Dakotas, to me, has always been understood as the classic bougie restaurant of Tyler. I've driven…read morepast it off Old Bullard Road many times, but I have never eaten there. Being a kid in Tyler, your parents don't ever casually suggest Dakotas as a place to stop and eat. It's their private date night spot if they feel fancy. It's for them and them alone.
They moved out of Tyler a few years ago, and now I am in control of my choices and my destiny. They had a $200 gift card to Dakotas that they never got around to using before they moved out. Foolish of them. I swiped that sucker and booked a reservation in the same breath.
While visiting Tyler for an extended weekend, I got a table for two on Saturday at 6:30 with my girlfriend. Upon entry, they have free valet, but I'm too normal of a person to do that. We were seated pretty quickly after getting there, right around our reservation, at a table that put our backs toward the wall and blocked us from other tables, giving us a little more privacy than a typical restaurant.
We both got our first drinks of the night ordered with an appetizer of their fried calamari. I got an Elder Fashioned, an elderflower and gin-based drink styled like an old fashioned. I love an elderflower-based drink, but sometimes they can be a little too over the top and bright purple or pink. I liked how subtle and classic this one felt. My girlfriend got a Choc-nilla Old Fashioned with chocolate and vanilla bitters. It was sweeter than her normal old fashioned, obviously, but she thought it was incredibly tasty.
As we waited for our appetizer, we enjoyed some of their bread, which was a tall and beautiful loaf with garlic butter on top. It was very delightful.
The amount of fried calamari they served us was insane. Way more than either of us needed. It could easily serve four to six people versus the two of us. The marinara sauce on the side was great, but it paled in comparison to their red pepper aioli cream sauce that I swear you could drink. Typically, fried calamari can look like weird onion rings, while the ones here were more straight.
We both had a Caesar salad that was maybe a little well dressed, but with some cracked pepper on top, it was very good and worth it between the calamari and our entrees.
For our entrees, we both had their soft shell crabs. Their crabs were fantastic and something I have never had before. I thought they served us a little more angel hair pasta alongside the crab than I needed, but I won't complain about extra food. I was super impressed by the flavors and the crispiness of the crabs.
To wrap up our night at Dakotas, I ordered a Paloma that was sharp and classic, while my girlfriend ordered a Black Widow, a tequila and hibiscus drink with some muddled jalapeños that was quite a heater. Not a drink for the faint of heart. A lot of the food and options at Dakotas have a little bit of spice to them, so be warned!
As we were leaving, we noticed a musician playing on the patio. I thought how nice the patio at Dakotas would be for a few cocktails after dinner elsewhere. That almost seems idiotic, though, because Dakotas is excellent. If you have an opportunity to give Dakotas a chance as a Tyler resident, I recommend it. Between the two of us, with our entrees, our salads, our appetizer, our four drinks in total, and our tip, we were below $200, which, to me, feels like a very fair price for what you get.
RIYL: An intimate and peaceful dinner in Tyler
