10 BEST NEW RESTAURANTS in DALLAS, The

D Magazine, Apr 01, 2002 by Nichols, Nancy, Malouf, Mary Brown

A STAMPEDE OF STEAKHOUSES OVERRAN THE RESTAURANT scene in Dallas last year, and innovative, imaginative fine dining seemed on the very verge of extinction. There were a handful of creative makeovers: Arcodoro/Pomodoro moved and improved its popular Sardinian menu, Cafe on the Green at the Four Seasons elevated Chef Christof Syre's cuisine, and the fine-dining experience at Arthur's arose from the flames and is back in fine form.

But this year, in spite of some big-name closings, in the face of recession, national disaster, and consumer caution, the prospects for dining out in Dallas are stronger than ever.

The new marketing language of restaurateurs often refers to the "DNA" of the business. A restaurant with strong DNA (delicious food, appealing design, and a reasonable business plan based on good timing) is one that will survive, and, possibly, replicate. This year's list of best restaurants proves Dallas dining is survival of the fittest.

1. 36 DEGREES

Love Among the Ruins

CHEF CHRIS SVALESEN FIRST SURFACED IN A Dallas kitchen 22 years ago with a prophetic promise to inlanders: I will make you eaters of fish. And, restaurant by restaurant, he has done just that. His latest venue, 36 Degrees (in an old T.G.I. Friday's location on Lemmon Avenue) is his dream restaurant, the big one he's been waiting for. Unfortunately, like so many other dreams, it suffered heavy damage on Sept. 11. But Svalesen has sublimely risen above the wreckage and created a place of grace from the chaos.

The dining room walls are made of raw Sheetrock, and the ceiling is yards of cheesecloth draped over twinkle lights. At the end of the tiny dining room is the kitchen, through which you have to walk to get to the restrooms and from which Svalesen sends out his plates of fabulous food.

Appetizer mussels were open-mouthed morsels, steamed to a quiver in a fragrant bath of gentle green curry; an aggregate of lobster nuggets shaped into a cake was presented on a plate splashed Pollock-style with vivid apricot and cumin remoulade. And a non-fish appetizer, the fried green tomato salad, was the Platonic ideal of this mythical dish. The tomato slices (surely doubledipped) were solidly coated so that the hot fat browned the crust without rendering the tart fruit to mush.

Svalesen has brought some favorites with him from past venues, such as the green "Mexican bouillabaisse," one of the most successful dishes at the erratic Fish, as well as the excellent lobster bisque, a soup with the resonance of good stock backing up the lobster essence and cream. Go elsewhere if you want steak or pasta, not because they aren't good here, but because you can't get seafood better elsewhere.

Artist's renderings hanging in the lobby depict the way 36 Degrees will look eventually. The vision is coolly elegant, an ice cream-colored version of Abacus. Svalesen's investors were hurt badly - in the pocketbook - in the aftermath of Sept. 11, so they pulled their support of the restaurant, at least temporarily, and the grand opening that was supposed to take place in October 2001 hadn't happened as of press time. To stay afloat, Svalesen opened the retail seafood market, Net Result, and then this temporary restaurant, making a beautiful success of the sad circumstances.

The contrast between the high-minded elegance of the food and the makeshift surroundings seems eerily timely, strangely appropriate. As is, 36 Degrees perfectly suits the unsettled, temporary mood of today's newly unbalanced world. 4140 Lemmon Ave. @ Douglas Ave. 214-521-4488, $$-$$$. Full bar.

2. YORK STREET

Alpha Female

SHARON HAGE'S YORK STREET IS THE PERfeet example of a delicious movement: the artisanal restaurant. In contrast to the big-business, high-profile, corporate-style steakhouses and gourmet palaces that have dominated Dallas dining, York Street shows Chef Hage's hands in every aspect of the business. She selected - "collected" is a more accurate word - the eclectic china place settings, a mix of new and old, fragile and funky. She buys the food, as much as possible from small sources, and much of it is organic. She writes the daily menu on her computer at home. She dreams up and prepares all the food. And her philosophy fuels the business. "I believe if it doesn't evolve, you die," she says. "Every day I ask myself, What can we do to make this place more comfortable for people who come here?"

It's a distinctly feminine definition of success: not bigger, but better.

To achieve it, she relies on a network of small purveyors and friends. Tom Spicer provides her organic produce and herbs; Pike's seafood in Portland, Maine, sends her skatewings, cod, and exotic seafood; Winn Meats brings in Jamison lamb and B3R organic beef for her ever-changing "chalkboard on paper" menu. She points out, rightly, that shopping is as much a part of being a chef as cooking.

Hage eschews the cliche triumphs of being a successful chef. For instance, she avoids "tortilla soup syndrome." being pigeonholed by a signature dish. In fact, she says, "It's a personal goal never to have a signature dish." York Street's tiny size works to her advantage: tentative regulars are still trying something different every time, and she wants to keep it that way, constantly experimenting with new and unusual ingredients and combinations.