Oprah Chef to Run the Restaurant of Dallas’ New Showcase Hotel

HALL Arts Hotel, a brand new hotel opening up in the Dallas Arts District this fall has officially brought acclaimed chef Eric Dreyer on board. The Dallas native will be the name of the hotel’s highly anticipated new restaurant located at 1717 Leonard Street.

A Napa-inspired menu will be curated by Dreyer and the hotel leadership. It’ll reflect Ellie Hall, the late mother of hotel owner and HALL Group founder Craig Hall, aiming to be approachable, modern and refined. Ellie Hall was a teacher and artist, as well as one of the first women to enlist in the U.S. Navy in 1942.

Dreyer is well-known in the Dallas dining scene as the former executive chef at Fearing’s at The Ritz-Carlton. And he most recently served as executive chef of Promised Land, the 42-acre Montecito, California estate that belongs to Oprah.

Born in Houston, but raised in Dallas, Dreyer started out working for high-end catering firms and restaurants in his twenties in California. He then attended the California School of Culinary Arts in Pasadena. Having worked at The Ritz and The Grand Hyatt DFW, the chef has lots of experience in the Dallas hotel dining scene. He’s even written a cookbook called The Texas Food Bible.

What drew Dreyer to the Ellie’s project were a blank slate and the uniqueness of it.

“I enjoy being able to build standards,” Dreyer tells PaperCity. “I’m excited about being involved and adding something unique for the Arts District.”

As for the space, Dreyer says that it’s a good size, but not too huge. “I like that it’s controllable,” he says. “So that we can focus on quality and service.”

The restaurant will be open to the Dallas skyline with glass walls that let a lot of light in.

Overlooking the Texas Sculpture Walk, the space will be surrounded by the new hotel’s expansive art collection, as well as some of Ellie Hall’s own pieces. There will also be live music and entertainment.

“It’s almost like walking through a gallery,” Dreyer notes.

For food, there aren’t any specific dishes that can be revealed just yet, but Dreyer says they’ll be coastal style and clean foods.

“Ellie brings a lot for what she means,” the chef says. “There’s a mother aspect.” It’ll be a menu inspired by the meals you have at home.