Have you ever wondered, after one of our restaurants reviews is published, "So - what does the chef think of that review?" or "Which of the dishes discussed in the review is the chef proudest of?" Or "How does a chef invent a dish like that?"
This week, we are excited to introduce a new video feature that will give you an insider's look into the minds of Dallas' chefs and restaurateurs: Off the Menu.
Following many of our full-length starred restaurant reviews, we will give the chef or owner of the restaurant a chance to discuss the review in a video interview. Sometimes, the chef may want to respond directly to the critique; other times he or she will want to talk about the creative process, give the dining public insight about a dish, or discuss a direction in which he or she plans to take the restaurant.
Off the Menu is the chef's choice, the chef's turn to talk.
A few days ago, I interviewed Tim Byres, chef-owner of the Theodore. I reviewed the restaurant, which opened in mid-November in NorthPark Center, last week. Byres wasn't interesting in critiquing the critique, he told me before the interview; instead we talked about how he reinvents himself from restaurant to restaurant, a few features he has added to the place since my last review visits and how the Theodore fits into a larger "story" he's telling about American cooking.
We'll be collecting all the videos at guidelive.com/off-the-menu, and as usual, you can find all my other stories at dallasnews.com/lesliebrenner.
The series is a work-in-progress, and we'd very much love to hear what you think of it.
Or maybe you have a question you would like to ask the chef after a review? We'd love to pose it for you, making Off the Menu an interactive experience for readers.
Please drop me a line at lbrenner@dallasnews.com or send me a tweet @lesbren.
