THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED The Lodge Restaurant of Castle Hills

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED The Lodge Restaurant of Castle Hills Restaurant Review:

Jason Dady’s cuisine, consistently cleaving to Mediterranean sources, can be said to have arrived---which is not to say it’s static. Just as every room feels different in this renovated mansion, still buffered by oak-shaded grounds, so does every aspect of his carefully calibrated, course-based menu. A four-course dinner might include grilled, marinated Canadian smelt with shaved fennel; a red wine, porcini-braised lamb ragù with potato gnocchi; pan-roasted duck breast with couscous and raspberry-rhubarb compote; and a “soufflé-inspired” Nutella dark chocolate cake with caramel, a banana fritter and peanut butter mousse. And that’s just the tip of the tony iceberg; there’s also an eight-course Signature Menu, with or without paired wines. The Lodge is once again open for lunch (which attracts more than the neighborhood nabobs), and a two-course option will satisfy all but the tireless trencherman---especially if parsnip and bell pepper bisque and grilled Texas bobwhite quail with farrotto and Point Reyes blue cheese should be on the seasonal menu. The three-course option adds dessert---which, of course, one can always have in place of a starter; it’s a matter of personal priorities.