The Best Dishes That Dallas Food Experts Ate in 2024 | Eater Dallas

"Chef Charles Olalia’s tasting menu at this venue. His interpretations reflected restraint, high French technique, an uncontrived yet measured blend of Asian ingredients. He is the reason Dallas (not just tourists) need to come back to this venue. His pedigree is peerless, but his humility makes him a true leader. Dallas cannot compete with major culinary destinations until we have a diverse stable of chefs telling their stories through their food. There aren’t very many named BIPOC chefs making ethnic foods in Dallas, unlike Chicago, NYC, Houston, or L.A. where you see Mexican, Filipino, Black, and Korean chefs taking home big awards for their cities. Chef Charles’ appointment as one of the only named Asian-American chefs in North Texas is needed to reinforce our bid to be an esteemed dining destination. This appointment is compounded by the fact that the sommelier, Brian Huynh, is also Asian-American. I count this duo as part of a new generation of culinary cultural producers in our city." — Chef Michelle Carpenter. The tasting menu is praised for restraint, high French technique, a balanced integration of Asian ingredients, and the leadership and representation provided by Chef Charles Olalia and sommelier Brian Huynh." - Courtney E. Smith