gemma

the food here is wonderful, newly opened, it certainly does not disappoint. there's patio seating that's first come first served. we went as a large group and tried almost everything on the menu, no complaints at all.

gemma really has it all. great service, super cocktails, ceviche was delicious and duck was perfect. best of all-don't pass on the bread-a must try!

gemma is a fun spot for innovative food renditions.   my daughter and i decided to dine on a cool evening, so restaurant was not crowded.  we split an amazing salad, the cavolo nero (dark kale) with castel vetrano olives, fresno chili, parmigiano reggiano cheese, and garlic oil with lemon.  one of the best salads i have ever tasted, amazing flavors beautifully plated.    my daughter chose the chicken porchetta, on soft polenta, with roasted fennel, mushrooms, with madeira jus.  it was very tasty, but not what she was expecting.    i had previously tried one of their fish dishes, which was great.  this time, i opted for a large grilled pork chop, on a bed of sweet potato mash, braised collard greens, and pickled okra, with green garlic butter.  i was definitely pleased.    finished the meal with a frozen cranberry sorbet, which was a nice contrast to other fruity sorbets.     always a great meal at gemma!    glenn almack

gemma is a really gem in dallas.
small dining room but always has a nice vibe. the bar area is nice too and a decent wine list always helps.
i enjoyed the sea bass on a recent visit.

it's good: bordering on great, and like the other 15+ reviewers i'm not going to write anything bad about the place or the food or the service (but i do still hate valet parking).

i thoroughly enjoyed the duck entree meal: so very "ducky", tasty and flavorful. cute how their complimentary water include the option of sparkling.

the sour italian cocktail was good.

this is the restaurant i always pick when hubby says "where should we go?" - alas, it's hard to get in that way, you do need to plan your reservation ahead. the food is great, the menu creative and the drinks are well balanced and intriguing. also, it's a fabulous wine list. the vibe is a great mix of relaxed and upscale. gemma for the win!

we had the most amazing dinner and dining experience at gemma recently! to start, we shared both the fried castelvetrano olives with texas pecans and the roasted baby artichokes with wild arugula, poached farm egg, and provençal vinaigrette. both dishes were great, but the baby artichokes were especially excellent with the yoke from the poached egg. for our main course we ordered the grilled striped bass, which came with summer beans, tomato, basil, and a sorrel cashew gremolata and the pappardelle with braised rabbit, pancetta, swiss chard, and thyme. both dishes were phenomenal and we would recommend either in a heartbeat! the chef's use of herbs to enhance the flavor of the dishes is really something special and unique. the striped bass had such a clean flavor and was perfectly prepared. the papardelle was perhaps one of our favorite pasta dishes of all time, which is saying a lot! the combination of rabbit and pancetta was salty and savory and the thyme and swiss chard really lightened the dish up and truly awakened our palette. finally, for dessert we shared the selection of three seasonal ice creams and sorbets. the favors that night were caramel stracciatella, roasted peach, and amaretto. the roasted peach and amaretto were our favorites and were the perfect end to a perfect meal. the service was also on point and the staff was extremely attentive and friendly. gemma is definitely a must try in dallas!

treated myself to dinner at the bar at gemma and was highly impressed! farm fresh new american cooking in a charming, tranquil setting makes this knox henderson restaurant a repeat in my book.

 napa valley chic exemplified by the owners who made their rounds in ca before opening gemma.

sight- semi-crowded dining tables for a sunday night dinner and an open bar for any stool for my taking of the 12+ stools there.

touch- clean marble top bar, pressed napkins, this restaurant had casual polish.

sound- half open kitchen allows for a peep-in of some of the action going on but overall the restaurant is airy tranquil…fresh from the farm chic. luis, the bartender, was pleasant, courteous and appropriately chatty for a bartender. great service.

smell- to my dismay, nothing really wafting from the kitchen but my chicken under the brick smelled amazing when it arrived.

taste-
bread course- the brown sourdough was forgettable but the smoked gouda and fig scone was amazing. i had two of them. the butter was appropriately served room temperature with sea salt sprinkled on top. yum
.
raw course- they have 4 different raw options, beef tartar, tuna crudo, etc, but i chose a daily special of house made country ham with shaved melon, mustard greens and lima beans finished with lemon oil. amazing. beautiful presentation and great flavor—a stepped up proscuitto and melon plate.

cucumber shiso spritzer- fresh cucumber, club soda and shiso simple syrup. too sweet for my liking.

chicken under the brick- luis was kind enough to swap the potatoes with swiss chard. boneless breast and thigh piece served skin-on prepared under the brick. i wish the skin was crispier but the chicken was moist and delicious. the grilled romano beans were nice.. the swiss chard were well cooked but missing the pine nuts listed on the menu.

the bread course and the raw course won me over and i would be back for more!

overall rating: 4.0 whisks/5.0 whisks

i recently went back to gemma for the second time. previously the both of us brunettes went there to grab a drink and some salads for a quick dinner after shopping. i knew i needed to go back to this restaurant to get the full experience. 

my husband received a $150 gift card to gemma and we decided to use it on my birthday. what a great place for a birthday dinner! first of all, the hostess greeted me by saying happy birthday and then there was a card at the table wishing me a happy birthday. we also received a complimentary app, fried olives, yum! ! great service!

everything we ate was amazing. the baked oysters were so good i wanted to order more just to be my meal. i order the scallops and my husband order a steak. both were off their specials menu for the night. then we ended with a delicious peach blackberry buckle! 

can't wait to go back!

really great restaurant with great staff! you cannot chose wrong here. i had the veal chop special and it was amazing! great wine list and cocktails!

great service- delicious menu! wonderful little neighborhood gem!

hand to get in but worth the wait. thank you trish who worked to get us in when they had a cancelation. loved the charcuterie, rabbit pappardelle, and duck! will be back

gemma is great!. soothing and relaxing ambiance! perfect for a date night! we found the staff to be friendly, knowledgeable and not intrusive. my date and i shared oysters and the delicious turkey meatballs, wonderfully prepared brussels sprouts with bacon, the diver scallops and the striped bass. everything was delicious. the owner greeted us on our way out to thank us for coming! all in all a superior experience with exceptional food!

delicious! tried caesar salad and veal cheeks. will definitely be back

great food. my steak was cooked perfectly (and i mean perfectly!). veal cheeks were excellent. foodie heaven.