Hotel News
Dishy details on restaurant at Kimpton Pittman Hotel in Dallas' Deep Ellum
The day draws near for a prominent hotel, opening in a historic building in Deep Ellum: The Kimpton Pittman Hotel, which will go into the former Knights of Pythias temple at the corner of Good Latimer and Elm Street, is opening in July.
A release says that the hotel "fulfills the promise of a treasured landmark," and will provide guests with an experience rooted in history, without sacrificing modernity.
The hotel will also feature a restaurant led by chef Graham Dodds, who has worked with Kimpton hotels in the past: He was chef at Central 214, the restaurant at the Palomar Hotel at US-75 and Mockingbird Lane. (That hotel is now Highland Dallas and that restaurant is now Knife, the steakhouse from chef John Tesar.)
According to the release, the eatery at the Pittman will be called Elm + Good, and will serve upscale American farmhouse fare.
Dodds, who has most recently been helping out at New Frontier Farm in Corsicana, has long been a champion of using local produce and says that's in line with what the Kimpton wants.
"It's going to be vegetable forward," he says.
He's still conceiving the menu but he plans to incorporate some of the dishes he's done at restaurants such as Bolsa, Central 214, and Wayward Sons, the Greenville Avenue restaurant where he dabbled in vegetarian and vegan dishes.
"I'm bringing back the garden 'charcuterie,' one of the most popular dishes at Wayward Sons," he says. "I'll be doing a really good mushroom paella with a 'chorizo' made from trumpet mushrooms marinated with all the typical chorizo spices."
"Also a couple rabbit dishes, including country-style pate and the agnolotti I do with it," he says. "I'm excited. The owners are all about the vegetables!"
The Knights of Pythias temple was built in 1916, and played a central role in the development of Dallas' blues music scene. This Facebook post has a succinct history of the building. The Observer has a slightly less succinct history, one that reveals that putting in some kind of hotel in this space has been an idea in the works for more than decade.
The name of the hotel is a tribute to its architect William S. Pittman. Perkins+Will architects and Busta Studio collaborated to revive the original structure and erect a contemporary tower alongside the main building.
As befits its Deep Ellum address, the hotel will incorporating works from local artists and a vinyl collection highlighting its musical heritage. An open-air oasis will incorporate a pool and outdoor bar.
Greyhound bus station in downtown Dallas.
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