Photo courtesy of Ritz Carlton
By James A. Reid
Chef Dean Fearing has stood tall above fine dining in Dallas,brmost memorably as the executive chef at the restaurant inside The Rosewood Mansionbron Turtle Creek for more than two decades. He left only to launch his namesakebrrestaurant, Fearing's, in 2007 and has been showered with accolades ever sincebrthe kitchen began serving his signature dishes featuring “elevated American cuisinebr— bold flavors, no borders.”
Fearing's calls the luxurious Ritz-CarltonbrHotel home, located in the Uptown area of Dallas. As we made our way throughbrthe elegant lobby, we arrived in the cozy confines of the Rattlesnake bar. (Tip:brIf you are early, check in with the hostess and pull up a seat to enjoy a handmadebrcocktail and relax in the glow of honey onyx panels.)
When it was time to be seated, webrwere taken to one of seven unique dining “rooms” that include both inside andbroutside seating. Chef Fearing had input on every aspect of the restaurant,brincluding its distinctive layout. Because of this, each dining setting reflectsbra different part of his personality and ensures a diverse experience for hisbrguests.
For our evening in the restaurant,brwe were seated in “The Gallery,” which featured fine art gracing the walls and delicatebrlight elements that cast a soft, warm light across the tables, creating a verybrintimate dining atmosphere.
We began with an appetizer foundbronly on the Rattlesnake bar menu — the chicken-fried horseradish pickles with abrside of jalapeñobrranch. If you ask for it, they will gladly bring it. Next to arrive was thebrlobster coconut bisque with a lobster pot sticker nestled on the side of thebrbowl. The cool sweetness of the coconut milk perfectly balanced the spicinessbrof the ginger rice with each sip (or slurp) as we nibbled on generous chunks ofbrlobster.
For the main course, we selected thebrpan-roasted BBQ spiced filet and chicken-fried lobster. This unique Southernbrtake on surf & turf was served on a bed of whipped potatoes with smokedbrtomato gravy and a soft spinach taco. I would have skipped the appetizer andbrsoup course had I known this dish was so rich and substantial! During our mainbrcourse, the lanky Texan, Dean Fearing himself, appeared next to our table andbrgladly took a picture with our dinner guest since it was her birthday. It isbrhis practice to meet as many of his guests each evening in each of the diningbrrooms.
We didn't stop there, though, pushingbron to dessert. I had been eyeing one featured on the menu — the buttered popcornbrice cream/cola cake — but it had been replaced with a seasonal dessert for thebrholidays. Our server noted our disappointment so they brought us four desserts: the chocolate flufferbrnutter, the apple trio, the banana pudding and the seasonal eggnog ice creambrsandwiches. All were uniquely presented and were a fine way to finish off ourbrmeal.
Fearing's slogan promises “boldbrflavors, no borders,” and with inventive dishes beautifully presented inbrdistinct settings, he doesn't disappoint his guests.