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Meet French Room Executive Chef Jason Weaver

Find out where French Room executive chef Jason Weaver wants to eat on his nights off.
By Christine Wilson Lieb |
photography by Kevin Hunter Marple

The striking clean lines of executive chef Jason Weaver’s heavenly New American dishes are set off by the French Room’s Baroque opulence.

What I cook at home: My two sons, 7 and 4, love special breakfasts, so we’ll make pancakes. Instead of regular syrup, I’ll make something unique, like peanut butter syrup.

Signature dish: Either a rack of lamb with hickory smoked potatoes and mint garlic jam, or foie gras on brioche French toast, accompanied by seasonal fruit and a dash of chocolate and port wine.

Where I want to eat in Dallas on my nights off: York Street, Abacus, Stephan Pyles, Luqa, Shinsei, and I’m looking forward to Dean Fearing’s new restaurant at the Ritz.

Area chefs I am watching: Sharon Hage from York Street and David Gilbert at Luqa.

Ingredient I use most: Organic, extra-virgin olive oil. We use a high-quality olive oil from France at the restaurant.

Two spices that every spice rack needs: Salt isn’t really a spice, but I like Maldon Sea Salt. It adds crispness. As far as spices, cardamom and coriander.

Favorite cookbooks:  I like El Bulli cookbooks from the restaurant in Barcelona. They’re modern, crazy cookbooks. Fish & Shellfish: The Cook’s Indispensable Companion by James Peterson has a fish dictionary in the back that is very informational. Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art by Shizuo Tsuji is a great one.

Best preparation tip: If you weigh, measure, and chop in advance, then cooking is easy. All you do is heat the pan, and then add, add, add. It’s hard to chop when the onions are in the pan burning behind you.

Two things every kitchen needs: Good knives: Wusthof or Henckels are great. Good pans: I like All-Clad.

An entertaining tip to keep the party going: Make more cold hors d’oeuvres than hot ones. Make them simple, put them out, and forget about it. If you make hot ones, you’ll spend the whole time in the kitchen.

Best compliment to the chef: I love to hear guests say it was the best meal they’ve ever had or that they can’t wait to come back.

What won’t you eat? I have traveled a good deal, and even in Asia, I was always willing to give something new a try. It’s part of being a chef, though I’m not a huge fan of lima beans.

Pet peeve: I hate it when chefs say, “That’s how it’s served.” Chefs should be willing to make an order to the customer’s preference.

Favorite food stores: I hit up Central Market a lot and the brand new Asia World Market. I get Chinese long beans, Japanese mountain yams, fresh fish, and Dungeness crabs.

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