Photography by Kathy Tran.
Bobby Pollette was only 16 years old when he found his love for food and sought a mentor in the restaurant industry. Then a Hawaii resident, he found Jeff Acol, a chef at the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai. Acol became Pollette’s mentor throughout each other’s careers for two decades.
Acol moved to Naples in 2008 and opened a restaurant called A Table Apart, which he owned with his wife until the industry took a hit during the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, Pollette graduated from high school and started a catering business called Hapa Catering, which frequently brought him to Preston Hollow until he too had to take a break because of COVID-19.
“It really gave us time to rethink what we wanted to do,” Pollette says.
The pair decided to open a French-inspired eatery between Roti Modern Mediterranean and Salata in Preston Center, calling their most recent venture Au Troisieme, or “third place” in French. The two designed Au Troisieme, or AT Bistro, to be a neighborhood restaurant —somewhere you’d go once or twice a week.
“I was surprised at how much of a food city Dallas really is when I came in,” says Acol. “It is such an up-and-coming city as far as the competition. The loyalty from the customers is always a wonderful thing and the camaraderie of the local restaurateurs as well. It’s kind of the perfect community.”
Guests can often be seen pushing tables together to eat as a group, a sight that Pollette sees as proof that they’ve met their goal.
“We want that feeling to be neighborhood,” Pollette says. “A place where you can come and meet a friend for a drink or a great meal … really kind of people’s third place. You have your work, your home and then this place you like to go.”
The shareable, family-style menu combines classic southern dishes with odes to the owners’ past, with seafood like fire-roasted octopus and French favorites like French onion dip.
“Coming from Hawaii, we have a very diverse background,” Acol says. “It’s (the menu) kind of a collaboration of our travels and our flavor profiles.”
Though the restaurant exudes a loungey, friendly and casual atmosphere, the food and drinks are far from your typical casual eatery. The bistro is open for lunch, brunch and dinner with an additional happy hour menu.
Au Troisieme boasts a full bar, with craft cocktails like the Tazmanian Debil, with Fords Gin, apricot liqueur and Lillet Blanc, and a comprehensive wine menu, featuring bottles ranging from $52 to $96. Wine is also sold by the glass.
The wine collection is shown off at AT’s Fried Chicken, Caviar and Burgundy Night on the first Tuesday of every month.
“(We’re) bringing the fun side of country eating and elevating it with amazing wines and fun caviars to pick from, showing that you can have great wine with any cuisine,” Pollette says.
Au Troisieme,8305 Westchester Drive, autroisiemedallas.com
