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Dallas Dining Delightsby Dave Shultz
Is Dallas, Texas the culinary capitol of the world? Probably not, but it is where most cooking
‘trends’ start these days. There are
more original and innovative chefs in Dallas than any other culinary center in
the country. Trends seem to start here
and spread out to both coasts. Of
course, by the time they get to the coasts, something new is happening in
Dallas. The Dallas / Fort Worth Metroplex is a sprawling urban mix
of residential neighborhoods dotted with commercial shopping centers and
high-rise buildings. Mixed in these
commercial areas, you’ll find some of the best restaurants in the world. So, if you’re in Dallas, turn off the TV and
venture out into a brave new culinary world and be the first to experience fine
dining trends soon to be written about in California and New York newspapers as
‘hot’ and ‘new’. Seasons
Chef Ty was born and raised in New York State's Finger Lakes
region. From there he took his love of
farm fresh foods and headed west to Denver to launch his career.
  Ty's ebullient
personality extends from the kitchen, where his staff benefits from his love of
teaching and sharing knowledge and techniques, encouraging them in their own
creativity, to the dining room, where he is frequently seen meeting and
welcoming guests.
To listen to Madelyn Miller interview Chef Ty, go to our TravelLady Talk section. Laurels
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The Renaissance Dallas North offers 289 elegantly appointed
rooms in a European style and one unique restaurant called Seasons. Chef
Ty Thoren creates fusion masterpieces combining the best of Mediterranean and
Southwest cuisine. Ty has been in his current position for 7 years and
more importantly, his staff has been with him for 6 years. This all day
restaurant serves Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. Dinner focuses on New American
Cuisine highlighted by hand-selected steaks and chops. 
He attended Denver's Hotel and Restaurant Management School
and then joined the Fairmont Hotel in 1979. Fairmont recognized Ty as a talent
and put him through a series of promotions to executive sous chef in Denver.
In the North Dallas area near Loop 635 and Central
Expressway on the 20th floor of the Westin Central Hotel, is Laurels
Restaurant, a five-star delight with an even more delightful surprise in the
kitchen. Danielle Custer, a beautiful
young woman, that’s both executive chef and general manager of Laurels. 
Some of her signature dishes are pear soup with plum wine
crème fraiche, 1000 spiced fried quail with fresh black-eyed pea relish, garlic
chili oil and roasted garlic hushpuppies, Stilton and greens with candied
hazelnuts, pancetta, brown butter vinaigrette and pickled grapes and Sumac
marinated Chicago lamb rack with goat cheese potato tart, lemon mint jelly and
licorice jus.
In
the shadow of downtown Dallas is a new addition to the culinary scene.
Salve, which means 'Welcome Good Friends' in Italian, is a welcome dining
experience as well. Executive chef Sharon Hage, a graduate of the Culinary
Institute of America, prepares rich, Tuscan style
home cooking for Salve's patrons. She brings 15 years of culinary
experience to the Salve kitchen. The menu includes homemade pastas and
bread combined with fresh herbs and vegetables.
The
9000 square foot building offers an interior courtyard, a main dining room and
any number of private dining rooms. The atmosphere is definitely authentic
Italian but there's also some very high tech features. One of the dining
rooms has facilities for audio and video presentations as well as in Internet
connection.
For
business travelers in Dallas, the Westin Park Central offers some
outstanding features. Their Executive Suites have all the amenities
that make your stay all pleasure and no work. The office center in
your room even includes a Hewlett-Packard printer with Operators Manual
and software installation disk ready to hood up to your notebook computer.