Dallas Design District's Virgin Hotels Dallas is giving its culinary program a reboot with a new chef and menu theme. New executive chef is Andy Papson, who previously worked in luxury dining in Miami and the Florida Keys, with Davidson Hospitality Group and Sonesta Hotels.
Papson will lead all culinary operations at the hotel, including its upscale restaurant and bar Commons Club, as well as its rooftop pool club, banquets, and catering.
Plans include more seafood and Creole flavors, with dinner dishes such as snapper ceviche, shrimp & grits, scallops, short rib osso buco, and his key lime pie, which has been named the best key lime pie in south Florida.
The brunch menu also gets a revamp, with the addition of items like a smoked salmon platter, blackened snapper sandwich, eggs benedict, and vegan pancakes.
The hotel restaurant, which opened in 2019, previously focused on French-inspired cuisine with an emphasis on dishes cooked via live fire and house-made pasta.
“These culinary creations are a reflection of my life’s journey,” Papson says. “My background in New Orleans and South Florida, combined with my deep love for the ocean and diving, have been instrumental in the dishes I’ve brought to Commons Club Dallas.”
Chef Andy PapsonPhoto courtesy of Virgin Hotels Dallas
Beyond the kitchen, he’s a man of many hobbies. He’s a certified master scuba diver, and he’s used his scuba skills to explore the Florida Keys, the Turks and Caicos islands, and the famous Blue Hole in Belize.
In addition to his key lime pie fame, Papson’s resume includes accolades such as Chef of the Year for Davidson Hotels, Chef of the Month in Baton Rouge, and Best Dish Award at New Orleans Food & Wine Experience.
To match the re-envisioned menu, the hotel’s bar program has introduced new cocktails, named after Texas musicians, such as the Rhinestone Highway, butterfly pea flower-infused vodka, vanilla, and lemon nectar; and the Ya Se VA, rell bell pepper-infused tequila, ancho reyes chile liqueur, agave, and firewater bitters.
