The Comforts
Of Homewood
T
he Parker House rolls at Home-
wood must not be denied. Pillow-
soft and fragrant, they arrive de-
lectably squished together in a
little cast-iron pan, accompanied
by a small glass dish drizzled with a
layer of amber-hued pan drippings
that taste of the best, crustiest fried
chicken you’ve ever had. On top of
that is a Parmesan Mornay sauce—
think aristocratic cream gravy (our
waiter called it “aerated,” a word
you hear a lot here). I believe I
speak for everyone at our table, if
not the entire dining room, when I
say that I could have happily eaten
those rolls until I exploded.
Many chefs have a signature
dish. Jean- Georges Vongerichten
is famous for molten chocolate
cake, Nobu Matsuhisa for black
cod with miso. Dallas chef Matt
McCallister is now and forev-
er identified with Parker House
rolls. Although they epitomize his
upscale-casual new venue, Home-
wood, he actually developed them
several years ago at his fancy fi rst
restaurant, FT33. In fact, you could
say they epitomize the entire ca-
reer of the 38-year-old chef, who
a couple of years ago seemed to be
riding a roller coaster on the way
down. Today, the direction is defi -
nitely up.
When FT33 opened, in 2012,
it was the most sought-after res-
ervation in town. Its fiendishly
complex, tweezer-driven cuisine
won McCallister a place on FoodHOMEWOOD
4002 Oak
Lawn Ave,
Dallas
214-434-1244.
D Tue–Sun. $$$
Opened
April 16, 2019Dallas chef Matt McCallister’s comeback is less about flash
and more about flavor.36 TEXAS MONTHLY
PAT’S PICK by Patricia Sharpe (^) • photographs by Trevor Paulhus
FOOD
& DRINK