Stephan Pyles Restaurant

Description:

• The local celebrity chef Stephan Pyles, a fifth-generation Texan, made his name with Southwestern cooking at Routh Street Café and then, most famously, Star Canyon, before taking a long hiatus. A couple of years ago he returned to Dallas with a heap of fanfare and critical raves, establishing his eponymous restaurant downtown in the Arts District. Large, but not overwhelming in size, and flashy, but not ridiculously so, the restaurant is refined and cosmopolitan -- a little like Dallas itself. It features exposed brick and Texas stone, an O'Keeffe-like stick chandelier, a copper-covered bar and dividing curtain, and comfortably spaced tables and semicircular leather-clad booths.

  The main attraction of the dining room, though, is the huge, glass-enclosed kitchen. From it spills forth a delectable roster of Southwestern, Latin, and international dishes, opening with eight types of ceviche (available individually or in tasting groups), iced gazpacho shooters, and spit-roasted suckling pig and apple-pecan empanadas. Main courses boast similarly interesting twists but don't try too hard to be cutting edge. The boneless barbecued beef short rib, served with a tamal-criollo-and-chipotle salsa, is perfection, and a Star Canyon favorite, the bone-in cowboy rib-eye with red-chile onion rings and mushroom ragout, will also satisfy traditionalists. The wine list is about as good as it gets in Dallas, with an emphasis on lesser-known finds from around the world as well as big-spender California cabs and bordeaux. Value diners should check out lunch, which locals know to be a real bargain, with main courses under $15.

• © Frommer's 2013

Awards:

Frommer's

•  Highly Recommended 2010