There’s a lot of talent circling around downtown Dallas. Nilton “Junior” Borges is leading operations as executive chef of The Joule, Josh Sutcliff is in the kitchen at Mirador, and Coner Seargeant is at CBD Provisions. Now we add one more to the list.
Darren Anklam, culinary director for The Adolphus, was leading the team at the glamorously re-done hotel’s City Hall Bistro until a new executive chef was appointed. Word came on Friday that said chef is Jeramie Robison.
Robison was already promising in Houston, where he was a Rising Star chef at the age of 28. He came to Dallas via Austin, and here continued his ascent, making his mark at Shinsei and Uchi. In February of this year, he was scooped up by the Apheleia Restaurant Group that owns Oak, El Bolero, Pak Pao, and Quill to act as culinary director for Oak and Quill. There, he oversaw menu development and brought in bold flavors, always Southern, but with a layering of nuances borrowed from global influences: tandoori branzino and dashi broths.
And now he has taken the position of executive chef at a place that perfectly suits the trajectory, City Hall Bistro putting forward the food of the Levant: saffron-rich paellas; squid-ink dark tangles of pasta crowned with baby squid and Aleppo pepper; lamb chops with black olive pistou.
My advice: let’s stay tuned and see what he’ll do with the chef’s paella.
