I’ve had Rise No. 1 (AKA Rise Soufflé) on my Dallas foodie bucket list for over a year, and I finally gave their French feast a try last weekend. It absolutely blew my expectations out of the water! 

Here’s everything to know before you try Rise No. 1 in Dallas or Rise No. 3 in Fort Worth in my honest Rise Soufflé review.

 

Understanding Soufflés 

Unless you attended culinary school, took notes during your last binge session of The Great British Bake Off, or (like me) scroll through photos of food for hours on Instagram, you might not be totally familiar with what a soufflé is. Here’s my brief explanation. If you’re a soufflé connoisseur, feel free to skip it and scroll down the next section.

A soufflé is a dish made up of beaten egg whites and flavorful ingredients. Air bubbles in the egg expand as the soufflé is baked, causing it to rise up over the top of its container. It has a crisp outer layer and a light, fluffy inner texture like mousse. It can be savory or sweet.

Soufflés originated in 18th century France. They are considered to be one of the most difficult dishes to prepare correctly.

 

The Rise Soufflé Menu

Before visiting Rise, I did some research on their menu. I learned that one of their house specialties was their Marshmallow Soup, so I wanted to be sure I tried that. I also wanted to sample one savory soufflé and one sweet soufflé. 

There are 10 flavors of savory soufflés and 6 flavors of dessert soufflés on the regular menu, but there are also seasonal flavors and daily specials that rotate. Be sure to ask your waiter about them. While the bulk of the Rise No. 1 menu consists of different types of soufflés, it also features salads, sandwiches, fish, steak, and desserts like Chocolate Gateau and Creme Brulee. 

The price for appetizers like their famous soup is around $11, while savory soufflé entrees are around $18. Dessert soufflés are all $12. We shared two soups and two souffles very comfortably, and spent about $50 before tax and tip. 

 

My Rise Soufflé Review

The first thing your waiter will bring to your table is a bread guillotine. Rather than slicing through your French bread with a  regular old knife, you get to chop it up with this hinged contraption! We had fun using it, and the bread was baked to perfection.

We started our meal with the famous Marshmallow Soup. The “marshmallows” floating in the creamy carrot and tomato bisque soup are actually miniature souffles made of goat cheese. The whole thing is topped off with a drizzle of pesto and served with a cheese croissant bread twist on the side.

Out of everything we tried at Rise No. 1, the Marshmallow Soup was my favorite. The flavor was seriously incredible, and to me it was honestly filling enough to be an entree (although I could have eaten about 10 more of those delicious bread twists easily). 

Next we tried the Sun Dried Tomato and Pesto Chevre Soufflé. What immediately impressed me about it was the texture! It was so exceptionally light and fluffy. But the flavor was definitely strong enough to come through the egg whites as well: you could really taste the tomato and pesto. Since soufflés are small, I was originally worried about how much food to order. But sharing the one soufflé was definitely plenty for Austin and me.

Last but not least, we tried the Chocolate Soufflé for dessert. We were tempted to sample Raspberry or Grand Marnier, but ultimately our love for chocolate won out. We will just have to come back and try the other flavors soon!

The texture of the Chocolate Soufflé was perfect as well, but what really made it shine was the delicious liquid sauce. It was served in a tiny pitcher so that you could pour it on top of your soufflé repeatedly as you ate your way to the bottom of the dish. I really liked how much flavor the sauce added, because the flavor in the actual heart of the soufflé is naturally more light. I would recommend this decadent dessert to anybody!

 

The Rise Soufflé Atmosphere

Having traveled a little bit in France when I was in college, the exterior and the atmosphere inside of Rise No. 1 felt pretty authentically French to me. The restaurant has both indoor seating and a long covered and heated patio. 

We opted for patio spots so that I would have the best lighting possible for food pics, but the next time around I would definitely sit in the cozy interior. There are tree branches glimmering with dozens of string lights, wine bottle chandeliers, bookshelves, and all sorts of other charming decorations that give Rise so much character. We are already looking forward to bringing our friends to this local gem.

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