"How was your summer?" chef Mario Carbone asks me. My summer? Fine. Montana for stunning views and a weekend jaunt up to southern Illinois to eat donuts. Carbone's? Fine, too. Italy, a mix of work and pleasure.
Carbone is back in Texas, with a brand-new pop-up called No. 1 STEAK that turns Sadelle's in Highland Park Village into a steakhouse that should — and will — please the choosiest of carnivores. And on the evening before the official opening, he's behind the block, trimming steaks for steak tartare, giving V.I.P. guests a chance to watch one of the country's most famous chefs at work.
Light and airy. During the daylight hours, Sadelle's is one of the most beautiful places to brunch in North Texas. Sadelle's started in New York and has definite City vibes that can be felt at all its locations, whether that's Vegas, Paris or Riyadh. But at night, starting today, and only in Dallas, it turns into No. 1 STEAK. The numero uno moniker isn't bragging: It's the building's address: 1 Highland Park Village. But even if the pop-up were a few doors down, it would still be one of the best steaks you could get in Dallas-Fort Worth. That says a lot. This is Texas, after all.
And Carbone is serving wagyu from Rosewood Ranches. The ranch is out near Ennis, and the cattle are raised naturally, free from hormones or antibiotics. “I went to the ranch and spent a whole day with them and kind of fell in love with them,” he previously told me.
What To Expect At No. 1 STEAK
From 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Thursday to Saturday, Sadelle's is transformed into a steakhouse. We've seen other brunch cafes make this leap to speakeasies (For example, Layered in the historic downtown square becomes Room One Eleven), but No. 1 STEAK is not a speakeasy. There's no secret password. Let's call it a steakeasy. Or not. We can workshop.
Butcher paper covers the table, with staff writing down how you want your steak in Sharpie. The menu is prix fixe, a throwback to Carbone's first restaurant that was also prix fixe. Crafted by Carbone alongside chef Keith Potter, you get green salad with whole-grain mustard dressing, prime strip steak with Carbone's famous peppercorn sauce, crispy Texas onion rings and housemade frozen yogurt with brown butter salted caramel sauce. All for $59.
There are add-ons, including spicy shrimp, oysters, caviar and a German chocolate cake with housemade coconut cream whip. The dedicated martini menu is designed to pair with all the dishes, whether that's the blue cheese-infused No. 1 martini or the spicy tequila take known as the Lone Star.
Even if you stick to the prix fixe, it's a lot of food, a lot of really, really good food. The salad isn't an afterthought, the onion rings are truly crispy, and some of the best we've ever had; the steak from Rosewood Ranches is perfection and the creamy comfort of the frozen yogurt is a wonderful bookend to a terrific meal. And only $59? It's increasingly hard to order just a steak for that price.
(If you have any dietary sensitivities, do let the restaurant know.)
How Long Will No. 1 STEAK Run?
That's exactly what I ask Carbone. "Who knows?" he replies. "Sometimes I just get inspired and go with it." It opens today to the dining public and is slated to go through the fall. If locals put this in their steakhouse rotation, then hopefully it will go from pop-up to permanent. We shall see.
As we finish our meal, it strikes me that Sadelle's has gone from a restaurant in Dallas to a Dallas restaurant. Carbone adding Texas-specific dishes like breakfast tacos helps, as do his regular visits. No. 1 STEAK pulls locals even closer and is a big reason why, pop-up or not, this shows a deep understanding of the city it calls home.
No. 1 STEAK is located at 1 Highland Park Village in Dallas. It’s about a 25-minute drive from Legacy West, depending on traffic. Check the official site for reservations.
We thank No. 1 STEAK for hosting & treating us.
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