MORSEL
CULINARY ARTS
Chef Dan Landsberg brings a creative flourish to Ellie’s in the HALL Arts Hotel. BY KENDALL MORGAN
Clockwise from left: Ellie’s Lounge at HALL Arts Hotel; Glazed Pork Belly Lollipops with Truffled Popcorn; Ellie’s Reverberita; Hall Red Wine; Artisan Cheese & Charcuterie. Photographs by Dave Carlin for HALL Arts Hotel.
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hen food and culture meet, the results can be nothing less than delicious. So it is with the evolutionary menu of Ellie’s under the helm of chef Dan Landsberg. “It’s Napa cuisine with a Texas flair, which is how I like to cook,” he explains. “Cooking on the lighter side of things—seasonal and regional. What I was looking for was exactly what this place had to offer.” Named for owner Craig Hall’s mother, an art collector and artist, Ellie’s reflects its namesake’s passion for delicious food and the beauty found in ordinary life. And the bistro is a welcoming companion to its cultural neighbors. Dan Landsberg took over the kitchen reins earlier this year. Fresh off a decade-plus stint at ZaZa Hospitality, where he led the culinary efforts at Dragonfly and managed operations for the Hotel ZaZa’s four outposts, Landsberg’s passion for seasonal ingredients and local purveyors assured that his dishes would be both ambitious and thoughtful. Landsberg comes by his culinary appreciation organically. Raised in Sacramento, California, he started his career washing dishes in a local restaurant. “I fell in love with the energy and rhythm of the restaurant. Even on a tired day, the pulse of the customers and business going on picks you up and makes your day better.” By the time he had worked his way up to the role of sous chef, he had decided to make his career official, attending the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco while moonlighting at the city’s historic Fog City Diner (now just Fog City). Upon graduation, he brought the Fog City concept to Dallas. Stints at the Dallas Museum of Art and as Stephan Pyles’ executive chef further honed his skill set. Landsberg says Pyles in particular set the stage for his approach to food. “His perspective is, he looks at it all. The food is very important, but it’s about the whole experience, down to the tiniest details. Just his use of different spices really expands your mind. You taste different things you’re unfamiliar with, so you’re going down a rabbit hole of flavor. All those nuances that Stephan taught us is a well that will never run dry.” 74
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Pyles’ last restaurant was Flora Street Cafe situated on the thoroughfare of the Dallas Art District. “The cool thing about being in the Arts District is there’s so much visual creativity; you can’t help but be inspired. The Arts District [diner] is a very discerning palate, so we’re making sure everything we’re doing is in line with their expectations and exceeding them.” Because we’re in Texas, Landsberg knew he had to include a couple of classic ribeye options—in this case, steak spiced with a coffee and chili blend and pork glazed with red miso. But vegan and vegetarian diners will find plenty to please their palates, too. With a full range of purveyors in his back pocket, the chef is equally enthused by the coral reef mushrooms he has discovered to create ambitious vegan options. And whatever entrees and apps he may devise, each dish has to have an aesthetic harmony all its own. “It can’t be like oh, those Brussels sprouts are good, that steak is good. It has to be more like, ‘Wow, that was a fantastic bite!’ The plate is like a symphony: you can hear the horns and percussion, but when you hear them at the same time, it comes together perfectly.” This includes the wines. As owners Craig and Kathryn Hall also oversee the acclaimed Hall wines brand, Ellie’s caters to the oenophile, and every bite must be effortlessly complemented by the perfect glass. “For me, with the food, nothing needs to be too acidic or spicy so it blows out the plate; it needs to be right on the edge of what a wine can handle. I’m curating an experience for each table—it’s a big deal, and I enjoy the challenge.” The food also has to enhance the experience of dining in the artaccented room. Patrons can enjoy works from Kristin Baker, Cerith Wyn Evans, and Lava Thomas while they admire Landsberg’s creative plating. “With the dining room being so light and airy and monochromatic, it opens the door to the food coming out of the kitchen being as colorful as can be,” he says. “And the plates in different shapes and colors play into your canvas; it’s your backdrop for each dish. It’s true you eat with your eyes first—it looks delicious as a collection of different flavors and colors and textures.” P
