My colleague Chris Waits and I were privileged to attend a Sept. 29 friends and family pre-opening event for Docent Steak and Lounge’s elegant new two-story restaurant in Uptown Dallas’ Harwood District, ahead of their official Oct. 1 opening. A stunning collection of museum quality art, from the renowned Barbier-Mueller Collection, is the first thing you notice upon entering the beautifully designed restaurant.
With 100 sculptures, ceremonial objects, textiles, and artifacts from the owner’s Barbier-Mueller Collection displayed on both floors, Docent offers a unique setting for an elevated dining experience. Guests are invited to take an after-dinner tour so they can more closely observe these remarkable works of art.
Docent features two restaurants and three bars, plus a wrap-around patio area. The first floor’s main dining area features white table cloths, fine china, and superb, over-the-top steakhouse service, while the basement restaurant and bar areas are far more casual. The steakhouse’s sophisticated menu focuses on HWD Beef, Texas Wagyu from the Akaushi bloodline breed of cattle, and authentic A5 Kobe Beef, plus fresh seafood.
We ordered Kobe Potstickers (crispy garlic, scallion, and ponzu) and Crispy Rice and Tuna (spicy tuna, dynamite sauce, serrano) for our appetizers. Chris enjoyed a (not so) Little Gem Caesar salad, with parmesan, garlic croutons, anchovy dressing, while I was delighted with my fresh Heirloom Tomato and Mozzarella salad (with basil, balsamic, pine nut).
Docent Steaks Dry Aged Beef
The main attraction at Docent, of course, is the beef. Our very articulate server, who loved telling stories about the steakhouse and their exceptional beef programs, explained that all cuts are dry aged a minimum of 28 days. We were able to see the process ourselves by visiting the impressively stocked beef aging room on the first floor.
Chris chose a 16 oz. center cut ribeye steak, while I ordered the 8 oz. filet mignon. Both cuts were perfectly cooked to our individual orders, finished with tallow butter and served with Docent’s steak sauce. My filet was seared on the outside, and juicy and tender on the inside, and I relished every flawless bite. Chris said his was also one of the best ribeye steaks he’d ever tried, but he somehow managed to exert enough will power to take a small portion home to his wife.
Docent Side Dishes
For my side dish, I ordered the Colossal Baked Potato after seeing someone at the next table enjoying theirs. Chris chose the Potatoes Au Gratin, which turned out to be the better choice. The colossal potato looks luscious, but it’s loaded with so much sour cream and other fillings it grew cold in the center. While his potatoes au gratin stayed warm, floating in a buttery, cheesy, savory sauce.
Docent’s wine list isn’t as extensive as their cocktail list, but I loved the pinot noir recommended by our knowledgeable server. It was a Matrot Pinot Noir, from Maranges, Burgundy, France 2023. It was priced at $34 a glass, a bit more than I’d usually pay, but it was a perfect accompaniment for my filet. Chris ordered the Head in the Clouds (rum, Caribbean pineapple, sugar cane, lime, coconut air) for $20.
While we were really too full for dessert, we couldn’t resist trying the Basque Cheesecake, which was a New York style, dense and delicious cheesecake loaded with raspberry-yuzu sauce and decorated with fresh berries.
After dinner we took a guided tour of Docent Steak’s premises so we could see more of the amazing art collection. The downstairs area features a more casual dining experience (no white tablecloths), with more contemporary music, and several bars. The noise level downstairs was several decibels louder than it had been in the dining room, and the area was packed with an attractive, younger crowd who seemed to be having the time of their lives.
While most Dallasites already have a personal favorite Dallas steakhouse or maybe even two, I predict this newcomer–with its extraordinary art collection and ambiance–can easily` replace a few of those. Docent Steaks elevates the Dallas Steakhouse experience to a whole other level.
Docent Steak and Lounge is located within Kengo Kuma-designed Harwood No. 14 at 2813 N. Harwood Street in the Dallas Harwood District; open from 4-10 p.m. Mon.-Thurs., from 4-11 p.m. Fri.-Sat., and from 5-10 p.m. on Sunday. For more information please visit docentsteak.com or harwoodhospitality.com.
