Dallas’ Finest Dining

by Sam Todd
stodd@smu.edu

Dallas is a city of a food, but more importantly, a city of restaurants.

It is commonly heard that Dallas has the most restaurants per capita of any city in the United States, trumping culinary meccas like New York City, a place normally thought of as the restaurant capital of the country, if not the world.

But in a city more synonymous with housewives and kitchens large enough to cook meals for 40 than the take-out and tiny kitchenettes of the Big Apple, the Big D has become the king of going out to eat.

For many Dallasites, and especially the “Parkies” of Highland Park and University Park, being seen out on the town is essential to obtaining a well-rounded reputation in a large city that sometimes has the feel of a small Texas town.

And while Dallas is home to more than a million inhabitants, the select residents of these wealthier neighborhoods where big hair, big cars and big bank accounts reign demand the best of the best.

Especially when it comes to what, and more importantly who, is in the kitchen.

Every city has its iconic restaurant, and Dallas, a city practically built on its icons, has more than usual.

The restaurant scene in Dallas is an integral part of the social circle, and the chefs who run these iconic restaurants are considered local celebrities with devout followers.

And while there may be almost 3,000 restaurants inside Dallas city limits, three chefs truly sit at the top of the heap.

Their names are Stephan Pyles, Dean Fearing and Kent Rathbun, and if you know your restaurants, you know these names like the back of your hand.

Pyles and Fearing have been in the Dallas restaurant scene since its beginning, and a large majority of the chefs working in restaurant kitchens today have worked beneath them at least once during their careers.

This is even the case for the third icon of the scene, Rathbun.

According to his website biography, Pyles is described as the “founding father of Southwestern Cuisine.” Over the past 25 years, he has opened 14 restaurants, he was the first chef in the Southwest to win the highly prized James Beard Award and he was the first Texan to be inducted into the list of “Who’s Who of Food and Wine in America.”

For many, he is best known for Star Canyon, opened in 1994 and named as one of the best new restaurants in America by several publications.

After selling the famous spot in the late 90’s and taking on various projects, he established a new restaurant carrying his name in the heart of Dallas’ Arts District in 2005.

Stephan Pyles, the restaurant, is still a solid fixture in today’s food scene, and in the last month, Pyles opened Samar, described as international tapas, to an enormous amount of press and publicity not only here in North Texas but throughout the country.

Fearing, an equally acclaimed culinary star, has brought even more national attention to the Dallas food scene.

Formerly the chef at the renowned Mansion on Turtle Creek, Chef Fearing, also described as the “Father of Southwest Cuisine”, truly defined Dallas food with his signature dishes and distinctive brand that has formed over the last 20 years.

Also a James Beard recipient, Fearing started his own self-titled restaurant, Fearing’s, in the Ritz-Carlton on McKinney Avenue in the swanky Uptown neighborhood of Dallas, just across the expressway from the Pyles-dominated Arts District.

Walking into Fearing’s is like walking into a snapshot of what Dallas is all about.

The Rattlesnake Bar, with its walls covered in rattlesnake pattern, is filled night after night with women who redefine big hair and men who paid more for their jeans and custom made cowboy boots than some would pay for ten pairs of jeans and cowboy boots.

It oozes upscale Texan as bartenders pour one top-shelf margarita after the other, and sets the scene for the culinary adventure that lies ahead.

The menu is filled with original creations that have become iconic dishes for the city of Dallas, like his famous tortilla soup, barbeque shrimp tacos and chicken-fried Maine lobster.

Although many may consider these restaurants upscale, they represent a huge shift from the overly formal and almost stuffy feel of the Dallas restaurant scene of the past.

Pyles and Fearing’s recent ventures have been blue jean-friendly, with extra attention given to designer jeans of course, and have a much more casual feel than those of the past.

Kelle Jackson and Catharine Flagg, the two forces behind Jackson & Flagg Public Relations, mainly specialize in restaurant publicity, and have seen the landscape change over the years they’ve spent living and breathing the Dallas food industry and working with many of Dallas’ finest.

One thing they know for sure is that the chefs that start in Dallas succeed in Dallas.

“One thing that can be said about Dallas foodies is that they support their own. The top 100 restaurants in the city are almost 95% locally owned, and chains from outside Dallas have a tough time surviving in this town,” said Jackson, who started working with Stephan Pyles a month after it’s opening in 2005.

In a city like Dallas, where name brands are considered almost sacred, local faces and local connections are considered the cream of the crop when it comes to food.

These chefs don’t just create award-winning meals; they also create a bond with the customer that can stay strong throughout a chef’s career.

“The key to Dallas’ celebrity chefs is that they show their face, they touch tables, they recognize customers and that they shake your hand,” said Flagg, whose first job after graduating from Southern Methodist University was in the public relations office for Fearing at the Mansion.

She noted that Fearing always makes it a point to show his face as much as he can and see the customer to personally make sure they’re enjoying their meal.

“With every good restaurant in Dallas, the customer knows the name of the chef, or the manager, or someone there,” she added.

That connection is something prized highly by both the customer and the chef, and according to the city’s third restaurant icon, Rathbun, it’s an essential tool to success.

He is the culinary genius behind Abacus, Jasper’s and his most recent, more casual, addition, Rathbun’s Blue Plate.

His resume sounds very familiar to those of Pyles and Fearing, with multiple awards for his various projects throughout his career.

One thing that sets him apart from the other two is that while rising up in the culinary ranks, he worked under Fearing at the Mansion on Turtle Creek, which really shows that if you’re cooking in Dallas, you’ve most likely been with one of the greats.

“The most important part of the restaurant is the concept. But once you rise above that, the service is so important,” says Rathbun. “In Dallas, you can have good food, not even great, but if you have bad service, you’re in trouble. It’s a constant challenge to take care of every guest, but you have to get to know your client, and make sure they come back over and over so you can develop that relationship.”

“You want to know what table they like, which waiter they like, what kind of music they like, how loud they like it- there are so many aspects of what someone can like, and even if you’re always doing the food they love, the service, and the connection to the customer, is the most important thing.”

Rathbun’s other connection to Fearing is through their wives, who in 2006 opened a restaurant of their own, Shinsei.

Owners Tracy Rathbun and Lynae Fearing capitalized on their success to create a new favorite on the local scene, and adopted many of their spouses’ practices in their own restaurant’s development. Having iconic last names like their own didn’t hurt.

Tammy Schupbach, a waitress at Shinsei who has become almost as well known as the famous chefs and managers throughout her extensive career, is a prime example that what really matters is who you know, and how you keep those connections strong.

In 1994, Schupbach started at Yamaguchi’s— the family owned restaurant previously in Shinsei’s space. Both the Rathbuns and the Fearings were some of her most loyal patrons.

“When the restaurant closed, the couples bought it together and turned it into what it is today. I’ve been here for all of it, with all of my loyal customers in tow,” says Schupbach.

Shinsei has also had its share of recognizable names in the kitchen, which Schupbach mentioned as an important key to its success.

“Casey Thompson (of the hit Bravo reality show Top Chef) originally worked for Dean (Fearing) at the Mansion, and after Top Chef she became the head chef here, which made the place explode,” she said.

“I think so much of our success is all about the names, as Fearing and Rathbun are both top names in the business. They’re good with people, and good with service, which is what really will make you or break you. You can build a place and people will come, but if you’re not good with people then there’s no way they’ll stay.”

Charisse Johnson, a bartender at the pan-Asian themed establishment, shared the same sentiment as Schupbach, although she has only been working there for the past eight months.

“I think a restaurant’s success has a lot to do with the food, but more to do with the service. The people here are what brings people back here over and over again. The customers know what they want and only frequent the places where they know their needs are met, and we work hard to make sure they’re satisfied when they walk out that door,” said Johnson.

And while the service may be key, the name is equally important, says Rathbun.

“The name has certainly helped my career, and Dean and Stephan would say the same thing. Dallas is a city that loves their chefs, and it’s an honor to be considered as one of the best,” he said.

“Having a name that customers know gives you a leg up on a chef who might not have the same recognition, but we all started at the bottom. People haven’t always recognized the Rathbun name, and if I were opening a restaurant 15 years ago I wouldn’t have anything close to the support I have today.”

“Regardless, the bottom line is that they walk away feeling good, and they trust the name enough to come back. A reputation is something you have to uphold, and if you don’t, you’re done.”