Chef News

Gadabout Dallas chef Avner Samuel departs Nosh Bistro but restaurant will go on

Avner made good food. Some of it will remain.

Nosh Bistro

Avner is on the move — again. According to a release, chef Avner Samuel, who's been executive chef at Nosh Bistro in North Dallas for the past year, is retiring from that role.

His retirement is effective February 17. IE today. IE, it's probably not a "retirement," but might as well let the guy have his 30 seconds of dignity.

The release says that Samuel is retiring in order to spend more time with his family, but intends to remain a "key influencer" in the North Texas dining scene as a culinary consultant and as chef for private events.

Nosh will continue to operate under the Refined Hospitality Concepts umbrella, but now overseen by chef Ryan Carbery, who has worked for several years under Avner in the past.

Refined Hospitality Concepts is a partnership between Mehrdad Moayedi and chef Jeffrey Kollinger. Moayedi is president and CEO of Centurion Development Group.

Samuel has been an on-and-off staple of Dallas' dining scene since the '80s, and previously had the original Nosh Euro Bistro at Turtle Creek Village before splitting town in 2016.

He decamped to Israel, then returned to Dallas in mid-2018 and worked briefly at Neiman Marcus in Plano. Nosh opened in 2019. He was briefly joined by chef de cuisine Lori Finkelman but that didn't last more than a few months.

Avner says in a statement that it has been a joy to cook for the people of North Texas.

The restaurant is located in a mildly doomed space that was previously occupied by Dish Preston Hollow, and before that a Mexican restaurant, Soleo. It's in an odd shopping center with a hair salon and Top Pot Doughnuts, but parking is limited, and access can be complicated.

The release, which seems more than likely to have been a response to a post on Escape Hatch, says that the overall culinary direction at Nosh will stay the same, but they'll rejigger the food to appeal to a broader audience, and revamp the bar program as well, with details announced in the coming weeks.

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RIP Al

Beloved Dallas restaurateur Al Biernat dies at 69 after ALS battle

Dallas restaurateur Al Biernat, RIP

Beloved Dallas restaurateur Al Biernat, founder of the acclaimed local steakhouse Al Biernat's, passed away on November 13, following a battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also called ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease; he was 69.

Biernat was one of Dallas' all-time great hospitality figures, dating back to his days at The Palm steakhouse, for whom he worked in Los Angeles, Houston, and Dallas.

Biernat founded his namesake restaurant in 1998 on Oak Lawn Avenue, where his standard of excellence and doting charm made it a destination for special occasions, Park Cities swells, and celebrities in town.

His sense of hospitality had little competition in Dallas. He was a charming and personable host who genuinely liked people, and it didn't matter whether you were Conan O'Brien, David Crosby, or one of the other high-profile diners that visited his restaurants — or else just a regular schlub: He had a knack for making everyone feel special and remembered.

Biernat was born on August 20, 1955 and grew up in Michigan, then lived in Colorado, New York, Los Angeles, and Houston, before moving to Dallas to work at The Palm in the West End, where his dynamic presence gave the restaurant an incomparable vitality; it closed in 2017.

He opened Al Biernat's at 4217 Oak Lawn Ave. in 1998, followed by a second location in North Dallas at 5251 Spring Valley Rd. in 2017.

He began to experience ALS symptoms in May 2023, was diagnosed in December, and revealed his condition in February 2024. The revelation was met with an outpouring of sympathy and well wishes from the hospitality industry — a sign of the high regard in which he was held.

The average life expectancy for people with ALS is two to five years after diagnosis. Symptoms can begin in the muscles that control speech and swallowing, or in the hands, arms, legs, or feet. He began to have difficulty communicating in September, and spent his last days in a hospice.

On September 18, he broached the topic of dying, before ending on a note of gratitude to friends and family.

"Having Bulbar ALS I am realistic about my future," he said. "Friends and family have asked me if I’m afraid of dying, and this is what I say to them. Because of the salvation of Jesus, I will be rejoicing in my spirit to see him in all of his glory. Since we are all flesh, soul, and spirit, only my flesh is being left behind. But don’t get me wrong, I have a blessed life in this world, with a loving wife, and a beautiful family and many wonderful and caring friends. I am grateful!"

Both Al Biernat's locations will continue to remain open under the management of Biernat's nephew Brad Fuller, as they have for nearly the past two years.

Biernat is survived by Fuller, as well as his wife Jeannie and three daughters: Angelica Saylor, Kaitlin Biernat Connell, and Jess Biernat and grandchildren. According to family members, details regarding a celebration of his life will be announced soon.

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