photos c/o Abacus
In 1999, award winning, celebrity chef Kent Rathbun "swung open the Abacus doors and changed the Dallas dining scene. But his primary goal was far simpler than sparking a food revolution. It was simply to focus on returning to polished, unpretentious service. His aspiration was to reintroduce been-there-ate-that guests to the basics—fresh, local ingredients, prepared to perfection and served with style in an elegant space. If Abacus is the flagship for anything, it’s for epitomizing relaxed, fine dining." That my friends, is how Abacus describes themselves on their website. This past June Chef Kent Rathbun parted ways with H2R Restaurant Holdings, the restaurant group he founded with investor Bill Hyde. In doing so, he stepped away from his award winning Dallas restaurant Abacus, leaving many (including me) to wonder if the place would be as show-stoppingly great without him. Christopher Patrick is the current Chef de Cuisine at Abacus, which serves contemporary global cuisine with Pacific Rim influences, and he brings more than a decade of experience working in top kitchens throughout the city to the table. Patrick began his tenure as a Sous Chef in 2012, before working his way up to Executive Sous Chef and now Chef de Cuisine. Chef Patrick’s talent in the kitchen, dedication to fresh, locally-sourced ingredients and experience preparing a variety of cuisines have combined to give the chef a focused culinary style that’s on display each night and can be found on every plate at Abacus. I visited Abacus in early July for a romantic date-night with my husband and am happy to report that things are cruising along just fine. By the way, don't overlook the bar area. It's a great place to gather for cocktails even if you're not having dinner. Their website states, "In a part of uptown Dallas that knows a thing or two about how to do cocktail hour right, the Bar at Abacus satisfies in spades. Whether your signature drink is a glass of wine, a finely tuned classic or a creative concoction off the menu, let our skilled (and dare we say genius) bar men cater to your every whim. A clever menu, masterfully mixed cocktails and downright sophisticated aura make this the perfect place to begin, end or settle in for an evening of business, pleasure or both. No wonder it’s the one bar to see and be seen in all of the Knox Henderson area." And they aren't kidding. The bar has a great vibe, lots of seating and a killer cocktail menu.
Abacus is located at 4511 McKinney Ave, Dallas, TX 75205, http://www.abacus-restaurant.com
