As many of you know most of my blog writing is inspired by shit that pisses me off. Fortunately for Ozona Grill & Bar, the awful meal they tried to pass off in the guise of “food” was overshadowed by enjoying company with friends celebrating a birthday so they get a free pass. Seriously, if you’re thinking about going there, don’t, and they’re damn lucky that is all I’m saying.

Instead I’ve been absolutely obsessed about writing a GOOD foodie review, and our recent trip to Oddfellows in Oak Cliff for Thursday date night (ie. shit! we’re out of food!) provided the perfect impetus to give it a shot. True to Canadian form, C selected the establishment solely on the fact they have something they called Texas Poutine on the menu, but more on that later.

The restaurant itself sits on the corner of the Bishop Arts food and fashion district featuring large open air windows allowing the outdoor bar/patio seating to merge with the simply and tastefully decorated dining room utilizing natural wood to accent the exposed building structure. I had read that they really take their coffee seriously and that’s evident when you walk in, but unfortunately I was immediately sidetracked by their selection of local craft beer – next time coffee, next time. Since we were n00bs we opted to get several small plates to share and give several different dishes a shot.

First up was Mac & Cheese that C promptly declared was even better than Slows’ in Detroit (way to set the bar really high there C) – simply prepared with a nicely balanced taste and texture – followed by fried pickles with ancho sauce that were a perfectly flash fried explosion of dill and breading. Next was the much anticipated Texas Poutine. It was good, but unfortunately for us poutine purists did not live up to our expectations and ultimately was fries with bacon, pickled jalapeños, texas cheddar and homemade gravy. Ok who am I kidding I’d still eat it again, but would probably still grumble about the lack of mystery Québécois brown goodness. Next followed the surprise dish of the night, local duck quesadillas – jalapeño-ponzu marinated duck with cabbage and cilantro, and texas mozzarella served with sour cream and guacamole. Mind = blown, taste buds successfully climaxed. Apparently there was a fresh tomato, mozzarella and basil pesto salad that followed, but I was too busy making googlely-eyes at what remained of the duck quesadillas.

The tag line for Oddfellows is “Food For All”; I’m not entirely sure what that means but I’m going to just say “fucking delicious, eat here”. 4 ½ forks