widner editorial

8/3/2019 Widner Editorial

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4/9/09 10:58 AMttp://www.dallasobserver.com/content/printVersion/1063542

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Steve Satterwhite

Looks a bit like hell here, but trust usthe lobster souffle tastes likeheaven

Subject(s):

Rise No. 1, souffle, lobstersouffle, escargot souffle,Highland Park

Still I RiseA new Highland Park souffle joint is blowin' upBy Jonanna Widnerpublished: August 21, 2008

There's a wonderful scene in an episode ofMad Men, AMC's drama

about early-1960s New York ad execs, in which a character orders somesort of old-school cocktail that involves an egg whiteprobably a silvergin fizz. Actually, we see him order his second round; the first one isimplied, and the scene opens with a close-up on a waiter's hand as hepainstakingly separates the egg with his fingers. No one at the table evenpays attention; this type of complicated, old-school recipe may beforeign to us, but to a swinging cat of 1960, it was de rigueur.

The folks at Rise No. 1, a souffl-centric restaurant in Highland Park,practice a similar kind of eggy exoticism. If no one orders silver gin fizzesanymore, certainly few people this side of the pond indulge in thatdelicate anchor of French cuisine, the souffl. For one thing, like the

Mad Men drink, it's too much trouble. Though great innovation in thearena of culinary tools, accessories and ovens has made the processeasier (and quicker), making a souffl is still a pain in the ass. Forinstance, according to theLarousse Gastronomique, many originalsouffl recipes called for 11 eggs. Eleven! Who calls for 11 eggs thesedays? (Maybe back then it was assumed the extra one would be used fora gin fizz.) The egg whites have to be whipped just so, forming stiff peaksand folded into a cream sauce base to which other ingredientseither

sweet or savoryhave been added. The mix is poured into ceramic ramekins and baked. It used totake an hour, but Rise has special imported ovens that cut the time to 17 minutes.

Though the prep time has been sped up to the 21st century, a meal at Rise takes on severalelements of old-schooland old-worlddining, and it's in that delicate spot between old and newthat the eatery has found a lovely balance. Rise is found in a strip mall, and the interior ischateau-cozy and intimate but not crowded. The lighting is low, the edges blurred, and althoughupon our visit it was quite crowded, the surrounding buzz was one of relaxed chatter, rather thanthe shrill drone of people jamming burgers and beer down their throats. The pice de rsistance isa tiny island of greenery that separates the dining area from the bar. Rise's proprietors could havechosen to stuff a couple more two-tops in there but instead chose this subtle oasis that serves bothan aesthetic and practical purpose. It's a tiny bit of wisdom and restraint, indicative of the refinedand relaxed atmosphere of the entire place.

"Refined and relaxed" could also describe the menu. The selection is smallespecially as the lunchand dinner menu are identicalbut well considered and not confined to souffl only. My diningmates and I wanted to branch out from the signature dish, so we tried the artichoke Andre for astarter. Perfectly steamed, the 'choke was presented simply, its petals flowerlike and forming abowl for a light, lemony sauce. It was an excellent start, but we simply couldn't resist a secondappetizer, the escargot souffl.

What a gorgeous way to begin a meal. The souffl arrived at our table hot and puffy withindividual little sections of the souffl housing separate escargot. There wasn't much to it really
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just snails housed in the fancy, bready egg concoctionbut oh, the earthiness of the escargotblended with its medium. Think of the hearty flavor of a good sausage minus its heft, and you'vegot it.

Speaking of sausage, we moved on from there to our entres, one of which was a special of thenight, an Italian sausage souffl. The other two were the lobster souffl and the ham and cheese.Each was amazing in its own right. The sausage was expertly spiced and blended in with a creamsauce. In less skilled hands, the dish would have been merely an upscale biscuits and gravy. In the

sense that souffls represent a different kind of comfort food, it's not too crazy of a comparison.But the souffls here are so delicate and light, piping hot and built for holding flavor, there'ssomething, er, elevated going on.

The ham and cheese was also savory and tasty, but the poor thing was all but shoved to the otherside of the table, overshadowed by the stunningly presented lobster souffl. The price for this oneis a bit elevated as well, at 33 bucks, but worth it for the visuals alone. Somehow, the chefs at Risemanage to scoop the extremely fragile, fresh-from-the-oven dish out of its ramekin and back intothe still intact shell. It's a beautiful piece of trickery, making it seem as if the dish were baked inthe shell itself. Giant hunks of lobster hide inside the fluffy concoction, which holds in the dish'sheat and steamand thus the flavor.

All this, mind you, is coupled with surprisingly affordable flights of wine, the sampling of which isboth fun and an education for your palate. The menu offers a healthy variety of flights, and ourserver was extremely helpful in making a selection or two. OK, we had threebut there are somany choices of whites, reds, even sparkling wines, we barely made a dent in the selection.

Just as fine a coupling was a lemon-laced espresso and a dessert souffl. Traditionally, these arecalled sweet souffls, but here the sugar is dispensed with a restrained hand, and to a good end.The chocolate souffl arrived at our table seconds from the oven, unbelievably airy and hot, with alittle side pot of chocolate to pour on topor better yet, to pour inside, after popping through thetop layer of souffl with a spoon. The dessert was understated but silky, dreamy.

By the end of the meal, we realized our service too had been seamless, of exquisite but down-to-earth quality. Our server was helpful, friendly and clearly knowledgeable.

Our one complaint was that early on in the meal, our server noted that everything in the place wasfor sale, "even the wicker chairs you are sitting on." It's true Rise also serves as boutique forFrench cookery and housewares, which is a fine concept, but it felt a little cumbersome to bereminded of such when the rest of our experience was so gracious. It was a reminder that we wereindeed in the middle of a strip mall in the middle of the United States, where everything's for sale,and even the men who sell it to us don't indulge in silver gin fizzes, or fancy French cuisine, allthat much anymore. Which is a shame.

5360 W. Lovers Lane, Suite 220, 214-366-9900. Open 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday and 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday, $$-$$$


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