Hail to the chefs

by LESLIE BRENNER
Published: October 12, 2012

One cooks in a laid-back smokehouse attached to a groovy midcentury modern motel-ish hotel. Another turns out polished yet soulful plates at a sceney hot spot. A third works his magic on buckwheat flour and recherché Japanese seafood in what feels like a Zen retreat. This year’s selection of the best chefs in Dallas-Fort Worth, which includes three first-timers, certainly covers a wide range of styles. All together they represent the most accomplished and inspired cooking in a city that continues its culinary ascendancy.

And yes, all 11 chefs are in one city – Dallas – despite the geographic spread of the endeavor. That four of them head up kitchens in Oak Cliff testifies to that district’s growing influence as a gastronomic sizzle zone.

In order to make the list, a chef must currently be in charge of a restaurant and responsible for creating the dishes. Beyond that, he or she must be creative, original and exacting, with a kitchen that runs smoothly and menus that change with the seasons and the chef’s flights of fancy. Consistent execution is important, too.

This year, our chefs have in common an uncanny ability to express themselves on the plate: Each brings tremendous individual personality to the table.

Naturally, we would love to hear your own choices for the best chefs in D-FW. Please turn to Page 29 to learn how to tell us.

Here, in alphabetical order, are The Best in DFW: Chefs.

Tim Byres
Smoke
Three years after the Oak Cliff restaurant opened, Byres has achieved a happy balance between the simpler (yet wonderful) barbecue dishes on the menu, like snappy sausages in three animal flavors, and his consistently outstanding cheffier dishes. Newish on the menu, one that mingles plump pieces of grilled quail with smoky jalapeños, turnip greens, chickpeas and a smooch of harissa, topped with a brilliant salad of parsley, cilantro and mint, is stunningly good. And Byres’ pit-roasted cabrito (baby goat) enveloped in a flying saucer of masa and complemented with green apple salsa verde and goat’s milk cajeta is one of the city’s most original and craveworthy dishes.
The Belmont Hotel, 901 Fort Worth Ave., Dallas. 214-393-4141. smokerestaurant.com.

Bruno Davaillon
The Mansion Restaurant
Engaged, elegant, pitch-perfect as ever, Davaillon’s cooking remains some of the city’s absolute best, even if the chef doesn’t seem to take the risks he once did at the Mansion. Who’s to argue with a summer corn soup cradling a perfectly poached egg, tender morsels of lobster mushrooms and sweet bits of candied chorizo? He can wow with richness, as in a foie gras custard layered with charred corn and Parmesan foam, or bowl you over with purity of flavor, as in slices of Wagyu strip with dreamy duck-fat fries, puréed daikon and a tomato-béarnaise reduction. If you’re craving pheasant, Davaillon’s your man. Lately he serves it with a wonderfully smoky charred eggplant purée, silken matsutake mushrooms and a beautiful foie gras-miso sauce.
2821 Turtle Creek Blvd. (entrance on Gillespie Street), Dallas. 214-443-4747. mansiononturtlecreek.com.

Tiffany Derry
Private Social
You might suspect that a sceney Uptown spot could let quality slide a bit after a noteworthy debut, but a year after Private Social opened, Derry’s exuberant cooking is better than ever. The Top Chef star has hung on to some favorites (duck-fat-fried chicken!). But she keeps things fresh with new dishes that are as sophisticated as they are soulful, such as suckling pig stuffed with boudinlike house-made sausage, garnished with yarnlike strands of fried pig’s ear. She jazzes up tender slices of “Peking style” duck breast splayed over glass noodles with duck confit, and sets almost-rare slices of Australian lamb loin atop a mound of purple-hull peas, pickled hon shimeji mushrooms, bits of tender lamb neck and crushed toasted pistachios. Phenomenal.
3232 McKinney Ave., Dallas. 214-754-4744. privatesocial.com.
Omar Flores
Driftwood
In his first gig as an executive chef, this young El Paso native is making a mighty impressive show of it at 6-month-old Driftwood. Flores (shown on the Guide cover) approaches his subject with flair and finesse, good taste and superb technique. He knows his way around an octopus tentacle (perfect char, perfectly tender) and how to speak salmon, keeping it slippery and translucent and marrying it with a beautiful barigoule that celebrates the season (that was spring). A meticulous sourcer, he divines that grapefruit and Champagne are just the flavors to enhance wild Long Island oysters.

But Flores is just as brilliant with a rabbit duo or crisp-skinned, milk- poached, silky-fleshed chicken, always with vegetable garnishes that rock. Not convinced? He also happens to turn out some of the city’s best desserts, from a laid-back, almondy blueberry buckle with sour cherry-brown butter sauce to a glamorously glossy chocolate terrine. This is Flores’ first inclusion in The Best in DFW: Chefs.
642 W. Davis St., Dallas. 214-942-2530. driftwood-dallas.com.
Scott Gottlich
Bijoux
Gottlich’s cooking style has loosened up a bit since he and his wife, Gina, redesigned their Inwood Plaza restaurant earlier this year, going to an a la carte menu. Still, his dishes, like a velvety corn chowder with scallion and bits of bacon, or seared scallops with English pea sauce, tomato fondue, hedgehog mushrooms, ramps and peas, have a striking purity of flavor. His technique is impeccable, an underlying elegance shines through, and his sauces are some of the finest in town. Meanwhile, his Chef’s Room tasting menus (offered Friday and Saturday nights) show that some of his more formal and ambitious dishes – like a spectacular deconstructed bouillabaisse in salad form, or rosy squab breast with seared foie gras set off brilliantly by kimchi sauce – are more accomplished and original than ever.
5450 W. Lovers Lane at Inwood Road, Dallas. 214-350-6100. bijouxrestaurant.com.
Jeff Harris
Bolsa
The East Texas native who made his name as chef de cuisine at the erstwhile Craft Dallas (earning a spot in The Best in DFW: Chefs in 2010) has shown himself to be terrifically versatile. At Bolsa, with a relaxed and breezy style that perfectly suits the neighborhood’s vibe, his dishes are deliciously approachable, yet absolutely sophisticated and personal. Harris’ beautifully charred flatbread with house-made sausage and shishito peppers holds its own against the best pizza in town; his duck rillettes are nothing short of smashing. He changes his menu constantly, a risky proposition to be sure, but great for frequent diners; it requires great skill and imagination. I still dream of his superb chicken dish – the crisp-skinned breast atop a sauté of English peas and fiddlehead ferns with a peppery chicken jus – that was the talk of the town last spring.
614 W. Davis St., Dallas. 214-943-1883. bolsadallas.com
Jason Maddy
Oak
The talented young chef at this wonderful 10-month-old Design District restaurant is another newcomer to the list. Maddy cooks with quiet power; his dishes are elegant, precise and, yes, delicious. His vegetable terrines are masterful, such as a recent one fashioned from matchstick-cut carrots and banded with horseradish cream; it came surrounded by baby beets of the purest flavor (each in a dab of beet foam), graceful quarters of glazed baby turnip and soft, rich rutabaga fries. Maddy’s charcuterie (tête de veau croquette, pork rillettes) is superlative, and his main courses, like pink snapper on a bouillabaisse sauce with Manila clams and celery, continue to surprise and impress.
1628 Oak Lawn Ave., Dallas. 214-712-9700. oakdallas.com.
André Natera
The Pyramid Restaurant
The Fairmont Dallas’ outstanding chef uses Asian ingredients and accents so seamlessly in his sophisticated American- slash-French dishes that it doesn’t come across as fusion cooking. Sometimes it’s daring, like a velvety foie gras torchon served with salty, tart, lightly spicy yuzu kosho – a paste made from yuzu (a Japanese citrus) zest, chile and salt – and apple-ponzu gelée. (Yes, it works: delightfully.) Other times it’s just straight-ahead fabulous, as in lobster dumplings, tender lobster medallions and enoki mushrooms in a rich dashi broth perfumed with Thai basil and brightened with scallion. Or slices of duck breast given the Chinese five-spice treatment, set on French green lentils, sauced with a terrific cardamom-duck jus and paired with a big duck-confit-filled raviolo.
The Fairmont Dallas hotel, 1717 N. Akard St., Dallas. 214-720-5249. pyramidrestaurant.com
Teiichi Sakurai
Tei-An
The incomparable chef-owner of Dallas’ five-star Japanese dining room excels at two things: elevating traditional dishes to their loftiest possible expression, and creating, within that idiom, something entirely new. An almost fanatical approach to sourcing is key; Sakurai’s long list of specials changes daily. The result might be slabs of cured King mackerel with tiny cubes of delicate dashi gelée. Or a sublime take on okonomiyaki: a thick, almost omeletlike buckwheat pancake chock-full of tiny dried shrimp and tender squid, showered with ethereal bonito flakes. Oh, and Sakurai turns out some of the finest handmade soba in the country.
One Arts Plaza, 1722 Routh St., Dallas. 214-220-2828. tei-an.com.
David Uygur
Lucia
Uygur’s tiny Bishop Arts restaurant remains one of the toughest reservations to snag in Big D, and for good reason. The chef’s cooking is all about synergy – the way chopped chicken livers commune with juicy, balsamic-macerated Black Mission figs on crostini, or fresh oregano heightens a very original lamb tartare topped with raw duck egg. Uygur is a genius of pasta, as demonstrated by, say, rye tagliatelle with a wonderfully nutty flavor sauced with a porky ragu with caraway, mint and rapini. Last summer, a gorgeously cooked, thick-cut veal chop simply done with herbs and served with fingerling potatoes and slender carrots blew away my entire table. Not only does his menu change constantly, but also Uygur turns out excellent desserts.
408 W. Eighth St., Dallas. 214-948-4998. luciadallas.com.
Tre Wilcox
Village Marquee Texas Grill and Bar
At a dinner several months ago, the kitchen at this clubby, 18-month-old Highland Park Village spot was absolutely slammed – two sous-chefs were apparently out sick, and several other staffers were missing besides. The cooks worked at a feverish pace, as we could see thanks to the open kitchen. Plates went out smoothly to the tables, no one yelled, and our dinner impressed from A to Z. That’s a real testament to Top Chef favorite Wilcox’s skill and talent. Excellent Beeman Ranch steaks slathered with foie gras butter may draw the crowds, but dishes like smoked hamachi tartare layered with sweet crabmeat and pico de gallo, set atop swirls of avocado sauce, or a rabbit tenderloin rubbed with coffee and ancho chile and served with trembly discs of chocolate panna cotta and tiny hills of pumpkin-seed powder land this chef a spot for the first time along with the rest of D-FW’s best.
33 Highland Park Village, Dallas. 214-522-6035. marqueegrill.com.
Follow Leslie Brenner on Twitter at @lesbren.
TELL US YOUR PICKS We’d love to hear your choices for the best chefs in D-FW. Go to eatsblog.dallasnews.com, look for the Best in DFW: Chefs post and tell us who your favorite chef is and why in a comment. Or send an email, including your full (real) name and city of residence to lbrenner@ dallasnews.com. We’ll publish highlights, focusing on chefs not mentioned in this story, in the Oct. 26 issue of Guide.
OTHER BEST IN DFW CHOICES Log on to dallasnews.com/bestindfw to see other categories, including Mexican and Tex-Mex Restaurants, Great for Vegetarians, Hamburgers and more.

PHOTO(S): 1. (BrandonWade/Special Contributor) Chef Jason Maddy of Oak 2. (Christian Randolph/Staff Photographer) Tiffany Derry’s “Peking style” duck breast 3. (Christian Randolph/Staff Photographer) André Natera heads the kitchen at the Pyramid Restaurant. 4. (Nathan Hunsinger/Staff Photographer) Tim Byres’ quail with chickpeas, turnip greens and harissa at Smoke 5. (Rex C. Curry/Special Contributor) From the Mansion Restaurant, Bruno Davaillon’s foie gras custard 6. (Christian Randolph/Staff Photographer) Private Social chef Tiffany Derry 7. (Mona Reeder/Staff Photographer) Lucia chef David Uygur 8. (Mona Reeder/Staff Photographer) David Uygur’s veal chop with root vegetables 9. (Christian Randolph/Staff Photographer) Scott Gottlich, chef at Bijoux 10. (Lara Solt/Staff Photographer) Omar Flores’ Little Neck clams with house-made sausage 11. (BrandonWade/Special Contributor) Jeff Harris’ crisp-skinned chicken with fiddlehead ferns 12. (BrandonWade/Special Contributor) Jason Maddy’s pink snapper with bouillabaisse sauce 13. (Kye R. Lee/Staff Photographer) Teiichi Sakurai’s 48-hour-braised Angus beef 14. (Kye R. Lee/Staff Photographer) Tei-An chef Teiichi Sakurai 15. (Carter Rose/Special Contributor) Tre Wilcox, chef at Village Marquee 16. ON THE COVER (Photo by Lara Solt/Staff Photographer ; Design by Marilyn Bishkin/Staff Designer) Omar Flores at Driftwood. See Leslie Brenner’s picks for the best chefs in D-FW on Page 26.