Tango Room’s Next Era

If you walk too fast, you might miss it. Tucked inside the Design District’s Decorative Center Dallas is Tango Room, a lavish 16-top dinner-only homage to the steakhouse.

Tango Room, a Headington Companies concept (from Texas billionaire Tim Headington), subtly opened in 2021. In 2024, the jewel of Headington is entering its next era with a new executive chef and bar manager at the helm.

“Getting a team together is like putting a great recipe together, you just have to have a little bit of the spice and a little bit of the salt and a little bit of the bitter and a little bit of this, and everybody's got to be their own person, but also be able to work as a great team together and have a great vision,” Tango Room general manager Michael Nicol says.

Recipe complete.

In the kitchen, David Gomez, a protégé of Headington Companies’ vice president of culinary concepts Coner Seargeant, makes his debut as executive chef. Behind the bar, Nolan Palladino, formerly at Comedor Restaurant and Bowen House, follows Rye Patton’s reign as bar manager. Both joined Tango Room in 2024’s second quarter.

Walking into the Tango Room, you see that not much has changed since its opening. The rich burgundy entryway drapery offers an escape from the Design District’s bustle. Past that, it's luxury.

“Pure class without the pretentious,” Simon Roberts, co-owner of Tango Room, says. “It's always been about taking the pretentiousness away, but keeping the quality, having the knowledge, expressing our knowledge in a more laid-back, more sophisticated, but laid-back way. Unpretentious.” To the untrained eye, the luxury is in the atmosphere. However, dinner is served in a gallery that could rival any museum.

Tim Headington's penchant for art began with Headington Companies' The Joule. His collection began with Richard Phillips, Tony Cragg and Andy Warhol acquisitions.

"By the time The Joule was under construction in downtown Dallas, I’d developed an even deeper appreciation for art and collecting, so shaping a collection that I thought our visitors would enjoy — pieces by Richard Phillips, Tony Cragg, Roger Hirons, Andy Warhol and more — was really the catalyst for collecting with the intent to share works," Headington told PaperCity Magazine in 2022. "No matter where the pieces end up, I truly appreciate them — it’s not just a transaction for me, but rather a decision out of an emotional response."

 "Sunny” by California artist Brian Calvin greets guests at the Tango Room. Andy Warhol’s “Diamond Dust Shoes,” Ezra Stoller’s 1962 prints and four Ed Rusha screen prints line the walls. The interior is inspired by Paris’ Chez Omar and Edinburgh’s Café ST. Honoré. Don’t let the lavish interior deter you. No jackets required.

“No Jackets Required, is because that's these guys,” Jeny Bania, Headington Companies' chief marketing officer, says of Tim Headington and Simon Roberts. “They want a place where they can get this experience, but they actually don't want to have to dress up and they want to be able to have a place where they can be comfortable in themselves.”

Roberts hails from the exclusive Graileys, a membership-only wine brokerage with a five-figure minimum annual purchase. Graileys is “the country club of wine,” without the snobbery. Tango Room is a build upon that.

“It was just a natural progression to get involved with something like this, but I never, ever thought it would come to this quality,” Roberts says.

Walking through the burgundy curtains might make diners feel a little overwhelmed. The Tango Room team is more than glad to take the experience out of your hands and guide you.

“Listening is an underrated part of hospitality,” Bania says.

Tango Room prizes connection over volume. (Don’t let that fool you. Book those dinner reservations early. Tango Room is often booked solid for prime dining hours.) It isn’t rare to see Gomez’s hospitality shine through. He ensures that he’s touching tables.
Tango Room may be a homage to the steakhouse, but the seafood steals the show. The over-the-top fruits de mer ($95) is filled with fresh oysters, cocktail prawns, generous king crab, and crab Louie salad.

The seared foie gras ($28) is a delicacy. The buttermilk pain perdu, duck jus, cherries and hazelnuts combine to make a robust fatty, sweet and salty flavor profile.

“French cuisine has always been a stable kickstand for everything that I've done,” Gomez says.

Gomez, a native of Colombia, moved to the U.S. in 2008. Since obtaining his culinary degree, he has quietly infiltrated the Dallas dining scene. His career began as part of the Omni Hotel’s 2011 opening team. Then, he was part of the opening team of CBD Provisions and the French Room. He’s worked his way through the Headington portfolio including The Commissary, Wheelhouse, Sassetta and Mirador. Gomez left his post as Monarch Dallas’ sous chef to become executive chef of Tango Room.

“For the vision of this restaurant, I really want to take pride in the ingredients and the availability of really nice, sustainable ingredients, and letting them speak for themselves,” Gomez says.

Gomez’s vision includes leaning into a seasonal menu and becoming charcuterie-forward. A new seasonal foie gras will have a duck ham. Kumquats and plums will soon make an appearance on the menu.

Palladino is embracing his experience in menuless bartending and marrying that to Gomez’s seasonal approach. 
“His [Palladino’s] attention to details has been another elevation for us, more of a move in the right direction,” Roberts says. “He's really good with people.”

The intimate restaurant’s bar menu is anchored by the famous caviar martini ($55). Palladino refreshed the cocktail menu with an arancello sidecar ($20), a housemade arancello, Calvados apple brandy, mandarin brandy and lemon. The cocktail menu isn’t constricting.

“That's just a guideline there,” Palladino says. “I can make you anything you want. What are you in the mood for? People aren't really used to that kind of going off-menu.”

Roberts highly recommends Palladino’s old fashioned. It’s not on the menu, but it's addictive, he raves.

The wine program is substantial and backed by over 30 years of wine expertise. While it may feel intimidating, don’t be shy. Honesty is the best policy.

“Sometimes it's better to say that at the table, ‘give me a ballpark of where you are, what you're looking at. I can come up with some suggestions. We love giving these guys suggestions or even give them a little taste,” Roberts says.

If you find something you like, sommelier Nick Burns will drop a business card with your selection and further recommendations at the table.

With a $180, 12-ounce Westholme AU Wagyu NY strip and $85 lobster and caviar toast on the menu, a dinner at Tango Room comes with a price tag as luxurious as the space. The happy hour is a steal.  Tuesday through Thursday,  5–7 p.m., Tango Room hosts the finest happy hour. The fruits de mer is $55. Specialty cocktails and wines by glass are half off.

Tango Room’s pieces have fallen into place. It quietly opened, known mostly to Graileys’ guests, but is proving to be a mainstay for Dallas’ finer palettes.

“We weren't announcing from the rooftops, there was this kind of slow build, we really just wanted it to kind of grow organically,” Bania says. “The Tango Room isn't the shiny thing that's going to be gone tomorrow. This thing is going to be here for a very long time.”