A First Look at Soy Cowboy — Ben Berg’s Long-Awaited Pan Asian Restaurant at Loews Arlington Hotel

Soy Cowboy held its VIP Preview evening at the new Loews Arlington Hotel and Convention Center on Wednesday. Houston-based restaurateur, Benjamin Berg of Berg Hospitality Group, was on hand to greet hundreds of invitees to his newest Pan-Asian concept. After years of anticipation, it finally opens to the public today, June 27.

The new restaurant is named after the similarly named street in Bangkok, Thailand. As you enter through a dense forest of bamboo and a sky filled with fiber optic stars, you are greeted by an electronic display above the greeter’s stand, alternating scenes from calm swimming koi to dizzying nightlife scenes. Then, like a Lewis Carroll novel, a choice must be made, do you venture right into the grand main dining room with its simmering cauldron overhead, or hop to your left into the main bar, with its massive patios and street scene beyond?

Either way, you know it’s going to be an interesting evening.

Berg Hospitality Group has an ever-growing slate of restaurants located in Houston, including B&B Butchers & Restaurant. Berg’s first foray into North Texas was with the opening of his second B&B Butchers in Fort Worth’s The Shops at Clearfork back in January of 2018.

Soy Cowboy’s opening event included passed chicken satay as well as crunchy and creamy snow crab tacos. Guests had several of the restaurant’s signature cocktails to choose from like the refreshing Violet Spritz made with The Botanist Gin and Monin hibiscus syrup, garnished with fresh lemon, and topped with Gambino ‘Gold’ Prosecco and a splash of Fever Tree club soda.

Inside Soy Cowboy’s VIP Party

Celebrity guests included Arlington’s Mayor Jim Ross, retired NBC anchor Mike Snyder, and Fort Worth-based fashion designer Dreux’ Hamm who showcased a dozen or so eye-catching Asian-inspired designs, including those from his dramatic Year of the Dragon Collection ― all worn by a bevy of professional, styled models.

Of course, a myriad of local influencers was also on hand capturing every moment of the party from special musical acts to the dishes, drinks, and décor. One brave fashionista even set up her ring light inside a secluded banquette and had her assistants film her nibbling and chewing each bite. I suspect you’ll have trouble finding much of anything besides Soy Cowboy’s opening in your social feed today.

The cold sushi buffet included translucent slices of otoro (tuna), hamachi, and hotate (scallop), as well as featured rolls and nigiri specialties. The sushi chefs were getting their sea legs (and plenty of practice in advance of the opening night tonight) by churning out a tantalizing sushi spread throughout the evening.

Soy Cowboy takes you on a tour through the flavors of China, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, and Japan. The lead chef is Berg Hospitality Group’s regional culinary director Alisher Yallaev, who is fresh off the opening of Berg’s Houston restaurant, Prime 131 ― a concept built around live fire cooking.

The menu at Soy Cowboy is broken into the various Asian cooking techniques it explores ― including traditional sushi, tempura, wok, robatayaki, hibachi, and teppanyaki, as well as Korean barbeque.

A conga line of guests was entertained by an aerial performer as they snaked through the main dining room toward a buffet of hot bites. On display were a variety of Pan-Asian menu items like the delicate lobster wontons bathed in a teriyaki butter broth, succulent fried branzino, traditional orange chicken, and Japanese yakisoba. Of course, as you’d expect from Ben Berg, the steak items were top-notch, like the wagyu-filled fried rice, and the sliced beef filet which was fork-tender.

Experiential Dining

Soy Cowboy anchors the ground level of the new Loews Arlington Hotel, situated between two iconic sports stadiums and connected to the new Loews Arlington Convention Center. It joins the previously opened Farena Italian restaurant which is situated overlooking the hotel’s pool and grounds.

“Our goal is to create a vibrant dining experience that captures the energy of Asia while incorporating ingredients sourced locally,” Ben Berg said in a statement. “From sizzling woks to creative cocktails, we want Soy Cowboy to be a place where guests can escape to and explore exciting tastes in a lively, welcoming atmosphere.” He told PaperCity how happy he is to finally be open in Arlington.

Like the hotel itself, Soy Cowboy was designed by HKS Architects and JE Dunn Construction Group. Sparing no expense, the restaurant’s experiential design was created by ICRAVE of New York City, who designed the interiors of the Sphere in Las Vegas, in collaboration with Gail McCleese of Houston-based design firm sensitori.

The new Soy Cowboy spans some 12,770 square feet, with another 2,145 square feet of verandas and covered patios, including two spectacular arched banquettes, enclosed inside massive, woven lotus blossoms. Soy Cowboy is a showplace inside the showplace that is Loews Hotel.

Just beyond the main dining room is another intimate dining option to explore ― dubbed “The Bamboo Castle” ― the room is encased in a woven canopy of bamboo that curves toward the ceiling, wrapping guests in an otherworldly, natural setting. And, three semi-private dining rooms can be sectioned off with custom chain drapery mimicking the patterns of waves.

A separate outdoor patio, sushi bar, and teppanyaki bar add three additional dining options for guests. There’s a lot to explore, and just as the bustling Loews Hotel and Conference Center has already become the living room for Arlington’s Entertainment District, Berg Hospitality Group’s newest Soy Cowboy will surely become one of its favorite dining experiences.