Opening on November 14, 2023, the new Bar Colette is aimed at international jet-set tours to cities like London, Paris and Mexico City in Dallas' West Village.
Brothers Brandon and Henry Cohanim opened the bar next to their omakase restaurant, Namo, as a complementary venue for pre-dinner drinks and after-dinner cocktails and desserts. It's a small, sleek place with ocher curved seating and blush-colored bar stools, seating just 34 people.
“Everything we do here is intentional,” Brandon says. “And it was curated.”
At the heart of Bar Colette is the cocktail list created by Ruben Rolon. The Michelin Guide has awarded Argentinian-born Rolon the 2022 Florida Excellent Cocktail Award.
Roron doesn't spend much time in the spotlight. He left his award at L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon and Le Jardinier in Miami, where he chose to receive it. (And he almost never went to the Michelin awards ceremony; he never expected to win.)
Colette's Loron's Cocktail is designed to be a “science-advanced” drink that uses seasonal ingredients that are fermented, infused, or sous vide. He doesn't want to get hung up on the processes that take place in the kitchen before the bar opens for business.
“I believe in quiet bars,” he says. About 70% of the menu is already batched and ready to pour.
“We spend a lot of time at the back, so we're fast here,” he says.
The Kohanim brothers named the bar after a fictional world traveler. In their hearts, Colette has confidence and passion. “She might go to Italy and she'll eat prosciutto and melon,” Brandon said. “And she might create a cocktail inspired by that trip.”
Executive Chef Nicola Pisare has designed a menu that ranges from bar snacks to full dinners. Brandon says the cheddar chili lime popcorn is “addictive.” Other snacks include raw oysters with yuzu mignonette, French onion dip and homemade potato chips. Caviar and waffle service is expensive, ranging from $125 to $175. Something to play with: Thin, crispy, flavorful waffles are a great alternative to blini.
Pissare's menu also includes steak au poivre and fries, dry-aged duck with walnut jelly and blackberry jelly.
The owners and Roron think Bar Colette's milk punch has the potential to become a classic. This is the drink that helped Rolon win the Michelin award. And that's the drink Brandon was having when he visited Miami three years ago.
“I thought, 'Who is making this cocktail?'” Brandon said while waiting for a table at L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon during a stop at Le Jardinier in Miami. Told. “They're special.”
Brandon got Rolon's number that day. A few years later, he called him to offer him his job in Dallas.
The cocktail menu ranges from Beet Me, a tarragon-infused beetroot vodka drink, to Carrot Cake, which is available in a glass. Loron's Negroni, called Rosetta, contains hoja santa, a Mexican herb.
Roron, the bar director, doesn't drink much, so he added some “two-sip” cocktails to the menu. It contains one ounce of alcohol instead of two, but it's designed to be just as interesting as any other cocktail. Tartini is a dirty martini, but smaller.
There's a lot to explore here, including a tequila and quince drink cleverly called Bel Air Fresh Quince. But when in doubt, order Roron's favorite, the low-alcohol “two bites.” That's Wailea, a combination of fluffy pineapple and red bitters.
“I love it,” Roron says.
Bar Colette is located in Dallas at 3699 McKinney Ave., Suite 306 (in the West Village, in the former Pok the Raw Bar location). Opens on November 14, 2023. Open seven days a week from 5 p.m. Closed on Mondays.
