Uptown News
Sultry restaurant-bar with Cajun cuisine debuts at storied Dallas space
Meet Amelia
A sultry new restaurant with a rooftop bar has debuted in Uptown Dallas: Called Amelia, it's at 3005 Routh St. at the corner of Cedar Springs Road, where it's bringing Southern food, cocktails, and an eye-popping decor.
The concept is from a group called Proclivity Hospitality, led by Jeremy Pinckney, whose goal is to offer something fresh for Dallas and make it the city's "best kept secret."
They're in a location with a storied history that has seen more than a few concepts come and go. It was most recently a nightclub called Level, and before that the Manhattan. Digging back through Google maps and dusty memory, it was also home to Enigma, 6th Street Bar & Grill, Routh Street Brewery — the place where foodie power couple Brian and Courtney Luscher met, awww — and first but not least, the legendary Stephan Pyles restaurant Routh Street Cafe.
"3005 Routh Street was my first restaurant home," Pyles says. "We bought the building in 1983 as a dilapidated art gallery, which was originally a home. We almost didn’t buy it when we found out the foundation was six or eight bois d’arc tree stumps. We were assured it was common in the South to use these stumps in houses of a particular vintage, as they were like concrete and termites wouldn’t touch them. Phil Vaccaro came next with Vaccaro’s, then Russ Hodges with Americana."
So there's more than a little history.
Meanwhile, back to Amelia, where the menu highlights include:
- Deviled eggs topped with fried shrimp
- Gumbo
- Cajun pasta
- Lamb chops
- Amelia’s rice, their version of a dirty rice
Plus bar food treats like bacon-wrapped shrimp and meatballs. Prices are moderate, topping out at $28 for the lamb chops.
Cocktails are slightly crafty such as the Blackberry Tequila with fresh blackberries, and a trendy lavender sunrise mimosa with tequila, lemonade, lavender, and champagne.
But it's the decor that brings it: The exterior is a sandstone beige painted with streaks for a marble effect, with a patio in front that overlooks Cedar Springs, and black-rimmed garage doors on the facade.
Inside is clean and modern with a marble bar, chandeliers, and comfy bar stools made from metal and black vinyl. A grand murals takes up one wall, depicting faces rendered in a rainbow of colors. A dining area boasts a mirror ceiling that changes colors.
The second floor features a cigar bar and a high-end bar called the Aster Lounge, furnished with cozy couches.
"The idea is to create a comfortable welcoming place where you want to sit and stay a while," the representative says. "Amelia is built for communal dining, for friends, couples, and family to enjoy a great meal over good conversation."
For now, their hours are Thursday-Friday from 4-10 pm, and Saturday-Sunday from 12 noon to 10 pm. But lunch is coming, and so is brunch.
