Restaurant Review: Oddfellows in Oak Cliff

French toast bread pudding photographed by The Kevin Marple.

Oak Cliff resident and D Magazine creative director Todd Johnson files his take on Oddfellow’s in Bishop Arts.

Bright and airy with its farmhouse-chic good looks, this new Bishop Arts cafe is a snapshot of North Oak Cliff’s shifting sociological landscape. It’s a place where pageboy-cap-wearing hipsters in skinny jeans sit alongside OC veterans in irony-free cardigans and sensible shoes. As the restaurant’s menu proudly boasts, Oddfellows does serve “food for all.” And tasty food at that. Founded by Matt Spillers (Eno’s Pizza Tavern), Scott Griggs (Fort Worth Avenue Development), Jason Roberts (Go Oak Cliff), and a host of OC community leaders, Oddfellows serves a comfy mix of breakfast and lunch staples. (As of press time, dinner service was scheduled to begin in April.) Though it stumbled out of the gate, the restaurant has found its footing in recent weeks. Breakfast is the cafe’s best meal, serving some of Dallas’ finest pancakes: thick cake-like centers with delightfully crisp edges. Other winners included the tortilla de papas (a Spanish-style omelet, skillet baked with potatoes), an open-faced fried egg sandwich with shaved ham and mozzarella, and a side of fried green tomatoes. Yes, fried green tomatoes for breakfast. What a great idea. Those wonderfully crisp, tart tomatoes can also be found on Oddfellows’ lunch menu in the form of a sandwich layered with avocado, bacon, and sprouts. It makes for a memorable meal, as do the frisée, bacon, and root vegetable salad and the pressed portobella sandwich with tzatziki and olives. Click for the finish.