McCallister Take 2
Matt McCallister heads to hot Dallas neighborhood with new restaurant Filament
Chef Matt McCallister, of Design District restaurant FT33, has announced his much-anticipated second restaurant, opening in Deep Ellum: Filament. It'll go into a prominent location at 2626 Main St., and it is slated to open in spring 2015.
According to a release, Filament will honor simply prepared ingredients of the South. It will echo the naturalistic style and modern approach to seasonal fare that McCallister observes at FT33, but with a more casual approach to dining.
"The menu at Filament will be full of items that I eat on my own time," McCallister says. "A couple of months ago I took a road trip with a couple members of my team and really thought about the food that is representative of our region."
He says that Filament's menu will be approachable, but not without the unexpected. "The menu I'm working on looks straightforward on paper, like spicy pork sausage with fire roasted peppers, pickled onions and yogurt," he says. "There will be surprises, though."
Filament will have a large, horseshoe-shaped bar that seats 24, and it will be overseen by managing partner Jeff Gregory, who has created and maintains the beverage program at FT33. It will include about 100 bottles of wine; a rotating lineup of craft beers on tap; and an inventive selection of seasonal cocktails, with variations on the julep, Sazerac and milk punch, with an emphasis on use of preserved fruits.
The space was first an early-1900s machinist shop, and the restaurant will preserve parts of the original interior, including exposed brick walls, wooden beam ceilings and an industrial style appropriate for Deep Ellum.