Cadot: Great but Unpretentious French Food in North Dallas
Every once in a while, if you’re very lucky and a lover of French food, you’ll come across (or look for!) a chef as talented as Jean-Marie Cadot, the charming and very talented chief from the eponymous Cadot Restaurant at 18111 Preston Road in North Dallas, nestled in a beautiful space on the northwest corner of Preston and Frankford.
dotIt is, in my opinion, hands down now one of the half dozen best French restaurants in North Texas, a place of consistent excellence run by a man who has spent three decades perfecting his art. It is also an unpretentious and no nonsense place. He will find snow-white tablecloths on his table, flowers, an impeccable setting decorated in a way that transports him to the Champs Elysees in spring, but without irritability, posturing or affectation. And the prices are remarkably low, I guess in part because the overhead isn’t as big as it would be in downtown Dallas.
Jean-Marie Cadot is real, a native of Paris who is the scion of a family in the hospitality business since the 18th century. Jean-Marie began his training as a baker at the age of eight in his father’s home. bakery. He later learned at the famous lasserre in Paris (three stars in the Michelin guide). He also trained in ferrandi and the Grandes Mills of Paristhe famous pastry and bakery school, before coming to Dallas in 1982.
Dallas diners who know their way around will remember that he was the executive chef at Washing upthe well-established French restaurant operated by Pascal Cayet about a mile north of dot, also on Preston Road. With thirty years of experience under his belt, Jean-Marie started his eponymous company four or five years ago. Friends in Los Angeles recommended that I visit dot more than once on my next trip to Dallas, and heeding that advice, I dined there three times on a recent stay in Texas that kept me there for several weeks.
I went for lunch with a friend in the middle of the week and arrived around noon. About half the tables in the front dining room were already taken (Jean-Marie has cleverly divided his huge restaurant space into three or four rooms, each exuding a sense of intimacy and casual French elegance. I find that the dining room is too big). the rooms spoil my food, there is too much noise and movement around me. dot is the correct size).
To start I ordered a duck terrine with pistachios and truffles, a kind of campaign pate which is lighter than the traditional goose liver pâté so popular in France. Jean-Marie does it himself in his 1,500-square-foot kitchen. It was delicate and delicious, served with mustard and picklesthose tiny French gherkins that no country pâté should be served without.
A friend from Highland Park had suggested that I have one of Jean-Marie’s special salads for a main course, three large shrimp served with a medley mix, green beans, tiny potatoes, and bits of citrus vinaigrette, but I was tempted by a wish that day for something that dot is justifiably famous for: chicken crepes served with mushrooms velvety and garden vegetables. These look simple and refreshing, but it’s easy to overcook and it takes a light, skilled hand to produce them to perfection. They arrived at my table piping hot with a light sauce, delicious morsels of chicken breast wrapped snugly in crepes, I have not found better made anywhere.
My partner that day, a true francophile who fawns dot and he goes there once a week, he ordered a Pacific snapper a la nicoise, which came with fresh tomato, a white wine sauce with basil and olives, and a serving of mashed potatoes on the side. She pronounced it excellent.
This is the kind of simple, beautifully executed French food that far too many chefs in America, even if trained in France, eschew in favor of wacky, exotic dishes you’ll rarely find in Paris. The lovely food and atmosphere made for wonderful conversation and we also had a lively chat with Jean-Marie himself, who often visits his guests to make sure they are happy. This is a man who takes his job seriously. And now, after all, it is his own name that is at the door!
For dessert we both do homemade Catalan cream with a few raspberries on top, a wonderfully rich vanilla custard encased in an armor of caramelized sugar. I finished my meal with an excellent espresso, which I asked to be served with a couple of slices of lemon zest. Perfectly done. My lunch partner had a cappuccino.
This is a restaurant that is a treasure for those who live in the northern part of Dallas. For those who live downtown, you will find the trip well worth it, and to your delight, you will also find ample parking right in front of the restaurant, a benefit that will more than offset the cost of gasoline used to get there from downtown. from the city. No Valet Fees at Cadot! It’s like visiting a very posh North Dallas residence, inside and out. I urge you to go there soon.
dot has a very informative (and quite nice to use) website where you can research the menus before you visit. You will find Cadot Restaurant at 18111 Preston Rd, Suite 120 in the northwest quadrant of the intersection of Preston and Frankford, Dallas, TX 75252.
It is always advisable to make a reservation: (972) 267-5700