The Haven at Shoal Creek

i think i need to start tempering my expectations when dining at celebrity chef restaurants. when you go in expecting five stars across the board there really isn't anywhere to go but down, and that was basically the case on a slow tuesday night. after spending way too much time with the digital wine list, we started with the beet salad, which was excellent. The pork special (in honor of pigs and pinot) was very good but the dry aged ny sirloin was so dry that it was difficult to carve and could only be choked down by smearing the accompanying flan on top. i'm not sure when the fat had been carved off (there was none whatsoever for me to trim) but perhaps leaving a slab on one side might have kept it moist. the key lime tart's filling was tasty but seemed out of place at room temperature sandwiched between generic pie crust and singed meringue. maybe it's worthwhile to make a return visit to try their seafood items, but for the time being i'm keeping my disappointed stance on the joint. Pros: extensive digital wine list, excellent service Cons: dry aged sirloin was waaaaaay dry more

We love Charlie's in Vegas and were excited when they opened a restaurant here. However the service in Dallas leaves a lot to be desired. From the hostess stand to our waiter, nobody seems to care if we were there or not. Pros: Food Cons: Service more

I have just personally tried this upscale downtown restaurant recently and highly recommend it! I think it’s among Dallas’ high-end restaurants, the Charlie Palmer restaurant is excellent—go check it out when you get the chance. You can find it inside the Joule Hotel across from the Iron Cactus south of the original Neiman Markus store on Main Street. I would say that by “celebrity chef standards,” Charlie Palmer does keep its flame burning red-hot due to their attention to detail in more than just the area of grub. And according to the feedback I hear from my friends, this place surpasses all expectations consistently! I told someone recently that it’s as serious as a migraine, only in a good way—yup, a very positive dining experience. Ya gotta try the lobster corndogs and man.. the dry-aged NY sirloin with bone marrow flan was a carnivore’s delight. I noticed that D Magazine rates this particular dry aged steak (BTW: they age them right there on the property..) thee very best steak in Dallas. My wife enjoyed the blue cheese crusted filet mignon. We both loved the Hen of the Woods, the Trumpet Royale and the Cremini Oxtail Ragout mushrooms! You can probably tell that I’m no high-brow snooty connoisseur or “foodie” per se, but I would call what the Charlie Palmer puts out, very straightforward Progressive American. And this superb cuisine that would please a real connoisseur is served with top notch professional service. Our wait help was very attentive, personable, and awake on more than one level. How does one pronounce the name of the hotel where it’s located? Basically, just like you would a precious “jewel” in English but the word comes from how electric power is measured—that’s why the décor deals with wind, turbines etc. Very fitting theme—fully energetic! —Kurt W. von Schleicher Pros: GM Mr. Enam Chowdhury and American-French Fusion Cuisine! Cons: No drawbacks that I could see, taste ..or smell thank God! more

I have tried this upscale downtown restaurant and highly recommend it! Among Dallas’ high-end restaurants, the Charlie Palmer restaurant is ueber-excellent in every way. You can find it inside the Joule Hotel across from the Iron Cactus south of the original Neiman Markus store on Main. I would say that by “celebrity chef standards,” Charlie Palmer does keep its flame burning red-hot, because what we hear from our guests it surpasses all expectation consistently! It’s as serious as a migraine, only in a good way--a very positive dining experience. You really must try the lobster corndog and the dry-aged NY sirloin with bone marrow flan. D Magazine rates this dry aged steak thee very best steak in Dallas. My wife enjoyed the blue cheese crusted filet mignon. And we both loved the Hen of the Woods, the Trumpet Royale and the Cremini Oxtail Ragout mushrooms! I call the Charlie Palmer very straightforward Progressive American. The superb cuisine is served with the best of service—very attentive and awake. You basically pronounce the name of the hotel just like you would a precious “jewel” in English and the word comes from how electric power is measured—very fitting. Fully alive! —Kurt W. von Schleicher Pros: GM Mr. Enam Chowdhury and American-French Fusion Cuisine! Cons: No drawbacks that I could see or taste. more

My wife and I celebrated our first anniversary there last night, and Charlie Palmers exceeded our expectations. Our waiter, Nathan, was professional, knowlegable, and clearly well trained. Somehow, the staff managed to time every course perfectly. The lobster corn dog amuse was creative and executed perfectly, as was the complimentary, chef prepared charcuterie appetizer. We were visited by the sous chef, which of course, made us feel special. The buffalo mozzarella raviolis were wonderful. If you are a foi gras fan, do not miss theirs, which was seared atop an apple tart with two sauces. They said the dry aged sirloin was 14 oz, but it was really at least 16 oz. It, as well, was perfect. My wife's Surf and Swine was also just as wonderful. Where do I stop? The fingerling potatoes, hen of the woods mushrooms were also very well executed, and the portions are generous. The sorbet assortment and complimentary candy and truffles were also fantastic. They even sent us home with homemade gingersnap cookies!\r \r I have dined at plenty of 4 and 5 star restaurants from NYC to New Orleans, and I will tell you that Charlie Palmers defines fine dining. We repeatedly told Nathan how fantastic everything was. At one point, he was bold enough to tell us, ""We know what we're doing here at Charlie Palmers"". We couldn't agree more.\r \r By the way, I am in no way affiliated with this restaurant. I just get excited when I experience fine dining at it's best.\r Pros: everything more

I was out celebrating a birthday party of my young brother in law on friday 8/22/08. My wife and I were very excited about the locale since we truly enjoyed our stay at the Joule. \r We were at the bar drinking cocktails from 6 pm. At 7, the time of our dinner reservation, we were led to our table. We even ordered a bottle of Sine Qua Non, and some appetizers before dinner. After 2 hours, just before our entrees arrived, the general manager came to our table and demanded for me to remove my fedora. I was very perplexed, since she did not introduced herself, nor her position. At the time, other restaurant patrons were sporting culottes, leather flip-flops, jeans and work shirts (similar to mechanics'). She insisted that it is the restaurant's policy, even though the only policy I found is on the website, which stated ""casual sophistication"". \r Even though I did remove my hat in avoiding any embarrassment and awkwardness to my dinner guests, I was mortified and humiliated because this incident happened in front of a room full of people, and I could not just walk out of there leaving my own guests. Had I known of the restaurant's policy beforehand, I could have booked other restaurants where such ridiculous policy would not exist; or even at the door was I informed of such, where I still had time to turn away and search for another establishment.\r If ""casual sophistication"" means that you can wear flip-flops and jeans, then why would wearing a fedora such a violation of the ""casual sophistication"" atmospheer?\r And I am refraining from commenting on the food. But let me assure you, for paying close to $600 for a dinner for 4, the only thing I enjoy was the Sine Qua Non, and that can be done elsewhere. Pros: nice architect/decor Cons: BAAADDDD manager more

The food was not on fantastic, but the ambience is to die for. A must see! Location exciting as downtown dallas continues to bring fantastic places to visit. Check out the wine bar. more

I dined at Charlie Palmer's on a recent Saturday evening. The restaurant has a great atmosphere and was very busy. We were ushered to a table on the service aisle, but upon observing our disdain for this location, the manager had us moved to a less-traveled spot. We had cocktails and ordered a bottle of wine from their electronic wine list. We ordered our first courses. The Ricotta Agnolotti was served overcooked, oversalted and bland. The Artisan Salumi, a selection of house-cured meats, was generous in portion and very tasty. The Sauteed Foie Gras was overcooked and barely warm, it must have sat in the kitchen for some time prior to being brought to the table. The accompanying heirloom apple and rosemary duck jus would have been better had the dish been hot.\r \r The main courses, the Dry-Aged NY Sirloin and the American Wagyu Flatiron Steak, had obviously been prepared when the agnolotti was ordered as both were served at room temperature, i.e., barely warm and devoid of any meat juices. The steaks were oversalted and the reduction sauce from the sirloin was viscous and needed to be scraped from the meat. Two side dishes, the Polenta - somewhat bland by nature, and the Hen Of The Woods Mushrooms - oversalted, were both unremarkable. \r \r Although two wait staff were assigned our table, we had to request refills for empty wine glasses on multiple occasions. The kitchen is obviously heavy-handed with the salt, perhaps in an attempt to provide the dishes with flavor that was not present from regular cooking. A big dissapointment. Pros: Ambience - great space, cool use of wind theme. Cons: Oversalted food, kitchen timing off. more

Charlie Palmor was amazing! From the exotic food to the outstanding atmosphere. The place it self is quite small and makes for a wonderful date night spot. In other words you don't get lost in your servers 8 to 10 other tables, and you can hear each other when you're talking. Each table has 2 main servers and they share 2 tables a night. To ensure that there is no detail of your night that goes unmet. I highly recommend trying the age steaks, your taste buds will truly be baffled by the exquisite taste. There menu changes every week, so you can never grow tired of this place. They also have a very extensive wine room. You will receive an interactive screen to look through and chose the perfect wine to match your meal. This is a full dinning experience. All together our meal time took place over a period of four wonderful hours, and to us everything flowed so smoothly that is seemed like we were not there long enough. The typical crowd tends to be around 40 and up but the bar is filled with the 20's to 30's age range. I recommend having dinner at Charlie Palmor then heading over to Dallas Art Museum for there Starbucks late night. Once a month they will keep the museum open till 12 am. The perfect way to wrap up a great date night! Pros: Atmosphere more

I had made reservations for our 2nd anniversary to Charlie Palmers. For two reasons.\r \r 1) It was new 2) It was down the street and within walking distance\r \r But I was blown away. The food was amazing. We started with the pear salad that was crisp and had alot of flavor. The pera was thinly sliced. We also tried the appetizer special which was a ravioli with a italisn cured ham/nut filling.. I didn't like it but she couldn't get enough of them. The Waiter then brought the amuse which was a lobster ""corndog"". It was at first very strange to see this on your plate... then the flavors came through. The cornmeal and the lobster went very well together. I can't explain how good it was. She had the Diver Scallops that she described as tender andd perfectly prepared .and I had the Wagyu Flat Iron steak. This steak had zero fat, full flavor, and juicy. And was a large cut. The portions were just right. Then we went for the Creme Brulee for desert. Amazing it was creamy and fresh. Also the waiter brought some smaller candies to much on that were also amazing. Fresh jellies, a caramel covered in rich chocolate. The best food I have had in a long long while... and puts Abacus on the run.. if not on the chase.\r \r The interiors were also very intriguing. Large chrome plane propellors slowly rotate above your head giving you a bit of a dream like atmosphere. Plus if you can I recommend getting the corner seat in the back if you are only dining with another. It was the best seat in the house - full view of everything going on.. plus some pillows to lay back on.\r \r The service was top notch also. Always on cue to fill your wine and water. However the manager went around asking every table if they were okay but us... I felt as if it is because we were young. Besides that (which is very very small) I have to HIGHLY RECOMMEND Charlie Palmer's to ANYONE looking to spend a little cash for a great meal. I will be back again definetly.\r Pros: Amazing Food, Great Atmosphere more