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WE'RE ALL MAD HERE N o mischievous Cheshire cat lurks in the corner, and there's no hookah-smoking caterpillar, but new East Dallas restaurant Alice draws plenty of inspiration from the fantastical children's story. Says co-owner Brandon Hayes, "We said it should feel like Alice from Alice in Wonderland was on a gap year, traveling through Southeast Asia, and stumbled upon her favorite new restaurant cocktail lounge." Hayes and business partner Brian Rutt (High Fives, Whippersnapper, The Standard Pour) quietly opened Alice in March, in the former Joyce & Gigi's Kitchen space at Ross and Hall streets. For the design, they collaborated with Dallas- based Wallace Johnson Studio; the result is a peculiar-meets- posh vibe that incorporates seductive art, neon signage, and a cheeky fl amingo mascot. There's a slim, covered patio and intimate 50-seat dining room, just Alice's size. With a list of 20 small plates, Alice's pan-Asian menu is equally intimate. Chef Brandon Whitehead, who previously spent time in the kitchen at Gemma, has crafted miso butter egg noodles, pork meatballs in ponzu sauce, steamed buns stuffed with red-braised brisket, fried rice with shrimp and Chinese sausage, not- t o o - c r i s p y c h i c k e n lettuce wraps, and a fl avorful bok choy salad with creamy e d a m a m e purée. The drinks list favors quality over quantity: Choose from four beers, four sakes, or six sparkling, six red, and fi ve white wines, plus six cocktails, including the spicy Alice Mule (tequila, lime, mango, ginger beer, Thai chili) and Ty-Ku Colada, a coconut-milk- gin-sake concoction that makes one long for the beach. Dinner is served until a late-night 11 pm, and the bar is open until 2 am Thursday to Saturday . A space adjacent to the dining room opens this summer as a karaoke bar and private events space. "Like a Prayer," anyone? Alice, 1623 N. Hall St., 469.872.0001, alicedallas.com. BY LINDEN WILSON Go down the rabbit hole at Alice. MICAH NUNLEY Our Jewelry Specialist will be in Austin, Houston and Dallas on 22–24 May. ENQUIRIES +1 888 713 5094 JEWELRY@SOTHEBYS.COM SOTHEBYS.COM/CONSIGN SOTHEBY'S, INC. LICENSE NO. 1216058. © SOTHEBY'S, INC. 2018 Thinking of selling your jewelry? Contact the experts. Sapphire and Diamond Bracelet, Van Cleef & Arpels, Paris, circa 1935 Estimate $1,000,000–1,500,000 Sold for $3,135,000 ag_1883434_PAPER_MAG_JEWELRY_AD.indd 1 4/12/18 1:34 PM