I was invited to Madrina to sample some of the menu and ended up chatting with owner Michael Martensen for quite a while as we ate. And you know what? Even after all the dang drama it’s clear he’s a nice guy. And not only that, Madrina is a beautiful, beautiful place with great food and drinks, I’m happy to report. I’m not surprised, after the success of the very unique Proof + Pantry, despite all that drama. I’ve personally never experienced anything but delicious stuff from any of those folks, and I can only speak from my own experience. I know everyone loves the drama but does it really do anybody any good at the end of the day? Let’s be real. My only honest complaint? P+P can be a bit heavy on the wallet and a bit light on the plate. You will love what you ate but you might need a midnight snack. And you might be a little grumpy after what you spent on dinner. Those two cents aside, quality food and creative cuisine doesn’t tend to come cheap in this town, so we’ll keep going. Shall we take a look at the space and the food inside Madrina on a Monday?

Madrina bills itself as French-Mex, and thus it has a French-trained chef in the kitchen (Julio Peraza), as well as a bar list of French- and Mexican-inspired cocktails for diners to choose from, in addition to beer and wine of course. The food is a lovely fusion (though I hate the word), of Mexican flavor in a beautifully articulated French style of cooking. What results is richly modern and wonderfully detailed. It’s a great experience from top to bottom. Oh, and happy hour is from 4-6:30 p.m. and features 50% off drinks and food. Win.

Thanks to the folks at Madrina for a lovely dining experience and some really delicious flavors. I’ll definitely be back for happy hour, and hopefully brunch sometime soon as well. There’s so much more I want to taste…

Madrina  |  4216 Oak Lawn  |  madrinadallas.com

 

Note of transparency: The meal pictured in the blog post above was comped in its entirety by the team at Madrina. That being said, if I did not love it I would never say so, and I would never recommend anyone waste their time or money anywhere I wouldn’t spend my own.