Blatt’s Bringing the Brews
Preston Hollow Village continues its recent run of restaurant openings with the recent arrival of Nebraska import Blatt Beer & Table, a German-inspired tavern with chef-driven pub fare.
The restaurant-bar, which opened in April, boasts a spacious bar in the center of a bright, wood-accented dining room with garage door-style partitions opening up to a sprawling patio.
Blatt’s menu befits its theme, featuring dishes that pair wonderfully with beer: think sausages, fried chicken, burgers, and mac and cheese. The menu is a complete contrast to that of Blatt’s sister concept, Blue Sushi Sake Grill, which also has a location in Preston Hollow Village. Flagship Restaurant Group CEO Nick Hogan, the restaurants’ parent company, says having both eateries at PHV is terrific.
“With the great success of Blue in Preston Hollow Village, it was a natural fit for Blatt as the concepts overlap a lot in their appeal to our core audiences,” Hogan said.
And despite the presence of enough flat-screen TVs to please sports-watching diehards, Hogan says simply being a sports bar is not the main purpose of Blatt.
“Yes, we’ll have games on, but it is more of a place to go for a beer and/or a quality meal with friends and family, as our food stands on its own,” he said.
The food stands on its own, but also pairs well. Like the Pickles & Petals — cornmeal-dusted and beer-battered onion and pickle slices served with herb and kale beer cheese and zesty house bacon Russian dressing. Much like the famed potato chip, it’s impossible to eat just one, especially with a zippy IPA.
The house wedge salad is a standout, featuring a grill-kissed hunk of iceberg dressed in bacon, boiled egg chunks, and blue cheese crumbles. It paired wonderfully with a pale ale on tap; its bite cut through the creaminess of the cheese and dressing and accentuated the bacon pieces.
The beer-centric venue showcases 32 mostly indie and local brews on tap, as well as a number of classics in bottles and cans. But beer-avoiders, fret not: Blatt has a handful of classic cocktails like a Moscow Mule and an Old Fashioned every bit as primed for pairing as the brews. Keep an eye on the drink menu, because changes are always afoot.
“Typically, 25 percent of our draft beer selections are our mainstays,” Hogan said. “We rotate the rest with whatever is fun, unique, and, of course, delicious. We always try to support local as long as the beer is tasty.”
Similarly tasty are the sandwiches at Blatt, of which there are many. The so-named “Blattwurst” (house-made beer-braised bratwurst, jalapeño polish sausage, or smoked kielbasa on a pretzel roll) might’ve benefited from a bit more fat in the grind, but boy was that pretzel roll heavenly.
Blatt also features several vegetarian and gluten-free options. Snack and drink specials reign supreme during the daily happy hour, which is a great opportunity to sample Blatt’s culinary highlights.
Blatt is open Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., and on Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Happy hours are Monday through Saturday from 3 to 6:30 p.m. and Sunday from 12 to 8 p.m.
