Celebrity Chef Stephan Pyles cooked up a prime spot for Dallas on the international dining map years ago. Known as one of the founding fathers of Southwestern cuisine, Pyles has more than two decades of experience in the restaurant business.
His recent appointment of Matt McCallister (a young, self-taught chef) as executive chef at Stephan Pyles was an unexpected change a few months ago. It’s Pyles’ way of paying it forward … giving another hard worker a chance to succeed as he has.
"I started as the salad cook here and I worked my way up. So three years ago I got a job here working pantry station and was promoted to sous chef then executive sous chef and then executive chef,” McCallister said with a smile.
Don’t expect big changes on the menu, though. It still features the smoky, spicy, bold and aggressive flavors the James Beard Award winner is known for. He introduced the culinary concept of New Millennium Southwestern and now, he’s preparing to open his first new restaurant in four years -- Samar by Stephan Pyles.
“It's very global. It's primarily three different cultures. It's going to be international, small plates. I've always wanted to do a restaurant where you could try different things with out having to eat one big entrée,” Pyles explained.
Lighting is an important part of the Stephan Pyles experience and will remain so at his new nosh spot. Pyles recently returned from a trip to Syria where he cherry-picked chandeliers and fixtures for Samar by Stephan Pyles. And the exotic influence won’t stop there.
“We're going to have a hookah lounge on the patio under these great Bedouin tents -- it's going to have a real exotic feel,” said Pyles.
Diners will appreciate an exotic escape (on Ross Avenue) with food that delivers, but with people clutching their wallets more tightly than ever, pricing is another factor Pyles has thought of.
"It's going to be very high energy, inexpensive, casual--we're not even going to take reservations,” said Pyles.
Think you're the next Matt McCallister? Try these recipes from Pyles' menu and see if you can't make it from frozen pizza chef to executive dish duplicator. Try Pyles Bone-in Ribeye recipe here, or his summer corn, crab, and tomato dish here.
Stephan Pyles
1807 Ross Avenue, Suite 200
214-580-7000
