Babel nights

At Babel, the dining room has been completely overhauled, with white tablecloths and gold table lamps for an elegant dining experience

Steven Lindsey | Contributing Writer
StevenCraigLindsey@gmail.com

After nearly 25 years as one of the gayborhood’s hottest reservations, Steel has left the building. However, in the former sushi restaurant’s space in the Centrum, Babel opens today (Friday, Nov. 28), with all the ingredients to become the newest go-to dining destination.

The location makes it ideal for kicking off a night out on The Strip or for a pre-show dinner prior to an Uptown Players show at the Kalita Humphreys Theater. It’s elegant enough for special occasions but accessible enough to add to regular dinner rotation.

This new upscale Mediterranean concept comes from restaurateur Mo Kamal. He’s the charismatic owner of the immensely popular Open Sesame in the shopping center with Pekers, and now he wants to bring an elevated version of Lebanese favorites to the Dallas dining scene. With recipes passed down through generations and perfected by Mo Kamal’s sister, chef Zeina Kamal, Babel wows from appetizers through dessert.

The dining room has been completely overhauled, with white tablecloths, gold table lamps and white draperies adorning archways leading to cozy dining nooks where Steel’s sushi bar once sat. An elegant private dining space decorated in moody, deep blue tones will certainly be a highly coveted table, as well.

Because I visited well before opening, I can’t speak to the service, though I had the privilege of dining with Mr. Kamal and sampling nearly a dozen dishes from the menu. Across the dining room, the young, attractive staff assembled for a tasting of their own.

For now, it’s a dinner-only affair, and the chefs continue to perfect each dish to the demanding specifications of both Kamal siblings. Baba ganoush, Greek salad, hummus with roasted red beets, mumumarra (roasted red pepper dip) and pillowy scratch-made pitas fresh from the oven proved that being vegan could be sustainable and enjoyable with the right magic in the kitchen.

Of course, this being Texas, people will want their meat, and Babel delivers. The hummus topped with grilled Texas Wagyu could be a meal all on its own, especially when paired with a bottle of Lebanese red wine and a few pitas.

Of course, you may want to get a larger portion of that same top-quality Wagyu as an entrée, served with crispy yellow potatoes, umami-forward Brussels sprouts, and the unexpected tang of wilted dandelion greens.

The lamb chops were also among the best I’ve had in recent years.

At the conclusion of the meal, Mr. Kamal insisted on dessert, and — Wow! Just wow!
Pistachio cheesecake delivered sweetness without being cloying, but I’m still dreaming of the baklava. Made fresh each day, four golden-brown pieces arrived at the table hot out of the oven, crispy and dripping with honey. This was just the high note this excellent meal needed to end on.

So, if you’re tired of turkey and pumpkin pie, Babel offers the perfect alternative during its opening weekend. Be patient because it’s new, but it’s going to be exciting to watch the community embrace this new restaurant and discover some impeccable Lebanese flavors along the way. n

Inside the Centrum building, 3180 Welborn St. Hours are Monday-Thursday, 4 to 10 p.m., Friday, 4-11 p.m., and Saturday, 5-11 p.m. BabelUptown.com