Dallas’ Hottest Society Lunch Haven is Getting Into Dinner: New Menu, More Sexiness and One of the Toughest Reservations in the City Await at Grange Hall

We are happy to report that the city’s Ladies-Who-Lunch Spot for cool girls is becoming a Ladies-Who-Supper Spot. Grange Hall, the Travis Street society hothouse, will launch dinner service on Thursday, August 30.

Over the past year Grange Hall has experimented with dinner via Grange Hall at Night, a monthly series with themes such as “truffles” or an exclusively limited group of 25 guests for wine pairings and tastings.

Executive chef Chad Martin and consultant chef, Sharon Hage (the five time James Beard Award-nominee and former owner of the beloved York Street Restaurant) are crafting a menu that will, we’re told, change seasonally. Per manager Vito Cammisano, the restaurant’s dinner menu may incorporate a cheeky “If You Must” section — delivered in an extremely droll manner — wherein favorite items from the lunch offerings will be up for order. (We see you Snob Sandwich.)

We love a tongue-and-cheek nod to Grange’s highly particular, and deeply devoted, clientele. (They like what they like, caviar included.)

For Grange Hall lunch devotees considering an 8 pm reservation: Fret not, the Golden Egg caviar service made the cut for dinner. Those tiny black pearls that send Highland Park’s finest swooning at lunch — paired, naturally, with a bottle of Krug champagne — are sure to be the magical ingredient for a sexy night out.

As for the rest of the dinner offerings, Martin adds, “The style, flavor profile, and presentation won’t stray far from our top-notch lunch… but you can expect to see creative dishes that provide a little more ‘weight.’ ”

A More Sophisticated Happy Hour

Another cause for new twilight times is a recently secured liquor license, meaning there will be much more on the sips menu than the regular wine and champagne offerings. A signature cocktail list is in development, and we can only imagine how it will mirror the eclecticism of the restaurant’s adjacent boutique.

Given the consummate taste of Grange Hall co-owner Jeffrey Lee, we know the bar and lounge area — he is currently reimagining the space from top to bottom — will be utilitarian, decadent and whimsical. The perfect place for happy hour should full dinner not be in the plan.

As we well know, the devil is in the details. Having started to pay more notice to the musical selection at establishments where we dine (keep an ear out next time you’re at Bullion), we must hand Grange Hall a substantial amount of credit. Lee and Camissano have curated playlists for the restaurant, which often mirrors the clientele with reservations that day. For weekday afternoons, a subdued “ladies who lunch” mix is on standard rotation; on weekends the listening is edgier and somewhat sexy.

Dearest Grange Hall DJs, might you mash-up a mix of Moby, Prince and Diana Ross (see: “Love Hangover”) for dinner?

We are certainly in for a few licentious surprises as this organic endeavor takes shape this fall. Perhaps covetable china and flatware? An even more absurdly good looking, but genuinely sweet and knowledgeable, staff? We’ll take it all.

Posed with his thoughts on Grange Hall’s new dinner vibe, Rajan Patel — the boutique and restaurant’s co-owner and one of Dallas’ foremost arbiters of taste — had this to say: “Sexier and moodier than lunch — lots of glasses clinking.”

Reservations are strongly required or you’ll surely end up with a 10 pm seating in spring 2019.

Grange Hall, 4445 Travis Street, 214.443.0600, ufgrangehall.com.