For many Dallas diners, the news that the team behind Georgie and Knox Bistro was branching into Asian food, in a swanky new building right on the Katy Trail, was exciting enough. But in an unusual twist, restaurant industry insiders were even more excited about Le PasSage than the general public.
The reason: Le PasSage assembles a galaxy of local and national talent. Bruno Davaillon oversees the culinary program in broad terms, hiring hand-picked kitchen leadership who moved to Dallas from the coasts. The executive chef, Hong Kong native Hou Lam “Dicky” Fung, comes from notorious high-end star magnet Mr. Chow; the pastry chef, Dyan Ng, moved from Los Angeles and is an old colleague of Davaillon’s from their Las Vegas days. Stephan Courseau is the restaurateur behind, among others, the year’s most talked-about kitchen, Georgie. General manager Best Ranglek held the same title at Tei-An, which gained a national reputation for its service during his tenure. Bartender George Kaiho ran the extraordinary cocktail program at Jettison for eight years, and was so important to that bar that it is temporarily closed while it tries to find his replacement. Wine director Daniel Bowman has built a cellar that matches the cooking style well, especially in interesting whites.
That’s an all-star team. Excited, I visited for a quick first impression during Le PasSage’s first week. (This is not a full review; see the sidebar for details.)
In Dallas, it’s rare for a new building to offer restaurant architecture that has character and style. The Terminal building does that. No, the Terminal doesn’t look good from the outside: it’s too big for Buena Vista Street and too grandiose with its curved arches. The street-level spaces are oversized and overblown. As a pedestrian, you’ll want to approach from the Katy Trail, where the building looks more inviting and entrances are designed with easy patio access. Le PasSage is literally on a passage, a wide hallway that cuts through the heart of the high-rise. Across from the higher-end restaurant is a more casual sibling, Rose Cafe, an all-day space with breakfast pastries and tea sandwiches.
Once you’re in that hallway, it’s clear that the Terminal spent good money building a welcoming communal space. What is too monumental from the outside becomes human-scaled and, while not exactly warm, the kind of sleek that is impressive rather than off-putting.
Neighborhood Spotlight
Uptown
Le PasSage itself has warmth aplenty. The restaurant’s design, by Austin-based Michael Hsu Office of Architecture, goes big on pink and plum in its interior, with geometry that elegantly evokes Asian art without directly copying or relying on cliche. The patio is even more comfortable in good weather (and has coverings for when it’s bad): perched slightly above the Katy Trail, it blends into the surrounding tree canopy and feels removed from the city. Gentle greens on the chairs and tile floor match the foliage, and leaf-shaped fans keep up a gentle breeze. Your table is set with chopstick stands that evoke cherry blossoms, although the stands and chopsticks may be whisked away before main courses are delivered with fork and knife.
The menu could be described as Asian fusion, spanning Vietnamese, Japanese, Korean, Chinese American, and a wide variety of regional Chinese cuisines. Owner Stephan Courseau told the Dallas Morning News that it is not fusion, and it is true that, on a dish-by-dish level, most of the cooking picks one tradition and sticks to it. But not all of it: you can try “Asian salsa macha” and Dover sole with water chestnuts and lemongrass butter. Hey, is there a word for that?
OK. I’ve made my complaint. Now I can start making compliments. Although the menu sounds wide-ranging in its view across five or six different cultures, the kitchen focuses tightly on executing a handful of classics properly. And although some dishes are ambitious fine-dining plates, others are comfort foods done right, with scratch-made sauces and fillings, great textures, and bundles of fresh herbs.
The fried Vietnamese spring rolls, stuffed with pork, shrimp, mushrooms, carrots, glass noodles, and herbs, have an exquisitely crisp batter. You can add an extra texture to that crunch by folding them into lettuce wraps with herbs. Pork and shrimp are also the base of the shumai, in which the meats are chopped in large dice and packed into a dense filling.
The least traditional savory dish I tried on a first visit was a filet of halibut steamed to perfect tenderness—chopsticks would have been fine—and bathed in ginger beurre blanc. Chopped snap peas and a generous clutch of herbs added freshness, and fried garlic showered over the plate softened in the sauce but made the dish pop with color. A more traditional braised tofu bowl, loaded with bamboo shoots and multiple mushroom varieties, offered a mild but especially delicate flavor.
The art of pastry has been endangered in high-end restaurants for a few years, as pastry chefs are seen (sadly) as a luxury rather than a necessity. But, in a happy reversal of trend, I’ve been writing a lot of columns recently about restaurants where you need to save room for dessert. Le PasSage is one. Ng moved to Dallas to take on the dessert menus at all of Davaillon and Courseau’s restaurants.
Le PasSage’s desserts are affordable ($12), sophisticated, and petite. Order one per person. Even if that sounds like too many—I’m a “one dessert, four spoons” person—you’ll want more when you taste them. We tried a brioche donut, crisp-fried and coated in cinnamon sugar, that’s paired with a small bowl of smoked lapsang souchong tea sabayon (a fluffy whip of eggs, sugar, and wine). We also dug into a scoop of tangy yogurt ice cream topped with mushroom caramel; the flavors were terrific, though the dense ice cream needed a few minutes to warm up. Mushroom in dessert is not as daring as it sounds; I still vividly remember a mushroom caramel cake at Petra and the Beast and am ever so happy to be reminded of it again. (The Dallas Morning News has an article-length breakdown of this dish; the main difference between the scoops served to the DMN and to D was the much softer texture of our almond cookie on top. Again: just a first impression. We’ll be back!)
I’ve heard from fellow diners who were impressed by their first visits to Le PasSage, and others who were underwhelmed. The latter had a problem of expectations. This restaurant has been hyped as one of the biggest new openings of 2024, but it’s not a take-the-world-by-storm-and-win-all-the-awards type place. It’s an upscale comfort spot, except that here the comfort comes from great dumplings and Szechuan string beans.
Also, of course, this is just a small look at the restaurant’s first week. More is coming. I’m told Le PasSage will open for lunch on November 22, and Kaiho is ordering a variety of spirits to play with.
This is going to be a fun one. Does it push boundaries or reinvent Asian food in Dallas? No. But it also leaps over a higher bar than merely saving us a drive to Plano. We’re excited to return.
Le PasSage, 4205 Buena Vista St., Ste. 130
Author
