Proof & Pantry, a new American bistro with “the best bar team in the city” will open in the former Commissary space in One Arts Plaza

<strong>Proof & Pantry, a new American bistro with “the best bar team in the city” will open in the former The Commissary space in One Arts Plaza, confirms barman Michael Martensen, one of Proof & Pantry’s owners.

While Martensen was reluctant to disclose all the details of his new restaurant, he and business partner Sal Jafar are crafting a “rustic, working kitchen feel” to the 1,900-square-foot space and outdoor patio that once housed chef John Tesar’s Commissary burger joint.

“The whole band is getting back together,” says Martensen, referring to his staff who wandered en masse from Cedars Social and Smyth following a dispute with that parent company’s owners. “We are going to assemble the best bar team in the city.”

To match a bar program rated at 11, Martensen has hired a chef he’s not ready to identify. “But he’s worked behind the scenes and on the line with some of Dallas’ most talented big-name chefs,” says Martensen

“We hope to cultivate a lot of young culinary talent in the kitchen,” Martensen told me. “We plan to serve excellent food while developing cooks who can eventually go out on their own and do great things for this city’s restaurant culture.”

Look for entrees to huddle around the $20 price point, with weekend specials pushing the $35 range.

Martensen is also in charge of the bar program at Tesar’s forthcoming steakhouse, Knife.