DINING

“Appearances are sometimes deceiving. Such is the case with the Enclave, 8325 Walnut Hill Lane, where onemust
endure some minor unpleas-antries in order to experience haute cuisine that marks this establishment as an ascending
star in the growing galaxy of continental restaurants in the city.

Unpleasantries first: The Enclave is located in an office plaza still under construction, and the exterior is cold
and unappealing. The interior decor is traditional “”fancy restaurant”” – smoked mirrors, flocked walls, etc.,
although the tablecloths are attractive and the chairs comfortable.

The bar, alas, is stark and uninviting.

There are two dining rooms. I prefer the smaller one down the hall as opposed to the one that opens into the bar,
where musical entertainment can be distracting.

The menu promises to make you schizoid, trying to decide between all of the enticing possibilities. There are 10
hors d’oeuvres, ranging from simple prosciutto and melon ($2.50) or oysters on the shell ($2.75) to elegant beluga
caviar ($12). In between are a tasty rich pate maison ($2.50) and stuffed mushrooms du chef, which is crabmeat in a
luscious cream sauce.

The Potage du jour ($1.25) is an elusive dish which they have not had, despite several visits. The Onion soup
($1.50) can stand with any in the city and is the only worthy one presented. The vichyssoise is thin and flavorless,
and the turtle soup tastes tinned.

The entrees are categorized under fish, fowl and meats.

The filet of lemon sole ($7.50), broiled with butter and lemon is very good. The brook trout ($7.50), however is
overcooked and uninspired.

Agonizing over the fowl, I finally opted for Duckling Lapostolle, Enclave’s version of duck a l’orange presumably
made with Grand Marnier. The duck was perfectly cooked and full flavored, but the sauce was too sweet.

Meats dominate here: The veal co-tellette en papillote (supposedly in buttered paper, but now usually in aluminum)
is a seldom seen bone-in veal chop -tender, flavorful and fairly floating in a sublime brown sauce ($9). The filet
mignon belle Hel-ene ($8.50) is well cooked and garnished with an artichoke bottom filled with a bernaise sauce
unexcelled anywhere.

The vegetables accompanying the entrees are wretched, greasy and shameful. The salads are crisp and dressed
deliciously.

Desserts are standard fare with gobs of canned whipped cream. I did order imported cheese and fresh fruits ($2.25)
and was brought a refrigerated slice of rock-hard brie and a slice of walnut gourmandise, which Dallas is so
enamored with but which smacks of sweet Velveta.

Service, with one exception, has been crisp and efficient. The bar service, however is not coordinated with table
service and can be extremely annoying.

The wine service is the restaurant’s greatest flaw. The list was put together with very little concern for the
patron. It is notably lacking in moderately priced selections and half-bottles. Those available in the French wines
bracket are Cruse -not all that bad, but not the best available. In the $20 range the selection is quite good.

The sommelier will help you with expensive wines, ceremoniously decanting the wine. He will also tell you a cute
story about the wine, and be excessively patronizing. When asked if wine was available by the glass he said, “”not
really.”” The cocktail waitress was more able and willing to please, and brought us a glass of wine.

In sum, Enclave could, down the road, turn out to be just another pretentious, overrated, overpriced restaurant. But
it is showing enough promise in its youth to add a new dimension to fine dining in Dallas.

Food ★★★1/2

Service ★★★1/2

Ambience ★★1/2

Hours: Lunch, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Mon.-Fri. Dinner: 6-11 p.m. Mon.-Sat., bar til 12/ Reservations/ 363-7487/
MC, BA, AR, DC accepted. $$$

With the possible exception of Mexican restaurants, the Chinese are the ethnic leaders on the Dallas dining scene.
Mandarin seems to dominate the new wave after years of Cantonese standard, and the best newcomer is the South
China restaurant, 5424 Mockingbird.

The dishes are rare and often exotic. The menu is prodigious with appetizers, soups, chicken, duck, beef, pork,
seafood and vegetables.

Don’t let the long and interesting menu scare you into submission and the typical “”#1 dinner”” order of egg roll,
won ton soup, sweet and sour pork, steamed rice, tea and fortune cookies. South China has more than adequatepackage
dinners, but this menu bears some adventuring.

The standard appetizers are good, especially shrimp toast and the chicken limbs. But they also offer rarely seen
Chinese steamed dumplings (6 for $1.80). These delightful little balls of pork, sealed in unique Chinese pastry with
a vinegar/ginger sauce require 20 minutes for preparation, but are well worth the wait. They are equally good
fried.The soup offerings are also unusual. The crab meat and corn soup is creamy and good, and the bean curd and
pork soup is delicious. I also enjoyed the sizzling rice soup and the san shien soup, but the won ton and the egg
flower soups are only routine.

The first dish I tried was diced chicken with pecans ($3.95). Beware of the optional spicy preparation. In my best
I’ve-eaten-in-New-York-and-San-Francisco-Chinatowns snobbery I ordered it very spicy.

When the dish came, I fumbled with my chopsticks, tasted the first bite and pronounced it very good, but not spicy
at all. My erudite pronouncements crumbled with the second bite and evoked convulsive laughter from my companions.
Tears filled my eyes and my voice was reduced to a pitiful croak. More laughter. The humiliating culprit was a
pepper, which looked like a dime-size slice of bell pepper, but definitely was not. It got my attention, I’ll say
that. And when the pain subsided, I actually was masochistically tempted to try another.

The other chicken dishes are also very good. My favorites were the shredded chicken with bean sprouts ($2.95) listed
under home specialties, and the chicken velvet ($3.75) with fluffy egg whites.

I didn’t find the beef dishes as good as the chicken, except for beef with dem ol’ hot peppers and black beans
($3.75). The seafood was very pedestrian. The only dish that could match the poultry, as a matter of fact, was the
Moo Shi pork ($3.95) with incredibly light Chinese pancakes (actually crepes). The Mandarin dish is popping up at
many places, but nobody prepares it better than South China.

The age old controversy about what to drink with Chinese food is still raging. There is now wine made in France and
Portugal especially for Chinese food. The French Wan Fu is a very dry wine made from mostly Bordeaux wine, and it
goes surprisingly well with Oriental dishes.

Some think that tea is the only proper accompaniment, but hot beverages with food tend to dull the taste buds, and
iced tea is, in my opinion, a cruel joke played on America by Mr. Lipton.

Beer seems to be the most recommended beverage, and I concur. I hope that we soon see the importation of Chinese
rice beer which enjoys a fine reputation. Food: *** 1/2 Service: *** 1/2 Ambience: **Hours: Lunch, 11:30
a.m.-2:30 p.m. Mon.-Fri., Noon-2:30 p.m. Sat.-Sun. Dinner, 511 p.m. Tues., Thurs., 512 Fri.-Sat. 5-10 Sun. Closed
Mon. night/ MC/ $$

The Brasserie in the Fairmont is not the finest place in town to eat lunch or dinner.

It is the best place in town to eat a late supper, or off-hours meal. Convenience is their long suit. I often get
pangs for a good lunch Saturday afternoon at 3 o’clock, or a good breakfast at 1 a.m., and nothing else is open
other than coffee shops or hamburger/chicken-fried steak places. I have to pay for my indulgence, of course, but it
is usually worth it.

Lunch is served from 11:00 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. and there is an enticing array of cold salads and hot entrees
supplemented with the standard sandwiches, etc.

Certain popular items such as Eggs Benedict and onion soup are served on all four menus, and you can always get
breakfast. All of the food is consistently good here and the weiner schnitzel and the brook trout are excellent. So
are the soups, except the thin vichyssoise.

Dinner, which is served from 5:30 until 11:00 p.m. features a rotating international theme. March is Italian.The
late night menu is offered from 11:00 p.m. until 7:00 a.m. Night owls never had it so good. You can have any of the
regular breakfast fare as well as smoked salmon and eggs, Eggs Benedict, a groaning hamburger, soup, sandwiches, and
the unbeatable desserts for which the Fairmont is justly famous.



The regular breakfast menu is in forcefrom 7 till 11 a.m. and is the least exciting of the four. It is,
however,delicious.

I won’t attempt to give this restaurant a star rating. I will simply say that it is very good and highly
recommended. I have rarely been disappointed in food or the pleasant service.Fairmont Hotel, Ross & Akardl
748-5454/7 days a week/MC,BA,AE,DC/$$