If you cherish the celestial mural at the French Room, you'd best get down to the Adolphus with your iPhone stat. Dallas' most acclaimed and historic restaurant is about to close for a remodel, and it will remain closed for most of 2016.
The restaurant, located in the grand Adolphus hotel in downtown Dallas, is going to be remodeled. A representative from the hotel confirmed that the last reservation that can be booked for the restaurant is June 11, and that there is no delineated reopening date, other than "sometime later this year."
Considered one of the best restaurants in the country, the French Room has been described by the New York Times as "a Louis XV fantasy on the prairie" and "indisputably the most striking and sumptuous restaurant in Dallas."
It has been a recipient of the coveted AAA Five Diamond Award for 25 consecutive years, showcasing cosmopolitan cuisine in a spectacular setting. While other restaurants may come and go, the French Room has remained one of Dallas' top destinations for special occasions, thanks in no small part to the glorious interior with chandeliers, a soaring arched ceiling, and a delicate mural depicting a celestial scene.
It's been one of the few fine-dining restaurants to continue to enforce a strict dress code, forbidding jeans when other grand dames like the Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek relented.
Although the restaurant continues to earn top user ratings from institutions like Zagat, it has also been cited recently for some wear around the edges. A D magazine review noted minor aberrations, including a wine list that had been slashed.
The hotel has been in the middle of a property-wide renovation, says PR spokesperson David Davis.
"We've executed renovations in all of the guest rooms and meeting spaces, they really look fantastic," he says. "We've also installed a new fitness center and a new pool. We never had a pool before. We're working through all of that, with each piece of the puzzle being refurbished. There's a lot of moving parts. But our goal is to have as little impact as possible on our guests."
UPDATE: A release issued on June 7 states that the French Room is slated for "a complete reimagining," with an updated menu and new bar and salon. Other developments include the re-introduction of the lobby bar and the Tea at the Adolphus; a street-side coffee shop; and a Mediterranean bistro with a wine and cocktail program.
In a unique partnership with Red Flower products and spa consultants WTS, the hotel will open a spa and salon in summer 2016 with five treatment rooms, indoor and outdoor lounges, and a fitness facility with aerobic and strength training equipment.
