EJ Galvez
Audio By Carbonatix
On Monday, Dec. 15, chef Wyl Lima will open his globally influenced bistro, Ateliê, along Jefferson Avenue near the Bishop Arts District. This multidisciplinary creative space will be Lima’s first permanent home for his intersection of food, storytelling and culture.
Chef Wyl Lima has been a quiet force in Dallas dining up until he became the culinary director at The Charlotte, a kinda new American Bistro in Knox/Henderson.
Before that, Lima was the executive chef at Le Margot in Fort Worth, which was named one of Texas’ best new restaurants by Texas Monthly at the beginning of 2024.
Other accolades of his include opening Sister, a Mediterranean restaurant that landed on The New York Times’ “Best New Restaurants” list in 2022, and his fine dining career in Chicago, which began at the Michelin-starred Temporis and the three-starred Grace, thanks to a James Beard Foundation scholarship.
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Most recently, Dallasites have discovered chef Lima through his underground dinners and art-driven events via his pop-up social club, The Experience. Now, diners get to enjoy the dishes Lima feels are most like him at Ateliê.
EJ Galvez
The Menu
Ateliê will open with a 12-item bistro menu that highlights world regions and the flavors that Lima has been surrounded by his entire life.
Chef Wyl said in a release that the half-roasted chicken, cacio e pepe and the grilled mackerel on the menu are the clearest reflections of his culinary voice.
The chicken celebrates the African and Caribbean influences Lima grew up around, incorporating Indian and Italian inspirations. Cacio e pepe is a classic that he’s reshaped with his own technique and the grilled mackerel, to Lima, is about purity and letting the ingredients speak for themselves.
Slow-braised lamb shank, arrachera (skirt steak) with piquillo salsa and yuca, roasted carrots with tofu curry, mushroom croquettes and a turkey hot pocket filled with truffle mornay and smoked gouda fill out the menu. There will also be a wagyu melt and fried rice with egg yolk, garlic crisp and nori.
The limited menu will be available during the opening weeks, then Ateliê will expand to its full menu with potato-mushroom cakes, wagyu bolognese, a seafood platter and much more that will round out the bistro’s identity.
The Cocktail Selection
Behind the bar is Stephen Gazaway, who has been a longtime collaborator with The Experience and leads the bar at The Charlotte. The eight different dinner cocktails are where things get interesting.
There will be a Caesar martini, made by infusing vodka with concentrated Caesar dressing and a dirty martini that is infused with Hot Cheetos. The drinks aim to strike a balance between creativity and approachability.
EJ Galvez
Satellite Art
Ateliê, while a love letter to chef Lima’s culinary journey, will also aim to be a cultural incubator. Central to that vision is the collaboration between the bistro and the Daisha Board Gallery, which will transform the bistro into a rotating satellite gallery showcasing emerging and underrepresented visual artists.
The installation and menu will both shift with the seasons, keeping the dining room in a constant state of creative motion. The space is meant to feel lived-in, with irregularities in design elements celebrated as part of Ateliê’s story.
Opening Date
Ateliê will open at 367 W. Jefferson Blvd. on Monday, Dec. 15. It’s a stone’s throw from Xaman Cafe, the Texas Theatre and Blind Bishop.
It will be open seven days a week, serving brunch and lunch from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Brunch will only be offered on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. On Wednesday and Thursday, dinner service will run from 5:30 to 10 p.m. On Friday and Saturday, dinner service will run from 5:30 to 11 p.m. It will be closed for dinner on Sunday evenings.
In the 6-8 weeks after Ateliê opens, Chef Wyl’s tasting experience, Origen, will open. It will be a reservation-only, art-driven tasting menu inspired by art pieces selected by Daisha Board Gallery.
