Como Se Dice “Pass me that flashlight” En Espanol? Hardwood’s New Latin-Inspired Concept Is Likely Going To Fulfill Your Desires.
Photos by Rebecca Adler and Rob Underwood courtesy of Te Deseo.
Dallas’ Harwood District is an office, residential and retail “district” wedged between Uptown and Victory Park. There, you’ll find extremely well-designed concepts with manicured flora bustling with the see-and-be-seen crowd. Harwood’s eighth and newest restaurant, Te Deseo, is no different. In fact, it’s larger and more ambitious than many of the neighborhood’s other projects.
The 14,000 square foot restaurant and bar bucks the current trend of towering ceilings and cavernous main dining rooms by taking diners on a winding journey through hallways, up stairs and into smaller, more intimate dining spaces. Funky, colorful wallpaper choices make you wish it were bright enough for a selfie with your cocktail.
Executive Chef Ty Thaxton worked for Frontburner and a couple of Ritz-Carlton hotels before this gig, and the menu at Te Deseo has him cooking “Tex Mex favorites” and South American cuisine inspired by the flavors of Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and Peru — a lot of ground to cover, but it is a large restaurant, after all.
On the night we dined at Te Deseo, we were seated at 7:45 for a 7:00 reservation. No matter — more time to enjoy a cocktail before dinner. The expansive bar and patio upstairs absolutely begs for cooler weather, with its Latin floral resort decor and lovely views of the surrounding city. Speaking of the bar, the cocktail menu has a few concentrations: tequila, mezcal, digestifs and signature cocktails. Most signature cocktails, such as the Bogota Spa Day, the Brazillionaire and the La Calena, range between $12 and $14. Two large format beverages with several straws to invite sharing keep things festive for $55 each.
The food menu at Te Deseo gives you plenty of choices, too. You can be reasonable and order a trio of street tacos for $10, you can order up a more expensive main dish to show off a little, or you can go balls out and drop $115 on a 36 oz. bone-in Allen Brothers ribeye for the table, depending on the kind of night you’re trying to have.
We toured the menu a bit. A few appetizers, including the sea bass ceviche with coconut milk and green apple, which was delightful, an order of tiny arepas and a plate of slightly odd veggie pasta left us wanting just a bit more, so we went with the sea bass ($29). The most impressive part of the meal was dessert; the chocolate cigar was a real surprise that I don’t even want to ruin it. Just order one and see for yourself. You might need a light, though.
Te Deseo is located on 2700 Olive Street adjacent to Happiest Hour.