The new Marriott Dallas Uptown, a contemporary hotel set to debut in Uptown in February, has appointed a chef to oversee its food & beverage offerings including Good Graces, its full-service restaurant which will occupy a prominent space on the hotel's ground floor.

Executive chef is Juan Pablo Silva, who was previously executive chef at the Ritz-Carlton Dallas and whose international resume includes opening hotels around the world including The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi Grand Canal, the Four Seasons in Doha, Qatar and the Four Seasons in Beirut, Lebanon.

Good Graces will be a modern brasserie, serving oysters, charcuterie, salads, steak, seafood, wine, and cocktails in a bright and airy space, with decorative touches and lighting that they hope will evoke a French brasserie atmosphere.

The expectation from the hotel's management is that Silva will be a draw, and to that end, they've created an open kitchen to afford a view of Silva and his team at work.

Silva, who joined the hotel in October, says his mission is to reach locals as well as hotel guests.

"We want to appeal not just to hotel guests but people from the area, who we hope will see this as a new offering for high-end and casual dining," he says.

The menu will extend from burgers to ambitious foodie dishes, and prices will be moderate, with the most expensive item being a Wagyu steak for $38. With the pandemic, their opening menu will be concise, which they'll expand and modify in response to customer demand.

"Gulf coast oysters will be a centerpiece, but the menu will also include local charcuterie, housemade pastas, mussels and fries," he says. "Seasonality will be a goal, with daily specials drawn from local vendors."

He'll also incorporate flavors from his background; he's originally from Peru.

"I have a South American background, and I love to use ingredients with bold flavors like dried chiles, while also keeping in mind European techniques in terms of execution," he says.

There will definitely be a traditional Peruvian rotisserie chicken, marinated twice, then cooked slowly until the skin is extra crisp. It'll be served with crispy potato and chimichurri sauce. His ceviche will be an "Asian version" with marinated tuna and a wonton crisp.

He's also into surpassing expectations.

"You may see something on the menu that sounds 'normal' like chicken bites, but we'll always do a surprising preparation, like brining the chicken and using Indian spices and serving it with a chutney," he says. "You've been in a restaurant where you get your dish and it's not as great as what you read on the menu. We want to do the opposite of that."

The hotel will hit all the important notes:

• A weekend brunch served on Saturday and Sunday, from 10 am-2 pm
• A happy hour with its own menu of bites
• Vicinity Coffee, a coffee shop brewing Starbucks coffee with pastries prepared daily by an inhouse pastry chef. "We're expecting the coffee shop to be a great success," Silva says.
• Lunch for workers nearby
• Draft beer as well as wine on tap

Good Graces will have a little something extra: a Tanqueray Gin Champion Shaker, a showpiece interactive device that mixes cocktails.

The hotel has 14 stories and 255 guestrooms, with full-service restaurant Good Graces, a casual all-day café + lobby lounge, fitness center, and pool deck with views.