Smack in the middle of Deep Ellum is some of the best Southern food thisbrside of the Mississippi. Texas may stake its claim in barbecue and Tex-Mex, butbrFilament is doing its own thing with what it calls “regional Southern cooking.”brWe're talking grits and meat pies with a slab of red velvet cake to finish itbroff.
But don't expect these classic Southern staples to be served up the samebrold way. The restaurant, which opened last December, does things a littlebrdifferently. “I don't really do Southern food as always fried chicken andbrbiscuits,” says Owner and Chef Matt McCallister. “It's more than that.”
After his many travels throughout the Southern states, McCallister knewbrhe wanted to put a fresh spin on some of his favorite dishes from places likebrNew Orleans, Charleston and Miami. So he opened Filament, a follow-up to FT33,brhis rustic-chic Dallas hotspot. Filament is every bit as good, but with dishesbrthat are undeniably less fussy.
Here, the food isn't delicately plated with tweezers. Instead, it's meantbrto be shared, whether you pass around a taste of the Dry-Aged Beef Tartare or abrscoop of the Cauliflower Gratin. Open for brunch, lunch and dinner, the menu isbrpeppered with plates that range from adventurous (who's up for some Wood-GrilledbrOctopus?) to downright delicious. The Fried “Hot” Catfish and HeritagebrBerkshire Short Ribs caught our eye.
Chef McCallister has a different favorite. “The onion dip is my jam,” hebrsays. “We wanted to do our own take on a French onion dip. We take onions andbrthrow them on live coals. The result is an ember-roasted dip that has a nicebrburnt aspect to it. It has incredible depth of flavor.”
The food at Filament stays true to its Southern roots. Those ButtermilkbrSmashed Potatoes on the menu? You can bet those taters aren't from Idaho. “Webrtry not to get anything ingredient-wise that doesn't come from the South or ourbrregion,” says Chef McCallister. “We're very ingredient-driven, so we keepbrthings as local as possible.”
Even the cocktails tend to sway more on the Southern side. The OldbrFashioned, for example, comes with a house-made, sorghum-chicory syrup. One ofbrFilament's most creative cocktails is a shared Sazerac, which is bottled inbradvance and served to a table of two or three people. And the restaurant'sbrBoilermaker, which is typically a beer and a shot of whiskey, is a Lone Starbrwith a shot of Mellow Corn whiskey. Now that's a Texas twist.
The desserts follow suit, with options including Buttermilk Pie andbrCoconut Cake. The TX Pecan Pie is served with a heaping scoop of bourbonbrvanilla ice cream. Plain vanilla would be too, well, plain. The sweets don'tbrcome cheap at $7 to $9 a pop, but if you're indulging in a Southern dish, youbrmight as well go all the way.
Filament exudes charm, but not in a cheesy, red-checked-tablecloth way. Thebrsprawling interior is warm and inviting with an open floor plan. The focalbrpoint is the bar, which isn't just lined with liquors, but with jars ofbrvegetables being pickled. It may be out of the norm for the neighborhood, butbrit works at Filament.
For those in the know (which now happens to be you), Filament offersbrsecret specials—menu items that are in seriously limited quantities andbravailable to those who know to ask. These dishes are always changing, so justbrask your server when you arrive. Even if you don't end up ordering the secretbrdish, it's still fun to be an insider.
The restaurant is come as you are, no reservations needed. It's openbruntil midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, so if you're in the area for a concertbror show, mosey on over for a drink. And although it's a fair trek frombrSouthlake, Chef McCallister promises a good experience. “It's totally worth thebrdrive,” he says. “Deep Ellum is coming back around to another resurgence. It'sbra fun, lively place on the weekends.”
If Filament is a celebration of good, Southern cooking, we want to be atbrthat party. Maybe we'll see y'all there.