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| LAS COLINAS LOVELY: Chef Kathleen Natale (below) creates savory dishes like Chilean sea bass (above) at Cafe on the Green. photography by Doug Davis | |
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WHY CAFE ON THE GREEN:
Finding foie gras in the suburbs can be tricky. More synonymous with family-friendly restaurants, towns like Irving aren’t necessarily known for their fine dining options. But savvy business people know the best places to close the deal, and few restaurants in the ’burbs—or Dallas for that matter—can compare to the posh environs of the Four Seasons Resort’s Cafe on the Green in Las Colinas. Known for its 400 acres of rolling hills (after all, this is the home of the Byron Nelson Classic) and a world-class spa, the Four Seasons and its handsome restaurant provide an indulgent respite from a hectic workday. Best of all? Not a Happy Meal in sight.
WHAT TO EAT:
Executive Chef Christof Syre and Chef de Cuisine Kathleen Natale have developed a New American lunch menu that’s long on flavor but short on pretense. Business diners will feel at ease with classics like lump crab cakes, pan-seared Ahi tuna, and succulent beef short ribs so tender that a knife is unnecessary. Other dishes are dressed to the nines. The flat-iron steak sandwich is slathered with melted smoked cheddar, pungent horseradish, and avocado. A chef’s salad—standard issue at all restaurants—is made memorable due to lots of hickory-grilled chicken, focaccia croutons, Texas mozzarella, and a hearty drizzle of roasted shallot tomato vinaigrette. In fact, the Cafe’s salad options are some of the menu’s most enticing. We’ll make a return visit just for the Southwestern crabmeat Cobb salad. Avocado and bacon are to be expected. But sun-dried tomatoes and an ancho chili buttermilk dressing? Now that’s a salad worthy of a spotlight.
WHERE TO SIT:
Cafe on the Green’s sun-kissed, airy dining room looks out over the resort’s villas and pool. Tables are seated far apart—bucking the elbow-to-elbow trend of many upscale restaurants—ensuring private conversation and room to spread out. But if your business meeting requires added hush-hush security, book one of the Four Seasons’ two private dining rooms, both of which seat up to 18 people.
THE STATS
CAFE ON THE GREEN
4150 N. MacArthur Blvd., Irving, 972-717-2420
THE FOOD:
Upscale New American
THE COST:
$$$ (Average lunch entree price $15)
WHO’S THERE:
Las Colinas A-listers and golf nuts
WI-FI: Yes
FULL BAR: Yes
