Chef and Restauranteur Stephan Pyles‘ latest concept in Dallas, San Salvaje, had me interested from the get go. Taking the space of it’s sibling Samar in the 2100 Ross office building, the restaurant had a reputation to live up to.
The description Pyles gave the restaurant? “San Salvaje (pronounced San Sal-VAH-hay), which means ‘wild saint’, celebrates the union of pagan indigenous culturewith a host of saints revered in Latin America…” “San Salvaje is Mexico, Central America, South America,the Caribbean and Cuba.”
That seems like a lot of ground to cover, but this ‘Wild Saint’ doesn’t disappoint. Executive Chef Alex Astranti, who most recently served as executive sous at Pyles’ Stampede 66, guides diners on a trip south of the border and beyond in a tasteful manner.
We headed in to dine on a quite weekday evening, just as the sun was setting over the outdoor bungalow style patio and bocce court. Yep, San Salvaje encouragers visitors and diners to lose the shoes and toss balls in a friendly game of bocce. Working off your meal, I suppose! The dining room is warmly lit with accents of goldenrod and peach hues. Wooden chairs hug as you are tucked in to the table for an experience to remember. To begin, we sampled the ‘Pisco Sour’, a traditional mix of Pisco Portón , Lime, Simple Syrup and Egg White. It was refreshing and not too bitter, perfect! The wine list is wonderful as well.
Pyles is a man who knows how to work a room and make his guests feel special. After visiting our table for a quick chat, he took to the rest of the dining room in an impressive manner. While he did that, we ordered our first course.
To begin, the Causa Limeña Classico, Spicy Shrimp and hidden inside? a Quail Egg. This dish can only be described as a creamy potato mash with a light citrus sauce. The quail egg was rich but not over powering when paired with the shrimp. Also sampled was the Yellow Fin Tuna Ceviche, Kaffir set inside a Young Coconut. Sweet and bitter flavors combined in a mellow set with the fresh tuna for a Summer worthy bite. The Kampachi Tiradito with Fennel Criollo, Vanilla, Pineapple, and Jalapeño was a great starter as well. Sweet and smoky tunes made the Kampachi shine, and I was digging it!
Other sampled courses can range from tacos with fresh made tortillas, like the two Fried Squid and Preserved Lemon ones we tasted, to a delicate and tasty Sweet Corn Humita, Lobster and Avocado. A Wild Mushroom-Huitlacoche Empanada with Guava dipping sauce had me confused at first but the sweet and salty combination had me a believer after first bite. This concept feels familiar and family style, with a welcoming staff who made sure dishes were up to par and an open kitchen that floods the room with sensory surprises of the best kind.
We moved on our main courses next. A Fried Whole Red Snapper, Pickled Green Beans with Mango-Habanero Mojo was filleted table side. A tender bite of fish served with a sweet and sour mix of mango and green been really hit the spot for me. It was an inventive mix on a dish I’d love to dine on near the South American coastline. Pyles offers a traditional Brazilian dish in the Heirloom Bean Feijoada, Braised Pork Cheek and crispy Chicharrón. We ended up using the pork rinds to sop up the beans after encouragement from our waitress, boy was she on to something! Yum!
When dessert time become apparent, we had a conundrum. My good friend and fellow diner is diabetic, which is a yin to my sweets-lover yang. We informed our server of this and she darted to the kitchen to sort things out. What came next was a complete surprise to us both. Chef Astranti and Chef Pyles came to our table and presented us both a sweet taste. One was a Lucuma Suspiro with Maracuya Meringue, a custard and condensed milk traditional dish that pastry chef Keith Cedotal executes perfectly. The other dessert was a diabetic friendly sweet tailored just for us, an amazing Coconut-Pineapple soup dotted with light whipped cream. It was a surprise that delighted the table and goes to show just how talented and accommodating Pyles and his staff truly are.
Run, don’t walk to Pyles’ San Salvaje and unleash your wildly delicious side.
100 Ross Avenue, #100
Dallas, TX 75201
