Andre Natera Rolls Out His First Menu for Marquee Texas Grill

Natera’s crispy Bay of Fundy salmon with cauliflower and almond-raisin sauce

Andre Natera packed up his cajones and moved from his lofty chef perch at the Pyramid Restaurant in the Fairmont Dallas Hotel to the Marquee Texas Grill a few weeks ago, stepping into the executive chef role long played by Top Chef celebrity Tre Wilcox.

It’s taken more than a little while for Natera to put his imprint on the menu, but he’s finally done it. At the Fairmont, Natera imbued the menu with updated classics prepared with impeccable technique. You can do that in a hotel, but can you employ the same technical prowess in a busy Highland Park Village restaurant? We’ll find out.

His new Marquee menu includes familiar Asian influences, classic sauces (ravioli with spinach-basil veloute, oysters with jalepeno cilantro mignonette, calamari with chipotle-tomato aoli) plus — new for Natera — a whisp of modernist techniques (Ahi tuna crudo sided with ponzu gel).

I haven’t eaten my way through the new menu yet, but it sure looks delicious. It’s a menu I can’t wait to eat from top to bottom. I’d expect nothing less from one of the city’s most talented chefs.

Can an old restaurant be the Dallas’ best new restaurant?

I’ll brave the calories and check it out for you. Stay tuned: I’ll have more to report soon.

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