Nova
Nova is super cool, from the cucumber in the water down to the huge “man” sized beer list!
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Nova is super cool, from the cucumber in the water down to the huge “man” sized beer list!
This place is tucked into the Bishop-Arts district in Dallas’ fabled Oak Cliff in a dressed up former Dairy Queen, that unless you grew up going to the Texas Stop Sign you may not recognize. Needing a drink after a long day, I ordered the Devil’s Handshake to start. This drink has lime, pineapple, ginger, beer and bitters (my new passion) and was dressed with a lemon and luscious blackberries! Wow! I have to say it looked like a girl’s drink, but was fit for this tequila lover! Once our apps came I had to order wine so I took the safe route and went with the Torino Malbec (Argentina $35). To be honest, it was good and had a nice nose, dark fruit, and ok finish but I would like to see a few more mid-priced wines that reach the caliber of this menu. Speaking of food…. the first course looked like a DQ chocolate dipped cone to my taste buds! Heirloom tomatoes salad (don’t miss it!!), Bruleed watermelon with creamy mozzarella burretta, roasted pistachios and balsamic, and finally the potatoes skins with smoked salmon and bacon. It only got better when I ordered the Chicken fried pork loin! It came with some very thick country mashed potatoes and the plate was smothered with Jimmy’s sausage gravy. Frankly, this gravy would be good on anything, but it made the pork loin all the better. I am a German, so naturally I have tried the most amazing Schnitzel in the world, so take this as high praise…this reminded me of Germany! I crave it daily! After sharing the bread pudding I was ready to be rolled out of Nova, but don’t worry…I will be back!
Nova is one of those great cool, “kitschy” types of places. What was once a Dairy Queen has been renovated in to a neighborhood spot in the Kessler Park area of Dallas.
Sort of like “Cheers”, you could tell the bartender knew everyone’s name and visited with the locals but came over to see how our meal was going as well. Our experience was great from beginning to end! Service was on point, very helpful and started us off with some great cocktail recommendations and appetizers.
The table shared the smoked salmon potato skins with some to-die-for horseradish crème fraiche, and bruleed watermelon. The combination of roasted pistachios, balsamic and basil made this a perfect dish! Next was the heirloom tomato salad and between the sharpness in the cheddar and saltiness in the crispy bacon I was in heaven. Entrees held up just as well and did not disappoint. We sampled a fresh tomato pizza, and chicken fried pork loin. Everything we tried was amazing and the menu has a perfect selection so that everybody can find something they like. The menu also changes with the seasons ensuring picks are fresh but also lends something new every visit. Dessert and coffee ended our night and I can honestly say that there was not a single negative. Check out Nova!
