Brackets

So I stopped by the new sports bar, Brackets, which has taken over the old Trader Vic space at the Hotel Palomar. I have been excited about this place for awhile now. I pass by it every day on the way to work, and I've been looking for a sports bar that isn't on McKinney to watch some games. Plus, Jay Jerrier, the nicest pizza maker in Dallas, is attached, and I always like to see good people succeed.

They have completely de-tiki-fied the space, with not a tiki torch or pink umbrella in sight (although I understand a few remnants of Trader Vics remain in some storage units around the Palomar). Concrete floors, open ceiling and lots and lots of TVs. There are also a couple of ping pong and pool tables and a Wii dedicated TV area. Would be a fun location, if there were any people there.

Alas, the place was dead. They are still in their "soft opening" phase, with the official opening next Friday, but they seem to have their act together. I asked the bartender how business has been, and he admitted that daytime has been tough but they've been comfortably busy on weekend nights. Must be tough to open up a Dallas sports bar the week after the college games have stopped and during a season where the Cowboys defined suckage in their own special way. It's going to be a great place to watch the NCAA basketball tourney though so I hope business picks up.

I perused the menu. It looks really good. Lots of choices. Salads, sandwiches, sliders, entrees, etc. http://bracketsdallas.com/menus/Lunch-and-Dinner.pdf The beer list is pretty solid but the wine list I found curious because there were so many $99 bottles. This is a sports bar, right? I find it weird enough that some people (ie, my friends) drink wine at a sports bar (I'm a a firm believer you should eat steak at a steakhouse and drink beer at a sports bar) but who on earth would order a $99 bottle of wine at one? Strange.

We started with the tempura asparagus and green beans as an appetizer. A little greasy (and the asparagus a little chewy) but the sriracha mayo dip was super good as was the plum sauce that accompanied them.

But I was there for the Il Cane Rosso Pizza. The pizza oven is open to the dining area so you can see your pizza being fired if you'd like. I was not disappointed. The special of the day sounded great -- spicy pulled pork with peppers and onions -- but it sounded a little to spicy for us. We ordered the Tuscan instead. Tomatoes, basil, mozzarella, hot sopressata (which I was told was a type of cheese), and Jimmy's sausage. It was delicious (although adding Jimmy's to anything makes it taste better). I can't wait to go back to try a few more pies.

The service was good. We sat at the bar and Kevin took care of us well. The manager stopped by to get our impressions and a promise from us to come back again. Don't worry, we will. You should try it too.

Cheers!