Apparently, not as solid as he’d thought. Teresa writes:

Aguirre said that the restaurant side of Social 121 had been struggling. “The bar side took over the restaurant side,” he said.

Now the restaurant is operating as a bar with a “lounge menu.”

Scallop Crudo with Wasabi Tobiko and Kiwi-Yuzu Emulsion

The Pyramid Restaurant and Bar at The Fairmont Hotel in Dallas hosted a media dinner to showcase their spring menu. Chef André Natera is using more than just seasonal ingredients to create special dishes. His inspiration comes from Spring, a time of renewal,  warmer temperatures, and growth. The rooftop garden at the hotel is starting to bloom and this is affords him the opportunity to extend the range of produce consistent with his emphasis on local ingredients.

Jump for the glory of Spring.

Fennel Carrot Soup with Mustard Crème Fraiche

Natera has stepped up the refinement of his compositions. The philosophy of the Pyramid’s menu is farm-to-table cooked with classic culinary principles of technique. Consider the amuse bouche: Fennel Carrot Soup with Mustard Crème Fraiche. The sweetness released by the puréed carrots is contrasts with the sharpness of a small dollop of mustard on top. The velvety smoothness of the soup is offset by the coarse grind of mustard. The mouth discovers the latter as it appraises the soup. A little fennel in the broth is  another flavor dimension. It all adds up to a package in which nothing juts out, but which is in no sense monotone.

Consider also the visually arresting Scallop Crudo with Wasabi Tobiko and Kiwi-Yuzu Emulsion. It is slightly Italian, slightly Japanese, and slightly New American. The slithers of scallop flesh absorb the acid from slices of kiwi, taming them for a fleeting moment before your mouth encounters the heady wasabi.  The composition is completed with the textural effects of the tobiko (flying fish roe) and the visuals of garden sorrel and cilantro flowers.

Artichoke Ravioli, Ricotta, Crispy Artichoke and Balsamic

Artichoke Ravioli, Ricotta, Crispy Artichoke and Balsamic is a cosmopolitan Italian dish that shows off artichoke as a thoroughly refined plant. The ravioli filling mixes artichoke, ricotta, and Parmesan cheese into an assuring mixture with natural, creamy sweetness.  The ravioli sits atop turnip purée. The roasted artichoke on top gives a crunch and umami-rich flavors that are modulated by a scoop of ricotta and a streak of balsamic.

These highlights of the new menu distinguish the Pyramid Restaurant but they are only part of the whole experience. Maggie Huff’s desserts are ripe with the same kind of creativity shown by Natera. Take a look in the photograph at that elderflower cocktail which is actually spherified liquid straight out of the school of molecular gastronomy. Likewise, sommelier Hunter Hammett continues to expand and enrich the wine list. He excitedly served us an award

Foie Gras Ice Cream, Pain Perdu, Elderflower Cocktail

winning Texas wine (2009 Flat Creek ‘Super Texan’ Sangiovese) and an Argentinean Nebbiolo (2005 Viña Alicia Nebbiolo, Lujan de Cuyo). The former is indicative of Sangiovese’s future in Texas soil, and the latter may be the first Nebbiolo from outside Piedmont, Italy that I would describe as decent (he has one bottle left for one very sophisticated drinker). Finally, the service staff are proficient and professional.

The Pyramid’s reemergence as a top-flight Dallas restaurant was completed last year with rave reviews from all quarters. It is good to see that the people concerned do not rest on their laurels but continue to evolve it.

Chocolate Espresso Torte. Amaretto (Cookie crumbs), Espresso and Dark Chocolate, with Fiore di Latte Ice Cream (Milk)

Dripping cheese by Kevin Marple.

In the October issue of D Magazine, Teresa Gubbins tells us what she thinks about The Commissary.

In a profession loaded with bad boys, chef John Tesar stands out. Mercurial, dismissive, he’s a hyperactive hothead with a self-destructive streak so legendary that his old pal Anthony Bourdain has written about it. Tesar is so good at embodying the tantrum-throwing temperamental-chef stereotype that D Magazine made him the subject of the September cover story, titled “The Most Hated Chef in Dallas.”

But there is the man, and then there is what he puts on the plate. From his early days at a French restaurant called Pierre’s in Westhampton to his stint at RM Seafood in Las Vegas, he has impressed discriminating palates, including the folks who hired him in 2006 to be executive chef at the Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek, where he took on the intimidating task of replacing longtime fixture Dean Fearing.

She’s got a lot more tosay.

"Hello, beautiful lady. My name is Jason. I'll be your waiter tonight. You'll have 2 hours to complete your meal. And your time starts ... NOW"

[Ed. note: George poses this, in my opinion, stupid question. I am challenging him with, in my opinion, a smarter one.]

George: A couple of weeks ago, a Zagat survey reported that 60% of dinners in New York supported a time limit which allows the restaurant to boot you from your table so they can seat another party.  But we’re not New York.  So let’s ask the question to Dishers.  Would you mind a time limit?

Nancy: George, you ignorant cluck. You are right on one point: we are not New York. I hate rushed service. Take MiCocina (beat, beat). Those waiters aren’t servers they’re animal trainers. They can turn a table of six in 40 minutes. It drives me nuts. I get the same vibe at Houston’s. Every time you sit down you can feel the beat: water, menus, drinks, order, eat, dessert, BOOM. Maybe, just maybe, we are eating out to have a conversation that doesn’t fit into the restaurant’s time frame. I think no time limit is best for the customer.

George: You can’t have a conversation in under 2 hours?  Are you sitting with your fork in one hand and Blackberry in the other?  Talk, talk, tap, tap.  Assuming your waiter greets you in a timely manner, takes your order, and serves you your drinks and food, you really can’t finish in 2 hours? If not, move to the bar. I think it’s good for business.

Who is right?

Here are the facts: I am neither beautiful nor a lady. Don’t really aspire to be. So why lay it on so thick? (My late-grandmother, by the way, once threw a fork at a waiter who called her “young lady.” She was 92 at the time.)

I can tolerate waiter-interruptus, and I understand that service comes with a fair dose of insincerity, but it’s the bald-faced “lovely lady” lie that’s so grating. Give me a pro, a server I can admire for his gentility. Give me a server who knows his food, who’s willing to give an opinion and make a joke. But leave the buttering-up in the kitchen.

Is it just me? Or do other people long for a end of the pandering, too?

Connie Frances Forbin of The French Room is our Server of the Week.

Thanks to all who took the time to recognize their server this week during KRLD Restaurant Week. This week I’m happy to see Connie Frances Forbin rise to the top. No surprise, Connie has been at The French Room for at least 20 years. She is charming, warm, and professional. Connie received several votes but Bethany took a picture and sends this note:

Nancy, I’d like to introduce you to the best restaurant week server I have ever had – Connie at The French Room. She was kind, courteous, full of smiles, knowledgeable, and made the most wonderful recommendations. We appreciated her service so much that we made a reservation to be at her table next week for a non-restaurant week meal. I know now why the French Room is so highly rated – not only is the room beautiful, but the service is among the best I have had in Dallas.

Cue standing ovation. Other shout-outs go to Collin at Bolla in the Stoneleigh (from Jack), Robert at Abacus (from Meredith), and Joel Mendoza at Perry’s Steakhouse (from Jack).

Jump for reader reviews of their servers. Thank you all.

BOLLA

We had a great service experience at Bolla in the Stoneleigh. Our server was Collin; and an example of going above and beyond. My wife prefers a red zinfindel wine; and there was not one on the wine list by the glass. So, we asked Collin if he could ask for a glass of red zinfindel to be served with my wife’s entree. He gladly and asked and served the wine. And, we really appreciated his friendly, courteous, and professional service. Jack

ABACUS

I went to Abacus tonight with a friend and our server was Robert (sorry, no
picture). I believe he mentioned he is normally at Jaspers in Plano but is
helping out at Abacus during RW. He was fantastic from the very beginning,
recommending some fantastic dishes and pointing us in the direction of a
bottle of wine vs the more pricey wine pairings. He clearly knew the menu
well as his recommendations were stellar (pork belly bun small plate, pork
chop big plate). We were never rushed, despite Abacus’ time contraints on
each table. It never felt like he was judging and he took the time to make
conversation with us throughout the evening. Overall, it was a tremendous
experience, as it always is at Abacus. Kent Rathbun’s people definitely
understand the importance of customer service and it shows. meredith

PERRY’S

My wife and I had a wonderful service experience at Perry’s Steakhouse and Grill with Joel Mendoza; sorry no picture.  Joel provided the service well known and meeting high expectations for a classic steakhouse. He was very personable, making knowing recommendations, and engaging in friendly conversation. The table was always set and prepared for each course in a classic manner. He also carefully guided the staff serving with him in a very friendly and professional manner; indicative of a long time server that loves his work and his place of employment. Food and wine service was enjoyable; and the final thank you and preparation of our take home extras completed the excellent service. Thank you D Magazine for recognizing this service. Jack

“We are foodies!” These words scare most waiters, but not because they are afraid of foodies. People who ARE foodies, show themselves by what they order, what they drink, and how they act in a restaurant. Not by proclaiming it.

So when a table of four in the patio (one woman, three men) announced to James that “we are foodies!”, he soldiered on. As he walked away from the table he heard the lady say, “I thought we were coming to a Five Star restaurant.”

In the wait station, where talk is constant, James informed the other servers. Responses in general were: “Good luck with that!” “Oh, man, I’m sorry.” “No. I won’t trade you that table!” They all know what it means: They are not really foodies, you’re going to work very hard, several things will go wrong, and you’re going to get a base line tip.

Jump for the naughty bits.

James suggested and they ordered the Dark Horse Cabernet, a terrific well-priced wine by an award winning California winemaker. They “didn’t quite like it” but wanted to keep it.

James suggested and they ordered The Avocado (stuffed with lobster and Wisconsin cheese, lightly battered, flash fried, served with cilantro cream). They didn’t think the avocado was hot enough. (Note #1 to would-be foodies: an avocado basically falls apart in high heat due to its oil content. It will never be hot.) They ate all of it.

Then came the clincher: one of the three gentlemen ordered The Stack (grilled bread, hash browns, steak, fried egg on top, cayenne hollandaise over the entire thing. It is awesome!) but he wanted his steak “Pittsburgh with a hot center”. Any food professional can tell you what “Pittsburgh”, “Pittsburgh style”, or “Pitssburgh rare” means. (You can Google “Pittsburgh rare” for a quick answer.) So, when the order goes into the kitchen and James tells the chef, the expected response of “WHAAAT?’” and the grill cook’s Spanish version of “Gimme a Break!” came right back.

I saw trouble ahead and planned with James that I would check on the entrees after they were served, but before James checked on them. That way I would take the heat.

I walked up to the table in the patio about one minute after entrees were served and inquired of Steak Man. My 31 years in the business did not prepare me for what followed. Steak Man brushed the egg and Hollandaise sauce off the top of the steak with his bare hands and picked up the meat with his fingers. As he held it up at eye level and turned it around showing me, he said, “It’s not what I ordered. There should be flame marks all over it. It’s a great steak, but not what I ordered. I’m gonna eat it.” Then he plopped it back down in the plate.

I recovered quickly and, of course, wanted to remove it so the kitchen could recook his entree. He wouldn’t let me have it. (Note #2 to would-be foodies: If you complain about an item and don’t allow the restaurant to fix it, you forfeit complaining rights.) I told him I would not charge him, though he ate all of it.

James dropped off the bill at the end of the meal. Walking away he overheard the lady say, “We might have to wash dishes.”

From inside, we watched them negotiate the bill between the four of them. Papers came out, went back in, they talked back and forth. Finally, they pulled out a Groupon and laid down two credit cards. I walked out to pick it up. “Just split it between the two cards after the Groupon.”

They tipped 15% based on the reduced price after the Groupon and after the comped steak.

I stood by the front door to say good night. The lady came first, smiling, and thanked me, “Thank you. We had a great time”. The two other guys followed closely and thanked me while they shook my hand and smiled. And bringing up the rear was Steak Man.

I was suddenly panicked realizing what was about to happen. Sure enough, he smiles, sticks out his right hand, the hand that had brushed egg, Hollandaise, and picked up the steak, and he shook my hand.

I was somewhat paralyzed, slightly in shock, and watched him at the door as he turned, smiled, and waved with this left hand, the hand carrying an empty bottle of Dark Horse Cabernet.

As I washed my hands in the kitchen, I thought about the surreal experience. It’s definitely one for the book…someday.

And, by the way, there’s only one thing that scares waiters more: “We are GREAT tippers!” Now, that’s the kiss of death.

A blurry photo depicting the most beautiful thing I've ever seen: a perfectly split-up check.

I was all prepared to use bb641’s app, You Owe, at dinner Friday night. But I didn’t have to. Wanna know why? Because the server at Komali read my mind and split up my group’s check without even being asked. That, my friends, is service. (I was so excited, I sent the photo to several people who have complained with me about this issue.)

Visiting chef and cookbook author Jennifer Chandler digs Dallas' comfort food.

Last Friday, I had the pleasure of hanging out with my old friend, chef/cookbook author/radio & TV host Jennifer Chandler (in town from Memphis to sign copies of her latest book, Simply Suppers).

I don’t deny that I sweated the restaurant choices a little; after all we only had one day and Jennifer did earn her stripes at Cordon Bleu Paris—but in the end, Jennifer’s predilection for of down-home, comfort food made my job easy.

I thought it would be fun to take her to a couple Dallas favorites and see what someone with no local prejudices or loyalties had to say about them. The following is a edited conversation from our lunch and Meddlesome Moth and dinner at the original Neighborhood Services on Lovers Ln.

jump to read what she had to say…

At 12:30 we arrived at Meddlesome Moth in the Design District for lunch.

What we ordered: Deep-fried hominy appetizer, grilled cheese/tomato soup combo, mussels diablo with fries, and unsolicited samples of the New Belgium/Allagash “Lips of Faith” Vrienden Ale.

JC: Talk about friendly service! Love the atmosphere, the décor. Is this really deep-fried hominy? Outstanding. Who’d have thought; it’s like popcorn meets polenta with just the right kick of cayenne. Can you say addictive?

me: Yes, I can.

JC: But you won the ordering contest. I love a good grilled cheese, and that one goes above and beyond. Three cheeses, tomato, and amazing jalapeno bread—the Moth nailed it. Worth every calorie; grilled cheese and tomato soup is a marriage made in heaven.

me: What about your mussels? Was the waiter’s suggestion on the money?

JC: They were good, but the sauce didn’t have the kick I was expecting. A little more heat and it’d be a different story. But they were great with that beer. Was it really bittered with endive? Bonus points for having people on hand who can explain how the beer’s made. That really helps make the experience. We’re totally coming back next time I visit.

Read about dinner after the pictures…

Clockwise from top left: Meddlesome Moth's fried hominy; Neighborhood Services' calamari with mango and peanuts; Neighborhood Services' fish & chips with malted coleslaw; Meddlesome Moth's cleaver & block burger.

Flash forward to dinnertime…

At 10 am that morning I had called Neighborhood Services and got our name on the list for a party of three at 7pm. I invited a date who is hopelessly crushing on Jennifer solely from having cooked his way through Simply Suppers. He brought her a present: a pound of jalapeño bacon.

The three of us crossed the threshold at 6:45. We were seated at 8:20.

What we ordered: Crispy calamari & rock shrimp with mango, peanuts, and greens; salmon with smoky Brussels sprouts and pancetta; cleaver & block burger, fish & chips.

JC: Love the appetizer. Crispy calamari & rock shrimp with mango, peanuts, and greens. I never would have put all those flavors together; this one shows real creativity in the kitchen. Delicious and perfect for sharing.

me: Fish and chips are good, too. Just greasy enough without spilling over that line.

(At this point, Jennifer and I are distracted by my date who is plotting a strategy to help him actually take a bite of his monstrously big burger—an effort he soon abandons in despair in favor of fork and knife.)

me: A burger too big to bite into? Bummer.

date: Isn’t there a term for that—for having a beautiful thing in front of you but not being able to take advantage of it?

me: It’s like not being able to consummate your marriage.

date: Now I’m just sad.

me: How’s your salmon?

JC: Perfectly cooked. Love the smoky Brussels sprouts and the pancetta. And the small frissee salad on top of the salmon was the perfect foil to the richness of the other components. Thumbs up.

me: So, what’s the verdict?

JC: Well, the food was good, but given the 90 minute wait, it feels like too much hype for the end result. I’d have to see what it’s like on a weeknight.

(At this point we are again distracted by my date who is staring down at his decimated burger.)

me: Looks like you consummated.

date: I had my way with it, just not in the way I’d hoped.

me: I can’t think of a more fitting way to end this than with a bad allegory between food and sex. Well played, date.

La Fiorentina'a crostini of the day with prosciutto, lardo, raosted tomatoes, and pureed cannellini beans.

When La Fiorentina Tuscan Steakhouse opened its doors to the public on Dec. 1, we were first in line. Follow the link for some awesome pictures and to find out what Alberto Lombardi has up his sleeve with his new Tuscan steakhouse.

Click here to go to the full review…

The winner for week number two is Brandon Smoot from Dish. (Last week Dish server Ira Steck was a runner-up.) Obviously Dish is providing great service during the hectic time of Restaurant Week. Way to go Brandon! Your public has spoken.

Below you will find other servers who captured your attention during the second KRLD Restaurant Week. Thanks to all who took the time to nominate your server. And thanks to the many servers who work hard to represent the Dallas restaurant business. We appreciate you both. Go. Eat. Nominate. (nancyn@dmagazine.com)

Abacus
I went to Abacus tonight with a friend and our server was Robert (sorry, no
picture). I believe he mentioned he is normally at Jaspers in Plano but is
helping out at Abacus during RW. He was fantastic from the very beginning,
recommending some fantastic dishes and pointing us in the direction of a
bottle of wine vs the more pricey wine pairings. He clearly knew the menu
well as his recommendations were stellar (pork belly bun small plate, pork
chop big plate). We were never rushed, despite Abacus’ time contraints on
each table. It never felt like he was judging and he took the time to make
conversation with us throughout the evening. Overall, it was a tremendous
experience, as it always is at Abacus. Kent Rathbun’s people definitely
understand the importance of customer service and it shows.

Bolla
We had a great service experience at Bolla in the Stoneleigh. Our server was Collin; and an example of going above and beyond. My wife prefers a red Zinfindel wine; and there was not one on the wine list by the glass. So, we asked Collin if he could ask for a glass of red Zinfindel to be served with my wife’s entree. He gladly and asked and served the wine. And, we really appreciated his friendly, courteous, and professional service.