First came Maguire’s, the upscale comfort-food spot in North Dallas. Meatloaf, glitzy bar scene, big success. Followed by M Grill & Tap in Uptown. Not so uppity, big-screen TVs, cheaper menu. It did okay. But the big screens made it seem like a sports bar. Meanwhile, everyone kept asking, “Where’s Maguire’s?”
“Fine,” said Mark Maguire, his brother Chris, and chef Cherif Brahmi. They opened up the dining room, roped off the bar, highlighted the Maguire’s menu items, and changed the name to Maguire’s Uptown.
Their mode is to take a comfort dish and dress it up. The meatloaf traded blah old beef for veal and pork, with the edges charred until crunchy. Lasagna used green chilies, not too many, to give a little kick to the oozing pasta, beef, and cheese.
Maguire’s salad got its thrills from its roasted pecans, blue cheese, and a walnut apple-cider vinaigrette that left an unexpected, delicious burnt-sugar aftertaste. Same sweet story with the salmon, another signature dish, its glaze a combination of ginger and maple.
For those clinging on, the sandwiches and quesadillas haven’t gone away, nor the TVs; they’re just tastefully partitioned behind panels of cool glass-like MacroLux. 2520 Cedar Springs Rd. 214-220-1130. $$-$$$.
Update: Maguire’s Uptown has closed.
