There is nothing better than a neighborhood restaurant, and Goodwins on East Dallas’ Greenville Avenue is going to be tough to beat.
It’s like Houston’s, if East Dallas had a Houston’s.
Except this restaurant is run by best buddies Austin Rodgers and Jeff Bekavac, who each have a few decades’ experience in Dallas restaurants. The two opened their upscale American spot at 5 p.m. May 21, 2024, selling a menu of greatest-hits food that won’t make you think too hard. They don’t want Goodwins to feel complicated or pretentious. They want to “cast a wide net,” as Rodgers puts it, by opening a handsome but welcoming American restaurant in place of Blue Goose Cantina, open on Lower Greenville for nearly 40 years.
Goodwins has a side bar called Goose Bar. Thick drapes keep out the sunlight and the traffic on Greenville Avenue, making a boozy cave that seats 22 people at the shotgun bar, 20 more at the booths behind it.
Give it a minute, and all of Lakewood will want a seat at that bar.
Martinis feel like a must. The cocktail list is topped by the Goodwin Martini, with customer’s choice of gin or vodka. They come pre-batched from a 12-degree freezer, ready to be poured into a cold glass.
Most of the rest of the cocktails are named for the streets nearby. It’s peak neighborhood stuff here. There’s the Marquita Rita, the Lakeshore Paloma and the Lady Ridgedale. I’d recommend the Palo Pinto Smash, a herby, citrusy cocktail with gin, and I don’t even live on that street.
Perhaps Greenville Avenue felt comfortable to Rodgers, who owns Alamo Club and Mayer’s Garden, two bar/restaurants nearby. Bekavac is a Lake Highlands resident. The two have been friends since they worked together at Neighborhood Services, Bekavac as culinary director and Rodgers as senior manager. There, Bekavac even introduced Rodgers to his now-wife, Havana, who has spent her career in restaurants, too.
“We decided, if we’re going to do something together, this is it,” Rodgers said about this Greenville Avenue lease.
We called Goodwins and Goose Bar one of the most exciting restaurants to open in 2024, and after eating dinner there, that’s still true.
The two owners have been at the restaurant almost daily for a year. I spotted them filling pots with greenery one Saturday morning on the patio.
While Goodwins would be considered a nice night out in East Dallas by many, the two say they were careful about pricing. Snacks like house-made rosemary focaccia, crispy zucchini chips and loaded hot dogs called Lil’ Rippers run $10 to $14.
Nancy’s Party Dip, a mix of feta, piquillo and guindilla peppers and charred scallions, was one of my early favorites.
Entrees include a dry-aged, bone-in pork chop ($28), salmon with roasted farro ($26) and a half chicken ($27) that might look simple but is not: Chefs cook it two ways, then serve it with beef tallow fries and chicken jus.
You’re waiting to hear about the burger. Theirs is a beef patty with charred onion, pickle chips, American cheese and Dijonnaise on a brioche bun ($18). I might’ve licked my fingers.
Only one of the entrees costs over $30, and that’s the $36 Gulf red snapper. A selection of steaks offers Goodwins highest prices: a filet, strip or rib-eye, for $49, $55 or $62.’
“I want people to say the food was great and the service was great,” Rodgers said. “If they mention price, I want it to be at the end of the sentence.” In other words: You could spend a lot more somewhere else.
He says the wine list is full of bottles that “punch above their weight class. If it’s a $20 bottle, it needs to drink like a $40.”
Why are we still here? See you there.
Goodwins and Goose Bar are at 2905 Greenville Ave., Dallas. Dinner only, for now. Lunch is expected to be added mid-summer 2024. Reservations recommended but not required.
