard boiled egg, watercress, fingerling potatoes and anchovy wrapped haricots verts – green beans topped with a light vinaigrette.

The tuna is done perfectly.  And, another dinner choice is the iconic bistro meal - steak and pomme frites – French fries.  At least one waiter was an authentic former Parisian – with the accent to match.

Save room for dessert.  Both the chocolate and grand mariner soufflés are excellent.

Hello Dallas tip: Mark your calendar for Toulouse Café’s Wine Dinner ($45 per person) the third Monday of every month.  Dinner starts at 7:00 p.m. Limited space available so call 214-520-8999 to reserve seating.

- by Constance Hannon, Dallas Reporter for HelloMetro  (Click to leave a message)

Constance Hannon

Connie Hannon is a freelance writer living in Dallas, Texas. She is a native Texan and has lived in Dallas and Washington, D.C. for the majority of her life. Connie graduated from Pitzer College in Claremont, California, and received her masters in Journalism and Public Affairs from American University. She was a staffer on Capitol Hill and worked in CNN’s Washington Bureau, and with most of the television stations in the Dallas market.