First Look: Pillar, Peja Krstic's American Bistro, Opens in Bishop Arts

The closing of Boulevardier in early 2024 came like a swift blow to the midsection of the Bishop Arts District and spelled the end of a 12-year era. The bones of the space at Bishop Ave. and West Eighth Street, still strong with memories of the bistro, were in desperate need of a new purpose. Enter chef Peja Krstic, the creative force behind Môt Hai Ba, that wonderful Vietnamese slash French restaurant in Lakewood that’s a member of The Observer’s 100 Best Restaurants in Dallas club. The East Dallas spot also nabbed a coveted Bib Gourmand from Michelin in its inaugural season in Texas.

The Observer talked with Krstic in June when he announced that he would be opening his own take on the bistro at that location, the seeds of which were germinated during a family vacation in Key West. He chose the name Pillar as a nod to a fishing boat that Ernest Hemingway had built and sailed from Miami to Key West in the 1930s. Papa christened his boat Pilar, the name of a central character in For Whom The Bell Tolls, but Krstic repurposed and rebirthed it as Pillar to represent the solid concrete foundation he hoped to bring to Oak Cliff. After a six-month wait, the spot finally opened last month and we grabbed a reservation.

The menu is an attempt to replicate Krstic’s ideas of American cuisine that explore and reflect food from many cultures in typical bistro fashion, if slightly higher-end. Starters include onion rings, oysters, tuna carpaccio and meat pies. Salads such as tuna niçoise and roasted beets are available, along with burgers and chicken sandwiches.

Entrees encompass a wide variety of influences such as fish, seafood, pasta, steak, cassoulet and duck meat pie, along with half a dozen side options such as Brussels sprouts and fondant potatoes. Beverage choices include several craft cocktails, a small but serviceable wine list and a handful of beers. The dessert menu offers a tart, a pie, a cake and a sundae, along with some cocktails such as Pillar's take on Irish coffee.
We started out with a couple of cocktails, a Ryes and Fall and a Lofty Idea. Both were unique and refreshing, the Ryes with amaretto, nectarine and rye, the Lofty created with Irish whiskey, apple brandy and fig. We also tried a Polaris martini, composed of vodka, passion fruit and vanilla. Each can be had for $16, which is almost a bargain these days.
We chose two starters to share: the hamachi and apple, and crispy meat pies. The former consisted of hamachi hanging out in citrus oil topped with long, thin marinated ribbons of apple along with crispy kimchi, dill and mint. The meat pies, two in number, were filled with braised brisket, leeks, bell pepper and celery, all in a crisp and buttery crust. Thumbs up.
Our salad selection was the grilled leeks, which were probably one of the best dishes we’d had in a long time. The leeks were first steamed then grilled over binchotan and topped with buttery and tender poached crab and crispy hazelnuts, all dressed with an orange and brown butter vinaigrette. The result was a wonderful mélange of texture and sweet and earthy notes. Highly recommended.
Our mains were the agnolotti and the fried chicken. The pasta course consisted of about five little agnolotti stuffed with ricotta and caramelized onions, with small chunks of scrumptious grilled short rib in brown butter, all garnished with micro greens and crispy onions. It was a terrific marriage of flavors. Our only complaint was the serving size left us wanting more.
The serving size was not an issue with the fried chicken. On the contrary, this could easily feed two (or more). It was an ample portion, half a large chicken breaded and fried, atop a bed of braised collard greens, topped with a nduja sausage cream sauce and served with a large loaf of cornbread brioche. In keeping with the generous portion of this dish, it came with a huge side of honey butter. Big all around in terms of flavor as well as volume, and enough left over to provide a lunch the next day.
For dessert we went with a slice of coconut cream pie — a large slab of coconut custard in a flaky crust topped with meringue and lime zest. One could call it more of a hybrid cake/pie, but one could definitely call it delicious. And huge. Leftovers for the next day's lunch as well.
It was a great evening of good food with friendly staff in familiar surroundings, all of which went a long way in helping us deal with the loss of Boulevardier and the associated memories made in this space. We look forward to the new ones courtesy of chef Krstic and his team in the years to come.

408 N. Bishop Ave., No. 108. Tuesday – Thursday, 5–10 p.m.; Friday – Sunday, 5–11 p.m.