Indochine Asian bistro opens on Oak Lawn Dallas with globe-trotting chef

BBQ Thai chicken at Indochine Bistro

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A new Asian restaurant has opened in Dallas with a name-brand chef. Called Indochine Bistro, it's at 3211 Oak Lawn Ave. #B, a space that was previously home to Green Papaya Vietnamese restaurant.

Indochine serves authentic Southeast Asian food done in an elevated style, with a menu by Vietnamese-American chef Michael Bao Huynh, who has cooked at celebrity haunts in New York, and appeared on TV shows such as Iron Chef and Master Chef Vietnam.

The restaurant describes what it does as "the finest Indochine-style comfort cuisine, with an array of delectable fish options."

Huynh is a native of Saigon who left Vietnam in 1982, studied architecture, then opened a Vietnamese restaurant, Bao 111, in New York in 2001. Celeb diners included Brad Pitt, Usher, Naomi Campbell, and former Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

He went on to open about a dozen restaurants in New York between 2008 and 2013, ranging from an Asian burrito shop called Baoritto to a sandwich restaurant called Baoguette, earning a tag as a "perpetual restaurant opener" by Eater.

He came to Indochine via a connection to the team behind Green Papaya, the long-time Vietnamese restaurant which first opened on Oak Lawn in 1999. It was taken over in 2019 by Dylan Le, who rebranded it as a plant-based restaurant. When the plant-based concept did not prosper, Le partnered with Jessica Vo, to open Indochine, combining high-end style with affordable prices.

"I met Chef Michael through professional circles in the culinary industry," Vo says. "His reputation for innovative cooking and a passion for flavors immediately caught my attention, leading to our collaboration at the restaurant."

The restaurant still retains some Green Papaya dishes like peanut sauce, garlic sauce, grilled chicken bun, ga luc lac, and grilled chicken pho, but with a new Indochine style created by "Chef Bao."

Lemongrass beef short ribs at Indochine BistroCourtesy photo

It's a pan-Asian menu with dishes from Vietnam, Thailand, and Laos that includes:

Vermicelli Bowl: Greens, bean sprouts, mint, peanuts, lime dressing with choice of Beef, Pork, Chicken, or Tofu
Hot Crab Spring Rolls: Pork, shrimp, lettuce, and herbs in a crispy shell
Clay Pot Ginger Chicken: Chicken, shallots, quail eggs, and coconut juice, cooked in a traditional clay pot
Grilled Spicy Beef Salad: Beef in a pineapple and pomelo marinade, tossed with cucumber and mint
BBQ Thai Chicken: Paired with a green papaya salad and sticky rice
Wok Shaken choice of beef, salmon, or chicken

Other dishes include Lemongrass lamb chops, chili escargot, sweet & sour whole red snapper, and lemongrass beef short ribs.

Cocktails are by Orson Alexander Salicetti, a top mixologist from New York, who has designed seven cocktails exclusively for Indochine.

They've also updated the interior, with a better, more conventional floorplan than what they had at Green Papaya, whose primary pandemic-induced focus was on takeout. There's more square footage dedicated to dining in and a nicer ambience.

"We hope to provide a better Indochine culinary experience to both former customers of Green Papaya and new patrons," Vo says.

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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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