Count on renovated Abacus for seriously haute cuisine

In 1999, the year he opened his haute-global Abacus, Kent Rathbun got the first in a string of four Beard nominations. In 2000, USA Today’s Mike Clark listed a meal there as one of his 10 most memorable. But in the last few years Dallas foodies have had their attention distracted by news from other fronts.

Stephan Pyles and then Rathbun’s buddy Dean Fearing opened hot new restaurants. Rathbun’s own chef de cuisine, Tre Wilcox, became a TV face on Top Chef, along with Casey Thompson of Shinsei, the restaurant co-owned by Rathbun’s and Fearing’s wives.

When Wilcox left, Rathbun did not seek a replacement. What he did do, this spring, was to undertake a renovation at Abacus, both in the restaurant’s design and in its menu.

What is clear now that the dust has settled is this: If you’re after fine dining in Dallas, Abacus had better be on your list. Though the food may have gotten a little more playful, this is one serious restaurant.

The redesign has opened Abacus up and lightened it, and the new menu, divided into small plates and big plates, offers a lot of temptations. We started well, with a half-dozen two-bite rectangles of "pressed sushi," layering cool slices of tuna, salmon and avocado with sushi rice ($18).

Next came a dish that, on it’s own, is worth driving to Dallas for. Into chic white bowls holding a trio of cherry tomatoes, tiny fresh mozzarella cubes and spicy micro-basil, a server poured a pale champagne-hued consomme made from yellow heirloom tomatoes. The first spoonful was a revelation: impossibly light in the mouth, sparkling cold, beautifully balanced between sweet and acid. Twelve bucks is not a penny too much for an elixir this magical.

The salt-crusted calamari ($16) turned a cliche into something quite exciting: lightly filigreed petals of perfectly tender fried squid with a little fondue pot of velvety coconut-scented curry sauce that blossomed into a spicy finish in the throat.

But the high point of our small-plates excursion was the "Bacon and Eggs" ($22): scrambled duck eggs mounded atop a bread round and garnished with strands of black truffle, across the plate from a stack of Niman Ranch chipotle bacon in a sweet glaze. My first bite of the rich, creamy, delicate eggs made me want to giggle and swoon at the same time, as my mouth filled with the essence of truffle.

Indeed, I would have been happy to have more of them for dessert, but we opted for the "Taste of Chocolate" ($12) — four little conceits that included a crunchy Nutella "Kit Kat" terrine, a bitty ice-cream sandwich, a cup of Valrhona chocolate pudding and a "tiramisushi" roll — all cute, but fairly meek in chocolate intensity. Plenty intense, however, was a granita of the trendy Asian citrus fruit yuzu ($4), delivering an icy blast of herbal tartness.

Rathbun and executive sous chef Jermaine Brown are cooking with sure hands, passion and purpose — and with the goal of making their guests very happy.

Save for the too-loud techno — and the staggering prices — everything at Abacus is engineered to achieve that. A savvy cellar makes it possible to find a wine that will enhance everything from the calamari to the elk loin (case in point: our $70 2004 Domaine Combier Crozes-Hermitage). Service is of a level rarely found hereabouts. Even the restroom doors are clearly marked "Men" and "Women." What a refreshing concept.