New Pan-Asian Restaurant From a Dallas Legend Ups This Revitalized Neighborhood’s Cool Factor: A New Victory Park and a New Rathbun Lair

If the sight of shiny new doors and thousands of fresh urbanites walking around Victory Park isn’t evidence enough of the area’s revitalization, one step into husband-wife restaurateurs Kent and Tracy Rathbun’s new Pan-Asian restaurant, Imōto, will have anyone convinced that Victory is on the brink of a new era.

While the eatery’s moody lighting and thumping music will make the W Hotel crowd feel right at home, Imōto’s comfortably upscale feel and sensuously flavorful cuisine bear the signature of Dallas’ treasured four-time James Beard Award-nominated chef Kent.

As the first venture since parting ways with Abacus and his former business partner, Imōto represents a new chapter for the restaurateur, too.

“I’ve had a number of really awesome, successful restaurants,” Kent says. “But, at the same time, I feel like I’m getting the restaurant I really wanted to have all those years.”

The years he is referring to are the ones since Kent first set foot in the Buddha Bar in Paris, the restaurant-slash-nightclub that served as his key inspiration for Imōto.

“What was striking to me was the way I felt there,” he says. “It was such an exotic location that it easily could have been in New York, Istanbul, Tokyo — anywhere in the world.”

He loved how the restaurant progressed into a late-night scene as the hours went by, something he plans to replicate with Imōto’s upstairs lounge and bar.

Another aspect about this move feels long in the making: This is the first restaurant he’s opened as a majority partner with his wife, Tracy, who co-owns local favorites Shinsei and Lovers Seafood & Market.

With their shared love of good food, travel, and design — and their ability to communicate with simply a look — the two make a formidable duo.

“If you can raise a 15-year-old together, you can do anything,” Tracy says.

Inside Imōto

Interior designer Brant McFarlain executed the Rathbuns’ vision for the space, resulting in a sexy, contemporary blend of Asian antiques, commissioned sculpture, and layered textures.

Take note of thoughtful details, like bar fronts made of Shou Sugi Ban wood, a Japanese pine sealed through an elaborate blowtorching treatment that replicates the look of matte-black alligator skin.

The sushi bar, led by Nobu veteran Jimmy Duke, and kitchen, helmed by Jennifer Newbold (formerly of Rathbun’s Blue Plate Kitchen) offer menus of seasonal, shareable plates that take the meaning of Pan-Asian to heart, taking cues from Thai, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Indian and Japanese cuisine.

While the Rathbuns clearly have seafood locked down, they take pride in sourcing Texas Wagyu beef (the hot rock is a must-order), as well as vegetables and herbs from local farmers.

Many ingredients come from the Rathbuns’ own Devonshire home garden — everything from shishito peppers to lemongrass, kaffir lime, and at least four different kinds of basil.

When the restaurant opened this summer, it was just about time to harvest the Rathbuns’ heirloom tomatoes.

“It’s been my best garden year yet,” Kent says. “There will be a solid week or two where my tomatoes will be all over the menu.”

Imoto, 2400 Victory Park Lane, 214.257.7777