Kay Agnew is Dallas’ most peripatetic restaurateur. Even she has forgotten how many incarnations of a Cajun-Creole restaurant she has opened. We both remember she recently closed Margaux’s in the Design District and moved a mile down the road to open Margaux’s Bridge Bistro, which is an appropriate name because the chic spot sits near the eastern entrance to the stunning Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge. The interior is stark. Glass panes cover the front and one side of the restaurant, which, on a sunny day, lets in lots of natural light. She’s balanced that light by covering the tables in black cloth. Loyal customers will be happy to find Margaux’s signature dishes, such as shrimp and crawfish enchiladas and crawfish étouffée alongside chef Manuel Contreras’ new a la carte sandwiches and salads. Every table receives a complimentary basket of freshly baked potato rolls and corn muffins. We paired a comforting hot and appropriately thick sweet potato bisque, rich in flavor (more rolls, please!), with a lively salad of mixed greens, apricots, and pecans tossed in a vinaigrette spiked with Key lime. The chicken salad is just the way I like it: chunks of fresh chicken mixed with grapes and pecans. And the abundant sauce on the shrimp and crawfish enchiladas was perfectly suitable for sopping with the potato rolls. Kay and her daughter Margaux have, once again, created a lovely space for the neighborhood. It’s convenient for antiques shoppers, Design District and downtown workers, ladies who lunch, and postdinner drinks and bridge gazing.
For more information about Margaux’s Bridge Bistro, visit our restaurant guide.
