New Dallas Restaurant from Chef Matt Antonovich

<strong>Matthew Antonovich is back in Dallas, and he’s launching a new concept called “Tie” that stands a good chance of scoring big.

Antonovich was the chef behind Sipango, a restaurant/bar/lounge that put Knox-Henderson on the Dallas culinary trail. Sipango’s ultra-exclusive lounge and celebrity-studded dining room was a huge hit when it opened in 1994, a Cal-Ital concept unlike anything Dallas had yet seen.

After leaving Sipango, Antonovich was the opening chef of III Forks, then left the area for other opportunities before returning to Dallas. Though he isn’t ready to disclose its location, Antonovich plans to open his new venture on March 3, the same date Sipango opened sixteen years ago.

Antonovich describes Tie Bar and Tie Restaurant as “melting pot cooking”—he says “fusion” is not the right word to describe modern cuisine anymore—a blend of cultures and cuisines that includes Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese, Chinese, Indian, and Middle Eastern.

Antonovich says the bar area will have a separate menu and an  “Asian and Indian kitchen that will turn out foods with a check average under $15.”  Tie Bar’s menu will reflect the street foods of Singapore, Japan and Hong Kong. The bar will stay open deep into the wee hours to serve a late night crowd.

“Our bar will give those who want to experiment with different cuisines a chance to mix cultures and cuisines on small plates,” he explains.

The main dining room’s menu will be a blend of  California cuisine with Asian inflections: beef tenderloin topped with Dungeness crab and horseradish-wasabi butter, veal chop with lemongrass, curries, and “interesting side dishes from the Middle East, Asia and India.”

Antonovich says the recipes and cooking will be authentic. He’s hiring chefs from Japan and India, and he’s importing tandoor ovens and Chinese woks.

Could the planned Tie Bar and Restaurant be the first wave of a “melting pot” trend? Antonovich may be on to something.

According to a December 7 story in Nation’s Restaurant News, an industry trade publication, “the top five flavors consumers would like to see more often in restaurant meals” are  garlic, hot/spicy, Italian-influenced, Mexican/Latin/Spanish-influenced, and Asian-influenced.