DALLAS—The Fairmont Dallas has unveiled the new Pyramid Restaurant & Bar. It features contemporary décor and new organic, sustainable menus created by Executive Chef j.W. Foster. The new Pyramid, at more than 7,000 square feet, resonates with a modern, sleek, contemporary look evoking a stylish vigor and energy. The look and feel are imaginative and engaging and feature a color palette in rich tones of celadon, taupe, gold, and moss with accents of polished bronze, walnut and mahogany against a backdrop of earth-toned wall coverings and dark mahogany flooring.
Since his arrival in Dallas last year from his native Canada, Chef j.W. Foster has focused on creating a “fresh market” approach to menus for both the restaurant and bar. The menus incorporate products that are organic, authentically local and sustainable. J.W.’s personal culinary philosophy emphasizes fresh, local ingredients in an effort to minimize our carbon footprint on the planet and support the local economy. With his new menu for Pyramid Restaurant & Bar, he has infused classic dishes with modern twists while highlighting the wide range and variety of products available in the state of Texas.
“We are dancing with classic dishes,” Foster says, “not reinventing them. Many of the items on our Modern American menu are designed to evoke an emotional response or memory for our guests.”
Terrace-Level Herb Garden
Chef Foster’s first major undertaking was the planning and implementation of a 2,000-square-foot herb and vegetable garden on the hotel’s Terrace level. The gardens were designed to provide produce, fruit, vegetables and herbs for the new Pyramid menus. Chef Foster and his Executive Sous Chef Paul Peddle, along with their wives, personally planted more than 1,800 plants which now yield a bounty including three varieties of Heirloom tomatoes, Cherry Tomatoes, Cayenne Peppers, Habanero Peppers, Poblano Peppers, Banana Peppers, Tabasco Peppers, Jalapeno Peppers, Potatoes, Zucchini, Green Peppers, Eggplant, Watermelon and Cantaloupe.
Herbs planted include Eucalyptus, Tuscan Rosemary, Trailing Rosemary, Hardy Rosemary, Lemon Thyme, Wooly Thyme, English Thyme, Greek Oregano, Mexican Oregano, Italian Oregano, Basil, Thai Basil, Lemon Basil, Italian Basil, Parsley, Lavender, Purple Sage, Silver Leaf Sage, Garden Sage, Curry, Cilantro, Chocolate Mint, Spearmint, Pineapple Mint and Mexican Mint.
Chef Foster’s next project, in support of Fairmont Hotels’ award-winning commitment to the environment, was the local and regional sourcing of products for the Pyramid. “Many Texans do not even realize,” says Foster, “the incredible variety of food products being grown, raised or made in Texas.”
Focus on Texas Products
Chef Foster has traversed the state several times over the last eleven months in search of the finest quality products for the Pyramid menus. Texas products to be featured include Buffalo, Quail from Lockhart county, striped Bass, aged Parmesan from Dublin, Honey from the Hill Country, Waygu beef, Antelope, custom flavored olive oils, cheeses from The Mozzarella Company plus Boar and Venison from Broken Arrow Ranch in Ingram.
“What I’ve found,” says Foster, “is an amazing pride and passion among the ranchers and growers in Texas along with a genuine desire to share their products with the public. So far, the only products we can’t get in Texas are some fish, shellfish and duck but I think I just found a duck guy. Stay tuned.”
The third major initiative for Chef Foster’s new Pyramid Restaurant & Bar includes the products he and his team are making in house. Chef Foster is aging and smoking a variety of meats and making his own mustards, pickles, pates, chutneys, tapenades, chorizo and other sausages, pestos, sorbets and ice creams, artisanal breads including brioche as well as all the pastas.
While the concept of the fresh-market approach for restaurants is often talked about, for Chef j.W. Foster, the commitment is being truly lived with his sourcing of local/regional products, the largest hotel/restaurant herb and vegetable garden in the area and the myriad house-made menu items for the Pyramid Restaurant & Bar. This commitment to reducing our environmental impact comes naturally to Foster who lives in Dallas’ State-Thomas neighborhood and travels to and from the hotel on either his bicycle or his 1960s vintage Vespa which he has completely restored to original mint condition.
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