In Good Company — Restauranteur Greg Katz is Creating Highly Designed (But Never Stuffy) Neighborhood Hangs
Inside Clifton Club, His Latest Addition to Fitzhugh Avenue
BY Laurann Claridge // 07.06.22Owner Greg Katz in his newly opened lounge, Clifton Club. (Photo by Jonathan Zizzo)
Restaurateur Greg Katz has vision. And a lot of it. Nearly four years ago, he saw past a once unassuming block of clubs dotted along Fitzhugh Avenue to envision Beverley’s, a buzzy Dallas bistro in the former stead of BJ’s gay bar, and made it a stylish destination just off the Katy Trail. Pushing repeat, he’s done it once again, this time down the street in the spot that for decades was home to the former gay club Zippers. With the help of Liz Johnson and Danyce Bonebrake of Wallace Johnson Studio, Katz has reimagined the space as Clifton Club.
Step through the velvet drapes and enter the shotgun-style bar, which feels like a dining train car built during the golden age of travel. With nary a hard edge in sight, softly rounded archways frame the doors and windows in this teal-painted space, while rose-hued channeled banquettes pull up to terrazzo-topped tables and 14 spinning stools span the length of the bar.
The alliterative name is inspired by Clifton Beach in Cape Town, where the South African-born Katz spent his childhood until the age of 11, when his family put down roots in Dallas.
“I wanted to create a highly designed space that feels like a New York hotel lobby bar or a London social club but is approachable with a come-as-you-are vibe that’s never stuffy,” says Katz, whose culinary career has taken him from Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek, Sassetta, and Wheelhouse in Dallas to the original Il Mulino and The Carlyle hotel in New York, where the famed Bemelmans Bar was, as one might expect, a huge source of inspiration.
Outside, the decorative snowflake breeze block wall emblazoned with Clifton Club’s crimson neon sign gives us retro Palm Beach vibes. Beyond that, a pocket patio adjoins an intimate, light-filled garden room with the club’s most coveted seating. Open at 4:30 pm, the main room takes on a moody glow as the sun sets.
Bartenders and staff dressed in denim shirts scurry to craft classic cocktails made modern ($16 to $18), such as the Summertime Spritz made with Aperol, blood orange juice, and Lillet Blanc topped with a splash of brut Rosé, and our fave, the Passionfruit Vodka Fizz — a bright yellow tincture spiked with Tito’s vodka, passionfruit, and pineapple juices and herbal liqueur. The Firing Squad is for fans of tequila (especially Casamigos) and arrives with a black-lava-salted edge, its contents tinged pink thanks to a blend of hibiscus, ginger, and lime.
“Here, our bartenders are like bakers, because, like making bread, our drinks are recipe-driven,” Katz says. “We use tools like jiggers and bar spoons to accurately measure and ingredients like fresh press juices to create and recreate drinks, so every time you visit, the taste is exactly like you remember.” Martinis include the classic dirty, wet or dry, shaken or stirred, with Castelvetrano olives, pickled onions, or a lemon twist, as well as cosmopolitans and espresso martinis made with oat milk. Not to mention a tightly edited selection of wines by the glass ($12 to $18) and bottle ($44 to $96).
The menu is a collaboration between Katz and Beverley’s chef Sonia Mancillas. The fare ranges from light bites to nibble as you sip, such as marinated olives with harissa-spiced Marcona almonds and pistachios, and pickled vegetables ($13), to heartier plates including a trio of sliders made with Wagyu beef, melted sharp white cheddar smeared with horseradish and pickled pepper relish ($24) or a sliced hangar steak ($25). I swooned over the silky-smooth chicken liver and foie gras mousse gilded with strawberry jalapeño jam ($15). Order the shishito peppers then pick at the blistered pile tossed with a salsa verde and showered with crisp shallots to see who plucks the fiery one ($11). Live large and celebrate with Siberian baerri caviar with all the accouterments along with dill chips ($75), or perhaps the chilled seriously jumbo shrimp with tartar sauce ($17).
In Good Company
As daylight segues into night, we alighted (along with several others poised at the bar) across the street to the bustling Beverley’s, which is named for Katz’s mom. The neighborhood crowd often skips between the two, invariably descending upon Beverley’s lively dining room for dinner.
Next up, Katz is developing another high-energy concept in the Knox area, Green Point Seafood & Oyster Bar. Named for the Cape Town neighborhood where his grandparents once resided, it’s poised in the Weirs Building, the same development that was once home to Highland Park Soda Fountain. Katz says they’ll serve towering seafood platters; fish-focused fare, from crudos to tartars to ceviches; and clear cocktails made with vodka, tequila and gin, as well as a wine program with an emphasis on champagne, rosé, and white wines. Look for Green Point’s debut in the spring of 2023.