Pyramid Restaurant and Bar Covers All Points
Rooftop garden helps source fresh, local ingredients for Pyramid's menu
By ANNIE POTASZNIK
Updated 12:52 PM CST, Thu, Jul 30, 2009
While many restaurants claim that they’re "all about" locally sourced ingredients and supporting the environment, after digging a little deeper, chances are their approach is soiled with less than organic or regional ingredients.
Then there’s Pyramid Restaurant and Bar, where Chef J.W Foster isn’t playing around when it comes his food or his culinary philosophy.
“We’re looking for simplicity, but great products at a great price. Whatever we can find that’s in season or closest to our door, we would rather play with that,” said Foster.
And by closest to The Pyramid Restaurant and Bar’s door, Foster means a couple of floors up. That’s where guests can lounge by the pool or take a stroll in his lush garden that was put in two years ago. There's something surreal about picking tomatoes off the vine while surrounded by skyscrapers. It’s very European, and very, very cool. Scents of lavender, rosemary, sage and thyme waft over the terrace like an invisible sign that beckons, “Come in, relax, play or explore…” The garden is sustainable, too.
“We irrigate the garden by hand. It’s all organic, no pesticides, so nothing has been treated with chemicals. We compost too. So everything that started out here comes back here full circle,” said Foster.
As the demand for Foster’s food grows, so too will the garden.
“This year we added another thousand square feet, and hopefully by the fall we will add another thousand, “ said Foster about the garden’s future growth.
Last year he grew a 10 pound watermelon (there was a lot of watermelon sorbet on the menu last summer) and Foster said he hopes to grow a 10 pound pumpkin to transform into pies once the leaves turn in the fall.
There’s nothing quite like cooking with fresh herbs; a pinch of basil or well-placed sage can transform a dish. And Foster is taking full advantage of having fresh herbs at fingertips.
“We take rosemary and make shortbread cookies, as well as using our herbs to make ice cream. We make fresh rubs with our chilies to give the meat more flavor,” added Foster.
Freshly picked herbs also come in handy for drinks.
“I’m a big mojito fan myself, so I had to make sure there was a lot of mint,” Foster said with a smile.
Just when it seems he has everything covered, what’s next -- a vineyard? -- Foster reveals another buzz-worthy idea. He plans on having a beehive installed. Add fresh honey to the diverse menu, minus sticky prices, and ingredients grown on-site, and it sounds as though The Pyramid Restaurant and Bar has all three points covered.
Re-create The Pyramid Restaurant and Bar's Peking duck here, or if you're in the mood for salmon try this. But don't go foraging for fresh herbs at The Fairmont Hotel!
The Pyramid Restaurant and Bar
1717 N. Akard St.
Dallas, TX 75201
214-720-5249
First Published: Jul 24, 2009 5:20 PM CST
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