When Chad Kelley left The Oceanaire Seafood Room in 2009 to open the Meddlesome Moth he was quickly met by a stiff review from Hanna Raskin here at The Observer. I've dined at the restaurant a bit more than I should (the beer list is very seductive) and felt about the same. And over the past year, I think things at the Moth have gotten worse. See also: Meddlesome Moth: Great Beer, but the Food Doesn't Make Our Heart Flutter
While the mussels have still been some of the best in Dallas, the rest of the menu oscillates between mediocre and bad. I've had a decent chicken sandwich and burger there, as well as a bad chicken sandwich, bad burger, and disappointing french fries. A lobster bisque I was served once had a strange sweet flavor and was tepid, and desserts have always been lackluster.
Turns out, Kelly abandoned his post late last year to spend time with his wife and their newborn child. He's just been announced on Side Dish as the new chef at Cafe Pacific in Highland Park Village.
Cafe Pacific needed some new life. I found a decent crab cake there, but the rest of my meal was over priced and uninspired, even if my bartender was a real pro. The restaurant also made its way into Leslie Brenner's scathing take on a collection of restaurants in the bubble.
Back at the Moth, chef David McMillan slipped into the kitchen this past September and has quietly been tweaking the menu. If he can bring the same style and level of execution he mustered at the recently shuttered Screen Door then the Design District has a whole new gastro pub that's definitely worth a look. Especially since they still have that great beer menu.
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