From Aug. 5 to Sept. 1, more than 160 restaurants are offering budget-friendly, fixed-price menus including three-course dinners, signature experience dinners, two-course lunches and two-course brunches.
Most importantly, 20% of the proceeds is donated to the North Texas Food Bank and Fort Worth’s Lena Pope. DFW Restaurant Week has raised over $11.7 million since its inception, including $545,128 last year. The event broke records raising over $1 million in 2019 alone.
A Stacked Restaurant Roster
It’s no wonder why. The restaurant roster is stacked with Dallas’ premiere dining hotspots. This year's lineup includes Highland Park Village’s Fachini Ristorante, a slew of well-to-do steakhouses and El Carlos Elegante.Dallas newcomers wasted no time joining the charitable cause. Upscale Indian restaurant Sanjh, Hôtel Swexan’s steakhouse Stillwell’s and Miami import clubstaurant Komodo are also on the bill. DFW Restaurant Week — actually, almost a month — is an opportune time for diners to visit luxe faves, try a new restaurant or give an un-wooing experience another shot.
A confusing night out at Komodo made for one of the Observer’s top 10 most-read food stories of 2023. Sticker shock and little wiggle room left two Observer editors with scant desire for the “full Komodo experience.”
Komodo invited the Observer back for a preview of its Restaurant Week menu. They offer two options: a three-course dinner for $59 or a Signature Experience for $99. (Beverages, tax and gratuity are not included.) We went with the latter, as it included a half order of their lauded Peking Duck.
Signature Experience for $99
The Signature Experience comes with first and second courses (each with five options) plus three choices for dessert. Pro tip: dine in a group and order different course options.The first course started out strong. We chose the truffle honey salmon sashimi ($24 a la carte). The flavors of the salmon, black truffle and scallion blended divinely. We paired this course with the Shiso Envious ($18), a gin, sake, shiso and lime cocktail.
The Lobster Dynamite is another option for course one ($34 a la carte). A crunchy exterior contrasts with the freshness of the truffle honey salmon. It’s heavier, but pairs well with the Pikachu 24 ($24), Komodo’s version of a spicy margarita served in a Pikachu mug and made with Kendall Jenner’s 818 reposado tequila, yuzu, ginger, wasabi and honey. The Pikachu 24 is the highest-priced cocktail on the menu, but Dallas has firmly entered the era of the $20 cocktail.
For the second course, we went for the full Komodo experience with a half order of Peking duck, something the restaurant prides itself on. The juicy duck comes with a crispy bright orange skin, wheat flour pancakes, hoisin sauce, cucumber and scallion.
Another option for the second course is the Szechuan NY strip ($60 a la carte) served with matchstick potatoes. We ordered it medium rare; it was served that way, but it retained too much heat and was well done by the time we took a bite.
Dessert options include SkinnyDipped Lemon Bliss popsicles ($16 a la carte), lychee sorbet dipped in SkinnyDipped lemon yogurt with almonds or a bowl of Instagrammable chef-selection mochi ($12 a la carte). The mochi is served on a plate of dry ice with plenty of smoke for a few oohs and ahhs.
We did the math afterward. If we'd ordered all a la carte, the meal would have cost us $196 plus cocktails, tip and gratuity. For restaurant week, it’s $198. No savings there, but 20% goes to a good cause. If FOMO has got the best of you, this is the time to visit Komodo.
