Ida Claire

Ida Claire — you delighted my senses with your heavenly in-​house made victuals and laid back quirky vibe and décor. Your Bacon topped chocolate cake brought my taste buds to new heights — obviously baked with love by a sweet-​toothed, bacon aficionado. Loved your specialty brunch drinks and breakfast selection. Your staff was friendly, somewhat young and a bit preoccupied hostess staff — but your waitstaff rocks! Forgive me for not remembering our servers name, but the enthusiastic, young lady kind enough to share her knowledge of your popular bites (and her personal preferences) helped us pick a magical brunch experience. Thank you for your hospitality! Look forward to spending another Sunday with you :)

Remember that scene in that vampire movie when the young girl gives herself a paper cut and a single drop of blood falls and all the vampires go into a ravenous frenzy? Yeah, that was my friends and me once the server poured duck fat gravy all over our Sweet Potato Chip Duck Confit.
2 minutes later, the three of us just sat there looking awkward and avoided making eye contact with one another while an empty plate sat in the middle of our table.
Needless to say more, the food here is amazing and I look forward to my next visit. The staff is very friendly and the atmosphere is so inviting and everywhere you look is a conversation-​starting decoration.

My fried green tomatoes are better, but not by much…
Get your ass to Ida Claire and grab ahold of some real Southern comfort.
They have something special here. If you miss it. You will weep when you find out what you’ve missed. Don;t miss out,
M&M

Everything here was SOOO GOOD. One of my favs in Dallas now. Surprised it doesn’t have as many reviews.
Start with the crawfish beignets! My coworker is not a crawfish fan and loved it! We also tried the creole gumbo & fried green tomatoes. For drinks I recommend the Pink Lady (prettiest drink I’ve ever had) and the Oh, Bee-​have!
I would give it 5 stars but I wasn’t that impressed with the Vice cake. They also changed their menu and no longer have the bartender cake. Was hoping to try that since so many reviews hyped it up! I will still be back!
Great atmosphere and décor. Plenty of parking behind the magic time machine lot.

Came here for a team dinner this week. Overall the atmosphere was great and very chill. It did get a bit loud so it was hard to hear other people at my table talking. I ordered the beef short ribs, which were so tender. They came with a side of potatoes and carrots, but I switched it out for mac and cheese. Also had the duck confit, which was amazing! I recommend getting that to share with your table or to enjoy as an entrée yourself. Another great dish that my other team members ordered and enjoyed were the shrimp and grits! I’ll have to personally try that next time.
As far as drinks go, the hurricane was a good mix between sweet and bitter. It wasn’t too strong but still had that hint at the end of your sip.
Cool place so far and looking forward to coming back here again in the future.

I actually really enjoyed Ida Claire. I would have given it 4 stars, but they told us they didn’t take reservations anymore, which at a busy place like this I find ridiculous. We went on a Thursday night and had to wait 45 minutes, probably closer to 1 hour. This little hiccup resulted in the star deduction.
If they took our reservation, then I would have gone with a 4 star review. The service was very friendly. The bartenders are great! I got the Oh Bee Have. Luckily it was girls night so between gossip and catching up, we didn’t notice our long wait too much. When we got seated we were starving so we ordered the oysters (highly recommend), chicken and biscuit (2 thumbs up), burger (meh), and Nashville hot chicken (3 thumbs up). For dessert, we got some sort of bacon chocolate cake, mmm… If you can come during an off hour, I would highly recommend. The food is unique, fresh and delicious. The drinks are creative and refreshing. Service is pretty good (our bartender was excellent. Our server was average). Successful girls night, although I’d prefer to be sitting, eating, and drinking vs hoovering over strangers and drinking for the 1^st hour.

4.5 stars. Unique menu, amazing décor, friendly staff, and great drinks!
Creole Gumbo — Delicious! Both the chicken and okra melt in your mouth. I didn’t find much andouille in my bowl though.
Pimento Mac and Cheese — Just plain good. The breadcrumbs on top of the cheesy goodness. mmmhmmm!
Tasso Spiced Pork Chop — I found this dish to be really, really salty because of the French Quarter butter sauce. The already salty lardons certainly didn’t help! The brussel sprouts were fresh, but they were covered in the sauce as well… The pork chop itself was cooked perfectly — tender and juicy.
Bird of Paradise — This is an amazing dish. The pecan grilled half chicken is SO moist and full of amazing flavors. I really wish they gave me more of the cornbread-​pecan romesco, because that stuff was perfect with the Hoppin’ John. I could eat those two alone forever. This certainly is not your typical chicken and rice entrée.
Drinks! Drinks! Drinks! The bar is absolutely beautiful. They did a really good job decorating Ida Claire. I even wanted to take pictures of the bathroom because it was so god damn beautiful, but it was occupied every time I went in there with my phone. Alright, the point is, this place is GREAT for drinks. It can get quite noisy for dates though. I tried The Hurricane and Hemingway Daiquiri, and enjoyed ‘em both very much. They are good-​looking drinks!

Finally got a chance to check out this restaurant, and we loved it overall. Our server was Shalycee and she was very knowledgeable about the dinner menu and we ended up ordering what she recommended.
Appetizer — Sweet Potato Chip Duck Confit ended up being the group favorite.
Chicken and waffles were good too, as was the Braised Beef Short Rib.
Nashville hot fried chicken was really good too.
Definitely coming back to try other items especially during brunch!

Came here for lunch on a Wednesday with a large group, so I was able to try a lot of things! I was sooo excited because it is southern food with a modern twist. When I saw
1. Appetizers ($ 6 – 10): We got the crawfish corn beignets, fried green tomatoes, and southern tasting board. Would really like to come back and try the duck confit, oysters, and gumbo!
— Crawfish corn beignets — loved it so much! Could definitely taste the cawfish! the sauce was a great complement.
2. Main ($ 13 – 19): Definitely quality over quantity, which I lam a huge fan of.
— Shrimp and grits — It was amazing!!! The flavors of the sauce with a spicy cajun kick, the freshness of the shrimp cooked perfect, and the large quantity of shrimp they give! I thought I’d just get 3 – 4 large shrimps like most restaurants, but it came with 6 – 7. The grist were really good and cheesy. I do wish they give you a little bit more grits because it was just sooo good.
— Nashville hot fried chicken — It takes longer to cook, so it definitely drew my attention. I love friend chicken! It is the spiciest item on the menu, but not flaming hot. The chicken looked so juicy the crust was amazing
–Pork Chop — The pork chop was huge! Definitely good for people with bigger appetites. Cooked perfectly.
3. Dessert ($ 7): Desserts are my weakness. So to me, it was all good. Pecan pie was the winner! They come in HUGE slices. You can probably share between 3 – 4 people.
— The seasonal was pecan pie — IT WAS AMAZING!!! Best pecan pie I’ve ever had. Even the scoop of ice cream was really creamy and good.
— Vice cake — chocolate ganache cake with bacon on top! Sweetest of the three cakes.
— Red velvet — very safe choice and very delicious

1. FOOD: Ordered chicken/​waffles & charcuterie plate. Chicken-​to-​waffle ratio wasn’t great; 2 medium sized chicken strips on top of a huge waffle. Waffle was bland. Charcuterie plate was okay. Food quality and presentation were great though.
2. PRICE: Paid $ 35 w/​tax for Chicken/​waffle and charcuterie with 2 sides (sweet potato chips & grits). Thus, price is relatively on par with other restaurants but taste was lacking.
3. SERVICE: Service could be faster and better. Had to ask for the same thing THREE times on one occasion.
4. AMBIANCE/​CLEANLINESS: Nice place with sufficient space between seats/​booths. Water glasses and silverware were dirty though.
Overall, I probably make a second trip here to give it one more shot. I’ll order something more succulent like the shrimp & grits and update my review accordingly.

It was the best of times– it was the worst of times.
Luckily, I was wise enough to use the OPEN TABLE app on my phone to make a reservation for Ms. Ida Claire. If I didn’t she wasn’t going to see me last Saturday until an hour later. This place is POP-​U-​LAR and I definitely see why.
Imagine eating at grandma’s house – admiring the old cookbooks on the etterge, picking up the fine china dinner plate and licking the marshmallow glazed yam residue. Dabbing the cloth napkin on each corner of your mouth where the marshmallows once lived… Ahhh brings back memories. Ida Claire is every Southern Gal’s sanctuary. The food is hearty, the drinks are stiff, and the wait staff exemplifies true southern hospitality.
I ordered the Tasso Spiced Pork Chop and our waitress, SHEA exclaimed, «This is my absolute favorite dish on the menu.» That made me even more confident about my selection. (SHOUT OUT TO SHEA, BY THE WAY. YOU GO, SHEA!)
The Pork Chop came out and the presentation left me speechless – there sat my pork chop on a bed of smashed sweet potatoes right next to the Brussels sprouts sautéed in bacon. I quickly took a bite and my eyes rolled to the back of my head. The pork was cooked a perfect medium, melting away in my mouth like butter. The Tasso Spiced pork chop was the BEST pork I have ever had in my adult life. The sides allowed the pork to own the spotlight, but they made for the most pristine accompaniment.
Parking is a bit of a buzz kill, and I doubt I would come back on a weekend without a reservation. But Ms. IDA will definitely see my face again!

First of all… SHEA WAS FREAKING THE BEST WAITRESS EVER! ASK FOR HER!
now on to the restaurant and food…
I got the Oyster po boy. It was pretty good. I wish their were more oysters on the sandwhich… but that’s just me… overall the Sandwhich was full of flavor. .the smokiness of the oysters… oooo wee! My husbands chicken and waffles were ok… lacking on seasoning a bit… but the chicken was so juicy it was literally dripping off of his lips… very fresh chicken.
My mom is from Louisiana and makes the best gumbo so I wasn’t expecting their gumbo to be any better… it was pretty mediocre. definitely not nasty… I’ve had better… hey…I helped my hubby finish if that tells you anything!
My sister ordered a pork chop dish. .definitely the best pork chop I’ve ever had! EXTREMELY FLAVORFUL AND JUICY!
IDA CLAIRE YOU OUGHT TO BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELF FOR HAVING PORK THIS GOOD!
The staff is great… very warm and welcoming. Bartenders cake is definitely for two… a little overwhelming but yummy. I’m actually eating on my leftover cake now.
Definitely will be a regular

I’ve been wanting to check out this place and my sister suggested it the other night. We called to make reservations. I loved the ambience. It had a rustic feel to it but the bird cages were questionable lol. (Maybe I watched too many scary movies). Service was pretty good but a little on the slow side.
Appetizers:
We started off with the crawfish corn fritters. These were so freaking good and had a great amount of crawfish. Green tomatoes were also ordered for the table and they were good even though I am not a huge fan of tomatoes.
Meal:
My sister and I split the pimento cheese burger. The burger was very flavorul and really good. It came with sweet potato chips which weren’t that great as they were chewy/​stale. We did order a side of the pimento mac n cheese and they didn’t have flavor. The cheese was runny and it was just lacking in flavor.
I did have an Ivan Collins cocktail and it was really refreshing. It tasted like fresh lemonade!
Sweet Endings:
We ordered the Vice Cake. It was way too rich for my liking but I did like the coffee buttercream!
This location was pretty good and I’ll definitely return to try other items off the menu.

I like that more and more unique restaurants are popping up in the DFW area. I wanted to check this restaurant out, and we finally got to check it out this past weekend. I loved the ambiance, and the staff was friendly for the most part. My friend however thought the bartender was a little bit on the rude side.
The food for the most part was good, but nothing really stood out that makes me want to come back for more. My sister and I split the corn and craw fish appetizer, and that actually was REALLY GOOD. I would order that again. We decided to split the burger, and the burger had so much flavor to it. The mac and cheese was just average, it was a little bit on the bare side, and it didn’t have much flavor to it. My brother in law order the fried tomatoes, and they were pretty good. He also ordered the gumbo, it was a little salty in my opinion, and the pork chop he ordered was decent. We decided to check out the vice cake with a dollop of ice cream. The cake was so sweet, so if you are a chocolate fan, you should order it. It’s big enough to share with someone or a few people.
I will have to come back and check out other items on the menu. Their drinks are pretty good though. Get the Ida Collins, you will not be disappointed.

Ida Claire is something you would find in Austin and not very common in Dallas. Super hippie with the Hamsa hand symbol as the logo and a trailer in the back. To me this is pretty cool and different (for Dallas at least). My buddy and I shared the southern tasting board which I thought was a great value ($ 12) and was pretty decent. The pimento cheese and pâté was my fav from the cheese board. We also shared the shrimp and clam boil which is just whatever. It’s hard to get good seafood in the south, so I guess I didn’t really hold this against them heavily. I still wouldn’t get it again though.
I’d like to come back and try other stuff on the menu especially during brunch. It’s a great place to take out of towners, and it’s huge so they can hold up a good capacity of people. I also wanna try the drinks and happy hour. I will be back Ida Clare.

Appetisers:
Pimento Mac & Cheese– perfect bites. None of the flavours were overly powerful, and it was packed to fill our appetites.
Sweet Potato Chip Duck Confit– I’ll try this over and over again! It was a bit on the salty side, but the egg and sweet potato chips helped offset that. I would prefer less salt though! The duck had an amazing texture to it.
Entrée:
Braised Beef Short Rib– I’d probably try another dish– I’d say this was a pretty basic dish. If you’re looking for a typical southern kick,
Drinks:
Garden Gimlet
Pumpking beer
Yay for 5 star service. The hostesses we’re welcoming and friendly. I loved our waitress! She was very helpful in our orders! she helped us choose our drinks based on preferences and I loved them both. I typically don’t like pumpkin flavoured beers, but the one she recommended was delicious.

I’m a fan of Whiskey Cake, therefore I’m a fan of Ida Claire.
–Delicious American comfort food with a unique twist
–Refreshing and tasty cocktail menu
–Adorable hip/​organic/​farm-​to-​table theme
–Service is spectacular (management doesn’t hide)
–A gorgeous open patio to DIE for (they show silent movies and have live music out here)
What’s not to like?
I dig the vibe, but more importantly, Will the bartender makes THE best off-​the-​menu old fashioned’s, hands down. I wish I were joking. I repeat, this is not the same old fashioned cocktail featured on the drink menu. This is WILL’s old fashioned, and it is effing life changing. It’s a treat getting to watch him put the drink together as well. The sugar, the mini-​torch, the citrus, the bourbon… it all comes together beautifully to create an amazing concoction that is well worth the money.
You are doing yourself (and Will) a disservice if you don’t try this at least once.
happy brunching & bourboning!
–xoxo

After a day of rock climbing with some friends we have decided on this place because it got crazy good reviews. I was super excited about having some good country food!
The décor of the place is so cute and lovely, I really liked how unique it was. When we sat down our server was a little rude to us to be honest. He seemed upset that we weren’t drinking, and was quite short and snappy with us. We ended up getting the hummus and crawfish fritter appetizers. The crawfish fritters were unique, I haven’t had anything like them, and the sauce that it comes with is very flavorful.
For my meal I got chicken and waffles, with a side of Mac and cheese and my boyfriend got the bird of paradise. I was a little disappointed with my meal because they had poured on the syrup for me already, yet it was only on one side. The waffle was soaked in syrup and dry on the other side. Our waiter never came back to check on us so I couldn’t ever tell him. My meal was a little on the lukewarm side, making me think it has just been sitting there.
The chicken though was so delicious and juicy! The meal was a good size, so I ended up taking the other piece home.
After reheating the food at home, I can to find out the chicken I was served was still raw! It was still bloody on the inside, and this was after I had reheated it! I am so disappointed by the overall experience, because I was looking forward to a great meal.
I really liked the uniqueness of the place and how they had a spin of flavor to each dish. My friends that also went with us recommend the Ida burger and chicken in a biscuit– They looked delicious!

Cool place. Charming southern eclectic vibe. Loved the benches mixed with bar stools at the bar and loved the clear view of the open kitchen. The food is good. The New Orleans style barbecue shrimp wasn’t really New Orleans style, but still tasty. The bacon gravy that comes on the biscuit appetizer is redonk. Order extra because it comes in a condiment cup with an itty bitty spoon. The house made apple butter is gorgeous.
They have happy hours specials; couple bucks off this and that, no food specials were mentioned. I will totally go again! Gotta try me some fried chicken ;)

After my fellow Unilocalers have given this place great reviews, Ive finally gotten a chance to be able to try out the new hotspot. Came here with a couple of my friends on a Friday night to catch up on eachother’s lives.
I would have to say that the customer service and overall service should receive 5 stars. The hostess was sweet and the waitress was even sweeter! We ordered an appetizer (meat/​cheese plate) and werent prepared by how unique it was so the manager brought us another appetizer on the house! Im a huge fan of the different cheese boards offered out there, but this one took the trophy for being on the weird side.
I ordered the chicken and waffles dish which was okay. Im a HUGE fan of fried chicken by itself so I automatically decided to order the dish. The dish was pretty forgettable so I wouldnt recommend ordering it if you know a place that serves the well known dish. We also shared an order of the grtiz which was AMAZING! I loved every part of it and later regret not ordering the shrimp/​gritz item on the menu.
Overall, the restaurant itself was okay considering that Ida Claire is Whiskey Cake’s cousin. Whiskey Cake is extremely good but this place didnt leave the same standards. I dont think Ill be back unless its for an important occasion.