Sweet Jane

You probably figured that a wine bar across the street from Southlake Town Square would be upscale, but Jane doesn’t wear its ritziness on its sleeve. It’s a more or less unassuming place, though the black and white marble interior and matching chairs do signal to you that the establishment is serious about quality. I sat outdoors on the patio space, where the concrete sidewalk is covered with turf and the TVs show whatever big game is on. This way, I was able to share the space with college football fans or a bachelorette party while still feeling safe.

I was less impressed with Jane’s weekend brunch fare. The vegetable frittata was baked in a big piece of paper similar to a cupcake liner, which prevented any crisping on the outside. The combination of spinach, mushroom, and sage cheese wasn’t overly memorable. The French toast balls are, in reality, closer to doughnut holes. Far be it from me to complain about fried dough, cinnamon sugar, and maple syrup for dipping, but I can order something similar at IHOP without all the foofaraw. These brunch entries were too small to be satisfying on their own, so even though the prices are reasonable, you’ll make up for it by ordering more than one.

The pork belly that I had has sadly been taken off the menu, which is too bad, because I appreciated those five sushi-like slices of crispy pork where you could actually taste the maple flavor on it. As a side dish, I ordered waffle fries. You may carp about those not coming automatically as a side with the entrées, but the kitchen does give you quite a big bowl of those spuds, with a light sprinkling of herbs and house-made ketchup and Thousand Island dressing for dipping. I found a happy surprise in the bottom of my bowl: The punched-out holes of potato were fried up as well, making for tasty crunchy bits.

I also ordered those fries with the wagyu truffle sliders, which featured a heady mix of onions fried until golden and truffle cream to go with the beef. There was so much cream, in fact, that it compromised the structural integrity of the burger — one bite sent the miniature patty sliding halfway out of the bun amid a shower of onions. I will say that the excess cream made for an even better dipping sauce for the fries than the ketchup.

There was a point of concern when I found something on one of the patties. It seemed too fibrous to be someone’s hair. Could it have been one of the dandelion seeds that were falling on my table? (And where in that strip mall were there dandelions?) The waiter apologized to me, and the kitchen sent out a slider to replace that, and since that was the only mishap I encountered during my visits to Jane, I’m chalking this up to the perils of dining outside.

Jane does offer a couple of dessert entries, but I found the real creativity going on with the cocktails. The spicy pear margarita is based on mezcal rather than tequila. I’ve never been much of a fan of the smoky taste of mezcal, but here it was balanced beautifully with the sweetness of agave syrup, the heat of chile flakes, and the fruit flavor of the spiced pear liqueur. It all made for a bracing concoction, even if the dehydrated pineapple garnish proved unnecessary. If your palate runs darker, the coconut cold brew offers a smooth interplay of coffee, coconut milk, chocolate bitters, and Flor de Caña rum, whose sweetness tempered the bitterness and richness of the other ingredients. The drinks and a focused, carefully curated wine list make Jane a destination in Southlake, but some small improvements in the food would make it truly special.

Jane
Wagyu truffle sliders $16
French toast balls $12
Vegetable frittata $12
Waffle fries $7

Jane, 1151 E Southlake Blvd, Southlake.
8am-11pm Mon-Thu, 8am-midnight Fri-Sat, 8am-10pm Sun. All major credit cards accepted. 817-424-JANE.