In case you missed it haven’t picked up a paper, a certain expletive set the Dallas foodie Twittersphere astorm last month regarding Knife, a new Dallas resto in Hotel Palomar. Chef John Tesar fired an early morning tweet at Dallas Morning News lead food critic, Leslie Brenner, for a less than stellar critique and star rating.

Opinions aside, we have to agree it appears that Tesar knows exactly what he’s doing in the kitchen. D Mag just rolled out this year’s Best of D awards, and Spoon – the aptly named seafood counterpart to Knife – took home its second award for Best Seafood Restaurant in Dallas.

At heart, Chef John Tesar is an aggressive trailblazer in our city’s continual pursuit to raise the culinary bar. While food may be his primary game, he’s no stranger to the longstanding partnership between an amazing meal and a good, strong cocktail. To up the drinking ante at Knife, Tesar recruited local mixology master Michael Martensen. Self-proclaimed as a Professional Barman, Martensen has lent expertise and inspiration to our city’s best bars like Cedars Social, Driftwood, Smyth and more.

Tesar tasked Martensen with creating a unique cocktail experience mixed with old-world charm, and we have to say – it appears he nailed it. His twists on classics like Sex on the Beach and Long Island Iced Tea make the old feel new again.  The interactive “Build Your Own Classic” inspires the bartender in all of us and gives you the chance to add to your drink-making repertoire (or start it, in any case).

“Build Your Own Classic” will allow guests to build their cocktails exactly the way they want them, from spirit to preparation to garnish. Martini lovers can choose vodka or gin; stirred, shaken or tossed; dry or wet; garnished with olive, onion, lemon or orange peel; served on the rocks or up. In the same manner, guests can order a Manhattan with bourbon, rye or vermouth; perfect or traditional; a Negroni stirred or shaken with a flamed orange peel or classic orange twist garnish; or a gin and tonic prepared American, English or Spanish-style.

Seasonal and signature cocktails:

• Oaxcan Mule – a mixture of pear liqueur, lime juice and ginger beer with hints of stone and exotic fruit
• Colonial Peach – inspired from the Sellbach cocktail from Louisville, Kentucky, with bourbon, housemade black tea cordial, grapefruit juice and sparkling wine
  

  Manhattan

• Able Apple – savory, slightly sweet and herbaceous with apple brandy accentuated by the botanicals of gin and balanced with lemon juice and cane syrup, topped with a flavor pop of celery
• Wild Eyed Rose – styled from the whisky buck, this mixture of Irish whisky, house grenadine, lime juice and ginger ale is a refreshing drink
• Bitter Mexican – a three ingredient, flavorful aperitif with tequila, Aperol (Italian Bitter) and Lillet Rouge (French fortified wine) with a twist of grapefruit
  

  Pisco Punch

• Pisco Punch- a social drink mixing unaged brandy from Peru, lime juice, house pineapple syrup and tiki bitters
• Margarita Matadores – a simple, yet standout margarita with house ginger agave syrup and fresh lime syrup
• OIM – Knife’s modern martini, made with olive oil infused gin vermouth from GoldBee.com, chartreuse and sea salt, stirred for a silky texture and garnished with a cucumber

Reimagined retro cocktails:

• Amaretto Sour – elevating this from the usual cocktail made with sweet and sour mix, Knife uses  fresh lemon juice, amaretto, simple syrup and adding an egg white for texture and a dash of angostura for aromatics
• Sex on the Beach – a very simple drink served tall with vodka, fresh orange juice, peach liqueur and housemade grenadine with hints of orange blossom, cardamom and cloves to bring this staple to the next level
  

  Harvey Wallbanger

• Harvey Wallbanger – invented by a Southern California surfer, this simple cocktail is made with fresh orange juice and vodka with a modern spin of Galliano Foam on top
• Long Island Iced Tea – known mainly for the amount of booze mixed to make the drink, this is Dallas’ first artisanal Long Island Iced Tea with rum, gin, vodka, triple sec, a touch of lemon juice and splash of Sugar Cane Cola
• Melonball- changing out Midori for honeydew and cantaloupe house-infused mescal, fresh pineapple and lime juice and a pinch of sea salt
  

  Melonball

• Planter’s Punch- First written about during the 1870’s. A Jamaican potion of rum, lemon juice, our housemade grenadine and bitters not to sweet yet tastes of the tropics.  Very boozy and the perfect drink to send you on your liquid vacation.
• Alexander – dating back to the 1920s, this rich after-dinner drink is a must in any classic dining establishment, made with gin and brandy, then mixed with sweet cream and artisan crème de cacao

Knife is located adjacent to the Hotel Palomar Dallas on 5300 E. Mockingbird Lane and is open daily for breakfast 6:30-11 a.m., a bar menu 2-5 p.m. and dinner 5-11 p.m. Reservations are recommended by calling 214.443.9339. Keep up with Knife events and news on Facebook and Twitter.