Courtesy of Georgie
Audio By Carbonatix
In this series we track down some of our favorite chefs to ask them about their favorite chef. A pass the plate for chefs sans the afterschool-special vibes. We started this series talking to Jeff Bekavac, who can’t really talk about food in Dallas without mentioning Andrew Savoie at Resident Taqueria, who happens to be a huge fan of New Haven-style pizza.
For this update, we start with a Dallas culinary veteran whose resumé includes some of the city’s most iconic restaurants.
Chef Omar Flores
Chef Omar Flores is a referral of Jeff Bekavac’s at Goodwins (whom we spoke to in part one of this series). Flores has worked in some of the most beloved and long-lost restaurants of Dallas: Abacus, Driftwood and Casa Rubia. He acknowledges that closing is part of the inevitable and embraces this part of the business. Until then, he is making the most of fleeting time.
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These days, chef Flores is responsible for the popular fried chicken, biscuit and beer restaurant Whistle Britches, the upscale Tex-Mex spot Muchacho and, as of eight weeks ago, the new restaurant Even Coast. The restaurant’s ample menu meets all cravings on land and sea: a raw bar, Bolognese, ribeye and even a burger in between. The restaurant sits on Belt Line between Preston Road and the Dallas North Tollway, which means this trail map has expanded to far North Dallas.
With the future in focus, Flores shares the next big concept with Big Dill Hospitality: a Mariscos-style Mexican restaurant next year, to be quickly followed by a high-end Mexican spot, complete with a lounge and sushi bar. That’s the thing about expansion: it’s hard to manage, but it’s also never enough. Before leaving, while resisting the urge to steal a set of matchbooks at the hostess stand, Flores assures that the next chef’s menu is pushing the boundaries of this city’s taste buds. By way of this project, these days it seems like all roads lead back to East Dallas.
Omar Flores Dishes on Peja Krstic
Karma-conscious Peja Krstic, arguably Dallas’ most creative chef, is pushing the boundaries out of a modest 100-year-old building in Lakewood. Originally, a traditional Vietnamese restaurant, Má»™t Hai Ba has transcended, becoming one of the best restaurants in Dallas. The menu is comprehensive despite some unexpected pairings: pickled kimchi and foie gras, pungent garlic and white chocolate sauce, and velvety white sweet potato and vanilla puree. Krstic breaks down his beloved escargot Bolognese: escargot (French), ricotta (Italian) and lemongrass (Vietnamese) with a coconut-based bechamel (Vietnamese and French).
Peja Krstic is working on a new concept in the Bishop Arts District.
Courtesy of Mot Hai Ba
So what is the difference between a masterpiece and a mess? Chef Krstic says that “correctness” does not exist in any art form. This is especially so in the culinary world because of the myriad of techniques to achieve the same result. But using ingredients that make the mouth water, refining practices and building complex flavors are the pillars of “good” food.
So what is at the forefront of the chef’s mind? Is the kitchen operating at the highest level? Is the staff being open and honest about the work? Is everyone listening as much as they are acting and thinking? Because the echo of creativity, opportunity and sustainability is carried through every plate during service.
The chef is opening a new place in the now-abandoned Boulevardier space in the Bishop Arts District. This time, Krstic is focused on pushing the palates with American fare: Waldorf salad, fried chicken, a Louisiana-style meat pie.
When asked, he suggests visiting one of his previous employers, who has recently hired a Californian who, according to this publication, is Dallas Best Chef of 2024.
Peja Krstic Dishes on RJ Yoakum
Georgie is the place where Dallasites go to dip their toes into the experience of fine dining. The soft lighting, the plush marmalade sofas and the curvature of the space softens even the tensest of shoulders. The menu features quality ingredients, with individuality expressed through preparation, technique and subtle details. Plus, the caviar add-on can be adventurous enough for some.
Executive chef RJ Yoakum is responsible for recent changes at Georgie (now without Curtis Stone on the marquee) and the slow evolution of the menu. The chef is self-proclaimed “impatient,” so perhaps even the adjective “slow” may be light-years of progress to us.
Chef Yoakum is self-aware, curious, inquisitive and open. He relies on the community between the farm and table to serve as a compass. Growers, purveyors, other local chefs and even the patrons at Georgie know the city better than the transplant himself.
In the delicate dynamic of fine dining with the sturdy palate of Dallasites, the chef rattles off the list of considerations, as if on his fingers, when reevaluating the menu: “Can’t be fussy; have to do it slowly; connect with guests; involve their story into the story on their plate …”
The chef thinks the perception of fine dining needs to change because it is no longer a robotic, small-portioned elitist sector but instead a comfortable atmosphere with elevated ingredients and a seamless ambiance.