Asian Food News

Upscale new restaurant in Uptown Dallas does 3 Asian cuisines

Feng Shui Asian Cuisine

Feng Shui

An exciting pan-Asian restaurant from a well-regarded team just opened in Uptown Dallas: Called Feng Shui Asian Cuisine, it's in the McKinney & Olive building at 2355 Olive St. #150 where it is combining chef-driven Asian food in a fine-dining setting at reasonable prices.

Located in the same center as the Starbucks Reserve location, next door to Del Frisco's Grille, Feng Shui is a collaboration between two well-established hospitality veterans and chefs: Chef-CEO Fawn Zhao and Chef-General Manager Alan Ho.

The duo have extensive previous experience: Zhao, who grew up in Beijing, opened her first restaurant in 2003. She relocated to Dallas in 2009, working at restaurants such as Zenna Thai & Sushi, where she and Ho first met. Ho moved to Dallas from Taiwan in 1996, and has worked at restaurants such as Sakura Japanese, Chaucer’s Sushi & Bar, and Master Grill Brazilian Steakhouse.

Together, they previously founded Jia Modern Chinese in Highland Park (now closed), and its sibling Jia Asian Bistro which opened in Lakewood in 2022, with which they are no longer involved.

Feng Shui is their new venture, and a realization of Fawn's vision to offer traditional dishes from three distinct cultures in a warm, familial atmosphere.

"When I started out, I knew how to cook Chinese food. In 2003, I learned about sushi, and in 2011, I learned to cook Thai food. These are all my hobbies," she says.

With Feng Shui, they're also going for bold innovation and some of the dishes definitely sound interesting.

The dinner menu is broken into Chinese, Japanese, and Thai cuisines, with dishes such as hamachi, Wagyu beef tataki, unusual chicken eggrolls, and Thai-style beef jerky in sriracha sauce.

Get a taste of all three cuisines in the Three Cultures Sampler, with edamame, seaweed salad, spicy tuna & crab nacho, vegetarian spring roll, chicken dumpling, cucumber salad, tofu satay, pork rib, and heavenly beef — a big haul of food for $35.

One unusual standout is the Potato Stir Fry, featuring shredded potatoes, green bell pepper, and dried red pepper — a dish served cold.

"It's my home recipe," Zhao says. "You stir fry the potatoes with the red and green pepper — it's very pretty and satisfying. Right now a lot of people are vegetarian and vegan, and we make an effort to offer many vegetarian dishes on our menu."

Lunch includes classics like Kung Pao chicken, General Tso's chicken, Moo Goo Gai Pan, Beef With Broccoli, Pad Thai, or Thai Basil Fried Rice — all served with choice of two: daily soup, ginger salad, or fresh fruit cup. Prices range from $18 to $22.

A full bar includes sake, six champagnes, Japanese whisky, and specialty cocktails like a spicy Thai chili & basil margarita, priced from $18 to $20, plus a drink for two called Fuji Mountain with pineapple, cranberry, and five kinds of rum, yes five, for $32.

There's an especially robust selection of desserts, from green tea cheesecake to mochi ice cream to a bag of mini doughnuts with a slew of dipping sauce options including fruit jams, chocolate, caramel, or Thai peanut sauce, obviously the best choice.

And then there's "Chef Ethan's Special," a dessert featuring house-made lemon ice cream topped with dragon fruit that reveals a sweet family touch beneath all of the restaurant's polish.

"Ethan is the 14-year-old son of my partner — he said he wants to be a chef like me," Zhao says. "He created that dessert, and it's good!"

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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