Shannon S.
Yelp
The Fairmont Hotel has been a special part of my family for a long time. My grandparents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary there a few years ago, and my parents and I have stayed there many times. I always recalled the restaurant as one of the "fancier" places in Dallas and more old fashioned. So when I heard they brought on a new chef and developed an all-new menu that is more accessible and modern, I decided to treat my dad to a nice dinner and check it out!
First off, the service was outstanding. The manager Jonathan made us feel so welcome, and our server Miguel was very friendly and attentive. We found a very well-priced Pinot Noir (under $50!) and settled in for our meal.
The chef sent out an amuse bouche which was nice. It was a tiny cup of cantaloupe gazpacho. Perfect for the warm evening, and the perfect start to our meal.
The appetizers all looked so good, but we decided on the Pork & Apples and the deconstructed Banh Mi dish. The Pork & Apples was AMAZING! The pork belly was crisp but melt-in-your-mouth tender. It was resting on little swipes of house-made honey-mustard (from the bee hives on the roof) and wilted greens. But the apples! I've never seen anything like them--the chef said they were canned apples. They have the texture and sweetness of baked apples, rolled in a caramel sauce and crushed pecans. Heavenly! The dish was a triumph of sweet and savory coming together.
The Banh Mi dish was a twist on the classic, with confit rabbit rillettes instead of pork pate. You spread the rabbit on baguette, then top with the fresno chile aioli and pickled veggies and herbs. It was so fun and tasty!
I also got the Raw Garden salad, which is really cool because it's lettuce-free. Just hearty raw veggies sliced super thin and seasoned, so there was a lot of crunch and flavor. Very good salad!
For our entrees, I got the Shrimp & Grits and my dad got the Salmon. My Shrimp & Grits was outstanding! The blue-corn grits were the perfect consistency and very flavorful. The shrimp were not wimpy at all, and tasted fresh out of the ocean. It sounds crazy, but one of my favorite things about the dish was the tomatoes. I'm not sure how they cooked them, but they had a really concentrated tomato flavor. My dad's salmon was great as well, with a very crispy exterior--my only complaint of the whole meal was that it was a little overcooked (I like my salmon a little raw in the middle) but the flavors were there. Love the fresh sauteed veggies that came with it, too!
So at this point we were getting pretty full but having such a great time, and we couldn't resist tasting some of the desserts (that's what to-go boxes are made for, amirite?) so I ordered the Ice Cream Sandwich and dad got the Bread Pudding. Let me tell you, I'm so happy I boxed up half of my dinner so I had room for dessert. The ice cream sandwich was spectacular! I've never had anything like it. The cookies were chamomile flavored, with lavender ice cream and blueberry compote inside. I loved how they presented it in a little wax paper wrapper. So cute! My dad's bread pudding was super rich, but it was the ice cream on top that blew me away. I have no clue how they do it but it has this crunchy exterior, almost like it's rolled in toffee? YUM! Also, Jonathan recommended some dessert wine for us to try with our selections and it was the perfect pairing.
At some point while I was slipping into a food coma the chef, Brandon, came and spoke with us. He was very warm and seemed genuinely interested in how we were enjoying everything. I gave him a high five and a thumbs up lol. I could hear other tables telling him how much they enjoyed their food as well. A table near us ordered a vegan pasta dish that looked very interesting--I'll have to come back and try it next time!
We had such a great time and I will for sure be back to try some other things on the menu, like the Brick Chicken and the Pasta Carbonara. The prices are reasonable for such a "fancy" place and I could see myself coming to the bar for happy hour and a bite to eat.