Restaurant review: Media Grill and Bar in Dallas

by Katie & Emily Garrett of The Dish On Dallas

Not worth a return visit, especially for the prices.

Photo by Katie & Emily Garrett

Crab and artichoke dip with lavash at Media Grill and Bar in Dallas

We walked into Media Grill and Bar at the Hilton Anatole and were excited. Very sleek and modern, the bar set up is perfect for sports fans with banks of beautiful TVs, a tennis video game playing on the hardwood floors, a bright bar area with tons of pretty bottles. We were inspired.

Our table was situated in the middle of the restaurant, but we could see that individual televisions lined the walls, present at each table. We were glad that we didn't bring our husbands, as conversation would have effectively ground to a halt.

Our conversation ground to a halt when the first dish was served. We decided to start with the crab and artichoke dip served with lavash. After a ridiculous wait considering the number of other dining patrons, it was presented. Piping hot and topped with delicious looking crumbs, we were looking forward to digging in. The lavash was unlike any I had ever seen ... making me wonder if it might ought to be called "pita chips" instead. Not a huge deal. The dip itself was ridiculously crabby. The artichokes were strangled by the other flavors, which is a shame since they're so good on their own. We expected more sauce and more artichoke and didn't care for the texture and taste of the appetizer. This flavored the rest of our ordering.

We decided to try side dishes because we were already uninspired. The glass of wine ordered took about 20 minutes to arrive - making us feel like we could grow, stomp, and ferment our own bottle faster. We were put out.

Photo by Katie & Emily Garrett

Fingerling potato mash at Media Grill and Bar in Dallas

So we went with the Fingerling potato mash, the garlic fries, and the mac and cheese with Pancetta. Of the side dishes, the mac and cheese was our "favorite" -- a dubious honor. Please slice our Pancetta. Cook it up for us and sprinkle it throughout the dish. Based on your patronage, you're not too busy to do that ... right? This greasy hunk was just placed on top and that was that. Presentation fail.

Fingerling mashed potatoes -- they were OK. They were mashed with jackets on and were definitely rustic and lumpy. We don't mind that so much. We would like to see more flavor, possibly a creamier texture with our potatoes -- or serve it with some butter.

Finally, the garlic fries. Our waiter assured us that they were the best. In the five months he'd been working there, he couldn't stay away from these fries. Great news! We were excited ... until they came. These guys were uninspired, for sure. Give us Smashfries any day over this dish.

All in all, our visit to Media Grill was short of the touchdown we expected. We won't revisit this spot -- especially for the price tag.