First Look: Stillwell's at the Hôtel Swexan and Steaks for the Ages

During the summer of '23, the Harwood District (HWD) welcomed a new player, Harwood Hospitality Group’s Hôtel Swexan, a boutique hotel whose name includes both a circumflex to denote class and a portmanteau that playfully references the founder’s Swiss and Texan background. “Swiss hospitality meets Texan charm.”

One of the dining options at the Swexan is Stillwell’s, a steakhouse on the seventh floor offering views of the city and claiming inspiration from and celebration of the ranchers who built Dallas from the dusty, unforgiving country that was the North Central Plains.
The dining area is a mix of mid-century and modern steakhouse aesthetics: white linen-covered tables with views of the city from the floor-to-ceiling windows adorned with lush drapes, along with some more alcove tables whose entryways hold that same drapery and provide a bit more intimacy.

The wine list is extensive, but we went with a couple of cocktails. Someone here is a fan of Arrested Development: a drink called There’s Always Money in the Banana Stand immediately caught our eye. Michter’s bourbon, crème de banana, St. Elizabeth allspice dram and chocolate bitters served in a Collins glass and garnished with some candied banana chips. What’s not to love?
Bells in Jalisco, our other selection, was prepared with bell pepper-infused tequila, lime juice, Demerara syrup, mole and celery bitters and egg white, attractively served in a coupe glass. They had us at bell pepper-infused tequila and mole bitters.
While we waited for the drinks to arrive the server brought us a loaf of wonderful onion bread along with softened butter. The bread was full of rich flavor and was baked in pull-apart sections, which we pulled apart. We would love to have eaten more, but we had a big meal ahead of us.
For starters, we went with some deviled eggs ($16) and the tempura lobster tail ($28). The eggs were prepared with candied bacon, chives and black garlic hot sauce, which gave it a spicy kick that we weren’t expecting but which we welcomed. The eggs were served in an odd amount of five, however, which led to that awkward moment when we’d each had two but only one remained. We considered a round of rock-paper-scissors to determine who got the last one.
The lobster tempura was crispy and golden brown, dressed with some bang bang sauce, sesame seeds and green scallions and arrived as three pieces on skewers, perhaps a bit undercooked. Another odd number of servings, but a quick game of odds and evens settled that problem.

Our salad selections were a Caesar and field greens. The Caesar was made with Baby Gem, crispy Parmesan and croutons, and the field greens consisted of cucumber, tomato, granola and goat cheese dressed lightly in a balsamic vinaigrette. Both were fresh and light.
Side selections were a potato purée and some haricot verts, both exceptionally prepared — the potato smooth and buttery with chives, the green beans lightly sautéed in brown butter with some chili and a dash of Banyuls vinegar.

Stillwell’s presents cuts that are aged at least 28 days and offers HWD beef, an Akaushi beef that is locally raised exclusively for Harwood. In an interesting twist, all steaks come with a side of house-made steak sauce as well, which conjured up happy memories of my grandfather, who would insist on a bottle of A.1. steak sauce for his beef.

We finally decided on a 12-ounce filet mignon ($78) and a 16-ounce Delmonico rib-eye ($80) from the HWD column of the menu rather than from the classic cut section. These are a bit more expensive, of course, but our excuse was that we were paying homage to our rancher forebears. It should be noted that Japanese wagyu is available served per ounce at market price for those who think nothing of all the hard work our rancher forebears did to create a thriving metropolitan area. Order the wagyu instead, if you can live with yourself.

These were some pretty exceptional steaks, the filet perfectly cooked with a nice caramelized crusty exterior and a tender interior with a flavor that surpassed what one usually finds in a filet. There was no sacrificing flavor for tenderness here, and it was possibly one of the best filets we’ve had in the last couple of decades.
The rib-eye was perfectly marbled and full of the great beefy flavor that one gets with a high-quality cut of rib-eye, and it also had a nice buttery crust to it. The edges were cooked a bit more than the requested medium rare, but as we progressed further into the steak we were not disappointed.

Both steaks were served with an entire head of roasted garlic as well as the promised steak sauce, which indeed was reminiscent of A.1. We sampled it but there was no way we were going to let it overpower the wonderful, deep flavor of our steaks, so we finished the meat off unadorned. I did make a silent nod to my grandfather, however.

Alas, there was no room for dessert, so the New York cheesecake, pecan tart or peanut butter bar will have to wait for another special occasion visit. As we waited for the valet to bring the car we silently tipped our imaginary hat to our rancher forebears in thanks for a superb meal.