ADDRESS: 27th floor, Hilton Anatole Hotel, 2201 Stemmons FreewayCUISINE: American/MediterraneanCHEF: Anthony BombaciOWNER: Hilton Corp.PHONE: (214) 761-7470WEBSITE: www.nanarestaurant.comOPENED: 1984PER-PERSON DINNER CHECK AVERAGE WITH BEVERAGES: $70-$75SEATS: 180AVERAGE WEEKLY COVERS: 500BEST-SELLING DISH: bone-in ribeye steak
Nana Restaurant continues to elevate fine dining from its 27th-floor perch at the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas.
From offering 10-course vegetarian tasting menus to affording polished service and expansive views, Nana paints the dining experience with the masterful strokes that could be found in the 1891 reclining nude painting of “Nana” by Gospodin Marcel Gavriel Suchorowsky that hangs in the bar.
Executive chef Anthony Bombaci calls his cuisine personal. “I like to cook what I like to eat,” says the chef, who was raised in Wisconsin and trained at The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y. He arrived at Nana in 2005 after 10 years at the Enoteca Bombaci in the Hotel Arts in Barcelona, Spain.
His biggest challenge, he says, is consistency. “This really is the hardest thing to accomplish,” he explains. “I would like to believe that we are winning this battle.”
Dallas diners differ considerably from Barcelona diners, Bombaci concedes. “Dallas has a rich tradition and heritage,” he says. “I would say Dallas is a bit more meat-oriented in [its] tastes; and Barcelona is more fish and shellfish-oriented.”
Bombaci says his menus have become “a bit more conservative” than in Barcelona. “For lack of a better word: ‘mature,’” he says. “It took me a couple of years to realize that I was not in Barcelona anymore. I am kind of a dreamer.”
He says his culinary style is circling back “to less progressive food. Things that are more familiar from a flavor standpoint.” He’s using “top-shelf” local fruits and vegetables. He sees a change in what defines luxury-food cuisine. “I think that flavor will define luxury instead of things that have been culturally defined as luxury,” he says, citing caviar, lobster and foie gras as examples.
Not content to rest on the basics, Nana last year began offering seven- and 10-course vegetarian and lacto-ovo vegetarian menus, which can features a deconstructed green bean casserole with Honshimeji mushrooms, fried onion praline, and tempura green beans or a “liquid baked potato.”
Bombaci is most satisfied by “the team that makes things happen from day to day. I tend to be overly critical when I am working, but I realize how good this team really is when I come in to eat. The food is simple and good and the service is seamless. What more could a customer ask for?”
Nana’s general manager, Mark LaRocca, worked with such restaurants as Stephan Pyles and York Street before joining Nana two years ago.
“Our staff is exceptional,” he says. “They’ve been there a long time, a few under 15 years but most from 15 to 25 years.” While about half the guests come from the 1,600-room hotel, Nana draws a sizable crowd from among local diners, LaRocca says, who come for the menu and the view.
John Mariani, in naming Nana one of the nation’s Top 10 romantic restaurants in Forbes magazine earlier this year, said of the view “the stars of Texas are definitely upon lovers who dine here.”
“Our view is incredible,” LaRocca says. “We do a lot of anniversaries and birthdays.”
To enhance the experience, each evening the captains in the waiter team are given a note with the guests’ names and any other information about them to make the experience more intimate. And regulars are discussed at the preshift meeting. “People like to go places where they are recognized and appreciated for being a return visitor,” LaRocca says.
Menu Sampler
Grilled Texas Quail Grilled Vegetables, Pearl Couscous, Peruvian Chili Sauce, Avocado $16
Thai Crab Croquettes Cold Soba Noodles, Mandarin, Hazelnut-Honey Vinaigrette $16
Liquid Baked Potato Potato Chip “Salt”, Chive Oil, Sour Cream Foam $12
Pan Roasted Potato Gnocchi Potironne Burgundy Escargots, Lobster-Saffron Broth $16
ENTREES Seared Wild Alaska King Salmon Garbanzos, Pork Ragoût, Glazed Piquillo Peppers $40
Seared Day-Boat Sea Scallops Pineapple, Coconut Barley, Braised Beef Essence $38
Slow Roasted Breast Of Duck Medjool Date Puree, Burgundy Escargot & Spanish Chorizo Stew, Kaffir Lime $39
Veal Sweetbreads Brown Butter Potatoes, Seared Asparagus, Hazelnuts, Honshimeji Mushrooms $42
45-Day Aged Grilled Prime Bone-In Ribeye Tomato Chutney, Crushed Potatoes, Foamy Béarnaise Sauce $56
Slow Roasted Berkshire Pork Belly Bitter Orange Coulis, Apple Compote, Pecans $38
DESSERTS Glazed Strawberries Vanilla Chantilly, Liquid Licorice, Orange Sponge Cake “Migas” $10
“Cheese Cake” Graham Cracker “Earth”, Mango Sorbet, Mojito Coulis $10