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Dallas
With the AC on full-blast, I took the
10-lane freeway into Dallas, a city of
strung-out suburbs where everyone
seems to drive everywhere.
I was heading to Abacus, where
chef Kent Rathbun presides over
a menu with a strong Southeast
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Asian flavour – not least in dishes
such as his signature lobster-spring
onion shooter: six lobster and
spring onion wontons with a Thai
red curry coconut cream. However,
“a lot of the food we do here reflects
STAR
Texas,” says Kent, a former Iron
Chef America winner. So the menu
is strong on grills and steaks, such
as the buffalo fillet, which is served
with truffled potatoes (pictured),
but that’s not all. “Texas food is a
blend of Southwestern American
STATE
food with Latino. So you get a lot of
barbecue-style food with Mexican
influences. You see a lot of cilantro
[coriander], jalapeno, chillies and
beef. We serve tacos. We serve
tamales and empanadas. But we try
to take them to a five-star level.”
Such tinkering is not something
t the airport I decided against the that interests Stephen Justynski of
Words Paul Dring Photography David Loftus convertible. Texas can get rather hot in Cafe Madrid. A classically trained
the summer months, so I put aside my
Thelma & Louise soft-top fantasy and opted
for the air-con. I also chose not to upgrade to
a larger car, deciding that my Dodge’s
2.4-litre engine was quite sufficient, thank
you. This was my first sign that they like
things a bit bigger here, from their steaks to
their cities. Texas has five cities among the
US’s biggest 16, and over the next five days
I would visit each one – Dallas, Fort Worth,
Austin, San Antonio and Houston – to check
out their burgeoning food scenes.
106 jamiemagazine.com
chef with a diploma from the
Culinary Institute of America,
Stephen plays it straight with
perfect tapas classics, from a superb
Spanish tortilla to gambas al ajillo
and chorizo con ajo e vino. “We
keep it authentic. We’re like a little
outpost of Spain.” Looking around
the room adorned with Spanish bar
ephemera, from football scarves to
sherry barrels, I see what he means.
At Samar in the Arts district, chef
Stephan Pyles is also influenced by
Spanish cooking, though he blends
it with Eastern Mediterranean and
Indian cuisines on his small-plates
menu. Stephan was instrumental
in developing the style of cuisine
known as ‘Southwestern’, which
combines Texan ingredients and
French sensibilities to create a
fine-dining phenomenon.
“My food is less rustic than you’d
expect Texan food to be, because of
my French training,” says Stephan,
“but it’s very gutsy, with bold
flavours. It uses ingredients from
the area, not only chillies but
seafood from the Gulf Coast and
game, and also the dishes of Texas.” it with a tomatillo sauce. Or
For Stephan, the restaurant history this,” he says, pointing to a dish
of Texas, Dallas in particular, of seared foie gras. “It includes
parallels that of the UK. Both were a marmalade made from
fort
derided for their food and both have xoconostle, a cactus flower, an
rediscovered their culinary pride. ancho-chilli streusel and a jelly
“I still get people who travel say to of tomato water and mescal.”
me, ‘You can’t get decent food in Though the effect is refined,
worth
the UK’. I say, ‘Are you crazy? Maybe the theory behind it is not far
30 years ago.’ That’s similar to removed from Tex Mex in the
what’s happening here in Texas.” way it adapts one cuisine to the
demands of another. “When
AddRESS book Mexican immigrants used to
Abacus 4511 McKinney Avenue; come here, they couldn’t find
+1 214 559 3111, kentrathbun.com their own food, so they used
Cafe Madrid 4501 Travis Street; +1 local ingredients to replicate
214 528 1731, cafemadrid-dallas.com dishes from home.” And by
Samar by Stephan Pyles 2100 Ross Whereas Dallas is big and brash, Fort at a time. Lanny P Lancarte II is Joe mediating the bold flavours for
Avenue; +1 214 922 9922, Worth, 35 miles west, is laidback. T’s great-grandson, though his Texan diners, Tex Mex was born.
samarrestaurant.com Back in the day, cowboys emptied restaurant, Lanny’s Alta Cocina, “Though I don’t cook it, I like
their pockets and filled their boots offers something more rarefied than to defend Tex Mex because my
Tomato, watermelon and avocado salad here before driving their steers along the Tex Mex his family are famed for. great-grandmother and great-
(this page) at Cafe Madrid (opposite, top the Chisholm Trail to Kansas. “We don’t do classic interpretations grandfather were pioneers of it,”
right). Other Dallas highlights include Like elsewhere in Texas, Fort Worth of Mexican cuisine, we incorporate says Lanny. “It’s Texas’s own
Samar, whose menu features Bombay- mingles flavours of the West with Mexican ingredients into ‘alta cucina’ cuisine. Along with Louisiana,
style prawns with fried okra (top). In Fort those of Mexico – most notably at Joe interpretations,” says Lanny. “For we’re the only region in the US to
Worth, Lanny Lancarte (centre) serves T Garcia’s, which opened as a 16-seat example, we have a huitlacoche have a distinct style of food.”
good-quality Mexican fare in a city known joint in 1935 and now rambles over crêpe. This is a fungus that grows on Family heritage is also evident
for its Western influences a whole block, feeding 1,000 diners corn. We wrap it in a crêpe and serve at Ellerbe Fine Foods, where chef
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aUstIN
Austin is weird. I’m not being
nasty – that’s what Austinites
say. ‘Keep Austin weird!’ is a
slogan you’ll see on bumper
stickers throughout the city,
the rallying cry of a place that
celebrates non-conformity.
When I arrive, Austin is
celebrating its Republic of
Texas Biker Rally, a four-day
homage to motorcycles. This
isn’t the snarling Hell’s Angels
convention you might fear.
Top-of-the-range Harleys don’t
come cheap these days, so to
rock the full biker look it helps
if you’re a banker or lawyer.
Biker-central was 6th Street,
a strip of neon-lit bars
Molly McCook recreates her pumping out the live music
grandmother’s dishes in a Austin is known for. Set
Shawn Cirkiel of Parkside beautifully restored former gas incongruously among them is
(left). Olivia’s clam tom yum station. “My grandparents were the Driskill Hotel, an outpost
(above) is nearly as striking farmers and cooked from their of old-style Southern hospitality, where executive chef Jonathan Gelman’s
as its chef’s boots (right). garden, so a lot of my recipes are fine-dining menu incorporates dishes such as Texas wagyu beef with
San Antonio’s River Walk memory foods.” Molly uses local smoked cheddar grits and morel mushrooms.
(below) is overlooked by produce in stunning dishes such Parkside is another oasis on 6th, where Shawn Cirkiel prepares inventive
Biga, where achiote-roasted as her blue cheese and heirloom dishes such as Sicilian caponata with cauliflower, sea bass ceviche with
pork (below left) is popular tomato salad. lime and jalapeno, and, from his next-door pizza joint, the Backspace,
Set up in 2009, Ellerbe’s is a lemony pizza bianco with own-made mozzarella and pecorino romano.
relative newcomer, unlike Grace, “We let the produce lead the direction of the food,” said Shawn, pointing
which serves upscale American to a strawberry, beets and lavosh [cracker bread] salad. “Our strawberries
bistro food. Owner Adam Jones and beets come from within 45 minutes of here, we make our own lavosh,
has run restaurants in the city I get this beautiful peppery arugula (rocket) from just 20 minutes away.”
since 1992. “It’s a great place to At Olivia, chef James Holmes is inspired by ingredients from even closer
be a restaurateur. We’re very to home. “I had a big green space out back so I thought ‘I have to grow food
proud of our city. In Fort Worth, there’.” James’s plot now yields much of Olivia’s produce, appearing in
we like to say ‘there’s a small city dishes such as gnocchi with amaranth, squash blossoms, trumpet
to our east called Dallas’.” mushrooms and corn purée. “A lot of Austin’s hippies are getting older and
they have great gardens, so I get great growing advice!”
AddRESS book James fell in love with Austin when he visited the city as a boy with his
Ellerbe Fine Foods 1501 West grandfather. He finds Austin’s laidback vibe suits him. “You’ve got the
Magnolia Avenue; +1 817 926 3663, university, and lots of artists and musicians. You can come in here in
ellerbefinefoods.com shorts and sandals and have a very nice meal. I love Austin.”
Grace 777 Main Street; +1 817 877
3388, gracefortworth.com AddRESS book
Lanny’s Alta Cocina Mexicana The Driskill Grill 604 Brazos Street; +1 512 391 7162, driskillgrill.com
3405 West 7th Street; +1 817 850 Olivia 2043 South Lamar; +1 512 804 2700, olivia-austin.com
9996, lannyskitchen.com Parkside 301 East 6th Street; + 1 512 474 9898, parkside-austin.com
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aNtoNIo
Jason Dady (opposite, on the right,
with brother Jake), whose San Antonio
joint, Two Bros, serves up first-rate
hoUstoN
barbecue (previous pages). The Alamo
(opposite), where Davy Crockett made
his stand. Beet brownie (below) at
T’afia in Houston. Stella Sola (below
left) styles itself as Texan-Tuscan
“I’ve had a restaurant here for 20 years,” says
Monica Pope, “and in the last five years things
have got a lot more interesting.” Monica runs
T’afia, where light and fresh dishes such as her
beetroot and quinoa tabbouleh benefit from her
pioneering belief in local sourcing.
“We’ve spent eight or nine years building up
our farmers’ market” – held every Saturday
morning in the parking lot in front of the
saN
restaurant – “but we needed to develop the
flipside where chefs were supporting it, too.
Within the last five years, a lot of younger chefs
have returned to the city and many of them are
practising farm-to-table to some degree.”
Two Bros BBQ Market, chef Jason Chief among these returning sons is Bryan
Dady slow-cooks beef brisket joints Caswell, whose seafood restaurant, Reef, won
for 18 hours in two barbecue pits. him Best New Chef from Food & Wine magazine
“It was a preserving method,” he in 2009. Caswell’s new restaurant, Stella Sola,
says. “The cowboys used to take the styles itself as Texan Tuscan. He’s also just
whole cow, smoke it in small opened El Real, a huge cantina serving
pieces, then travel with it. Like any authentic Mexican cuisine. Over at Gravitas,
culture, these foods that grew out of meanwhile, chef Fidel Flores accentuates his
necessity are now very popular and American bistro menu with Texan and Mexican
barbecue is very Texan.” flourishes in dishes such as duck-confit tacos
Jason’s menu includes cherry- and shrimp corn dogs with chipotle ketchup.
San Antonio is where Davy Crockett glazed pork back ribs, chargrilled The city’s tourist board has recently come up
and friends defended the Alamo cabrito (goat) and BBQ chicken with a series of culinary tours to showcase this
from its Mexican besiegers in 1836, wings, which are cooked in two diverse scene – visit houstonculinarytours.com.
although these days the city is more cast-iron barbecues that resemble “I went to cooking school in London about 25
receptive to Mexican influence, not traction engines. But it’s beef that’s years ago,” says Monica Pope. “In some ways
least in its food. Try Mi Tierra, a the big draw. “Texas is known for a playful take on the classic Texan London and Houston are very similar, not just
local favourite on Produce Row. brisket. You’re taking an 18lb piece artery furrer, chicken-fried steak – in terms of their ethnic diversity but also
A few blocks east you’ll find the of meat that’s tough as nails and and wider influences from the Gulf because, at one time, neither place had any real
River Walk, a meandering loop of overcooking it, so you’ve got to keep of Mexico, not least in the habanero respect for the local food scene.” All that has
San Antonio River that’s lined with it moist. Cooking one brisket’s easy. jerk scallops with cheesy grits and changed now. “We’re not all about Tex Mex and
restaurants and makes a popular Cooking 25 a day, and keeping them a pineapple rum chutney. barbecue. Sure, that’s fun to try for people
spot for an early evening stroll. Of moist, that’s the fun part, but we With the Culinary Institute of coming to Texas. But there’s a lot of other great
the many restaurants here, I choose give it our best shot every day.” America having just opened a San stuff happening here, too.”
Boudro’s, where manager Andreas Biga on the Banks, chef Bruce Antonio outpost, this is the kind of
Esparza whips up an impressive Auden’s restaurant on River Walk, whimsical, inventive cooking the AddRESS book
guacamole and frozen paw-paw is every bit as sophisticated as Two city will soon be used to. Gravitas 807 Taft Street; +1 713 522 0995,
margarita at my table. “San Antonio Bros is down-home. Bruce, gravitasrestaurant.com
people like to have fiesta,” he says. a six-time James Beard Award AddRESS book Stella Sola 1001 Studewood Street; +1 713 880
“It’s all about great food, great nominee, is a native of Hendon, Biga on the Banks 203 Sth St Mary’s 1001, stellasolahouston.com
margaritas and great times!” north London – he came to the US at Street; +1 210 225 0722, biga.com T’afia 3701 Travis Street; +1 713 524 6922, tafia.com
As well as its Mexican influences, 17 – and his English roots are Boudro’s 421 East Commerce; +1 210
San Antonio has a wonderful evident in desserts such as the 224 8484, boudros.com
exponent of that other great local delightfully sticky toffee pudding. Two Bros BBQ Market 12656 West for more offers, promotions and further
tradition – good old Texas barbecue. There are Texan flourishes too – his Avenue; +1 210 496 0222, information on texan food, culture and lifestyle,
In a shack behind his restaurant, starter of chicken-fried oysters is twobrosbbqmarket.com visit traveltex.com/ukpromo
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