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Sunday, September 27, 2009

Saturday’s opening preview of Samar Restaurant by Stephan Pyles was one of those nights

7

— In one of the bigger splashes of '09, Samar -- the new Moroccan-Spanish-Indian-Middle-Eastern, hookah-smoking, downtown-residing restaurant-bar from chef Stephan Pyles -- previewed its imminent opening with a charity-event party on Saturday night that drew an insane nearly-1,000 people.

The restaurant is on the corner of Ross and Olive, on the ground floor of what was formerly known as San Jacinto Tower (whose exterior figured prominently in Dallas, sniff) -- not far from Pyles' other restaurant, the still-popular Stephan Pyles, and also close to the new important-right-now Arts District.

Dallas being Dallas, it's hard to fathom diners trading out zzzz steaks and burgers for chutneys and baba ghanouj; but hope springs eternal and the party snacks were presented in quantities that were sufficiently (though not hatefully) limited that everyone eagerly seized whatever snacks might come their way, be they spiced chicken and lamb kebabs with tomato chutney and okra garnish or lentil wafer cones with potato-garbanzo-and-pomegranate or pico-de-gallo-with-lentil-sprouts.

Spicy chicken and lamb kebab with tomato chutney and okra garnish.

Spicy chicken and lamb kebab with tomato chutney and okra garnish.

The rush started shortly after the 7 p.m. start time, with lots of folks deciding simultaneously to "arrive early and beat the crowds." A red carpet was set up to make entrances feel special, and a young woman in a sari threw handfuls of rose petals on the ground as each party-goer entered. Pyles stood near the entrance and accommodatingly posed for photo after photo.

The restaurant seats 80 and has an open kitchen and large patio with canvas furniture and cabanas, where hookah pipes will be offered. Are we about to have another hookah surge? Urban Cafe, in the central business district, recently announced that it, too, is doing hookah.

At the party, they set up a buffet in front of the kitchen, where people parked themselves in front of various chutneys, make-your-own pita pizza, and blistered pimientos de padrone with smoked sea salt. The lines at the bar for the special "tini" drinks were similarly deep. However, this was the kind of crush that allowed people to squish up against each other and then apologize sincerely, so it had its own benefits.

As the night unfolded, they brought out belly dancers and hookah pipes which took the starch out of everyone's shirt. But what made the event vibrant was the cross-section of attendees: from PaperCity socialites to the Serious Food Crowd (hi Luniz) to chefs like Matt Dunn to restaurateurs like Kay Agnew to rockers like Paul Quigg. People you didn't know said hi, and how often does that happen?



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Russ Vandeveerdonk says:

Good stuff PegasusNews, I like when you guys cover openings and happenings about town. Next week, all I can say is "DEUX", a super-vip soft grand opening at a secret location in Mockingbird Station.

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1 month, 3 weeks ago
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luniz says:

Hi yourself! Sounds like you had fun. Whoever put that whole thing together, were no amateurs, eh? All the trendy cones and so forth aside, I'm hopeful that there will be something truly Indian on the menu that I can't get elsewhere in town..we'll see. You're right though, it will be good for Dallas if a place like this succeeds, even if it's a bit of a whitewash.

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1 month, 3 weeks ago
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Michael Anderson says:

So when does this place finally open for real?

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1 month, 3 weeks ago
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lenadirbashi says:

Hmm sounds interesting and expensive. I bet the hookah costs an arm and leg lol. And do they serve any authentic Moroccan foods? Usually it's the 'generic' Middle Eastern Sham (Syria, Lebanon and Palestinian) foods

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1 month, 3 weeks ago
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Teresa Gubbins says:

lena, haven't seen an official menu yet, so am not sure about the authenticity of any of the food...

michael anderson, i heard they're opening in the next week or so

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1 month, 3 weeks ago
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luniz says:

lena, I don't think there's much intention to do "authentic", it's definitely more fusion oriented, a la some of Stephen Pyle's offerings.

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1 month, 3 weeks ago
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Teresa Gubbins says:

<em>Pegasus News</em> content partner The Brad offers his own <a href="http://www.thebradsblog.com/food/2009/09/sneak-peek-samar-by-stephan-pyles-dallas.html">sneak peek</a>, with his trademark good photos...

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1 month, 3 weeks ago
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