OU ex-wrestler pins down success in Dallas dining
CUISINE: Scott Gottlich’s upscale eateries offer distinct menus, ambience

BY DAVE CATHEY Comments 0
Published: October 7, 2009

Steak and Eggs, left, and Eggs Benedict from The Second Floor, served in a room at the Westin Galleria in Dallas. PHOTO BY DAVE CATHEY, THE OKLAHOMAN

DALLAS — The Sooners have an appointment with the Longhorns next week, so it’s time to consider where to find some Red River revelry in Big D.

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The Second Floor

→Where: 13340 Dallas Parkway (inside the Westin Galleria), Dallas.
→Telephone: (972) 450-2978.
→Hours: Open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday. Breakfast served 6 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. daily.

Bijoux

→Where: 5450 Lovers Lane, No. 225, Dallas.
→Telephone: (214) 350-6100.
→Hours: 5:30 to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

ONLINE

The Food Dude blogs about a weekend at the Westin Galleria.

blog.newsok.com/fooddude

NEXT WEEK

The Food Dude writes about his night at Bijoux.

There’s a chef south of the border who once wrestled for the crimson and cream.

Scott Gottlich is one of Dallas’ best chefs, with two top-notch restaurants, Bijoux and The Second Floor, but when he lived in Norman he was more at home in a singlet than a chef’s jacket.

Toiling as a 118-pounder for coach Jack Spates in the mid-1990s was integral to the success he and his wife, Gina, continue to build.

"Jack Spates is such a great coach,” Gottlich said from the lobby of The Second Floor in the Westin Galleria in north Dallas. "He was such an inspiration.”

While wrestling another man to the ground and serving the same man a five-course meal might seem diametrically opposed, he said, the same things are needed to be effective at either: sacrifice and love.

"When I was wrestling, I had to do without things,” he said. "While my friends were out Friday nights, I was doing what I could to make weight.”

While the Gottliches still don’t have Friday nights available, the sacrifice is ultimately their choice.

"We work nights, weekends, holidays,” he said. "But we love what we do. We consider it a blessing to have so much work to do.”

Gottlich grew up in Dallas and initially left for Syracuse University in New York before transferring to Oklahoma. After graduation, he had to choose between law school and culinary school.

Walk into either of his approachably elegant upscale eateries, and it’s clear he made the correct call.

Trained in classic French techniques, Gottlich has worked from coast to coast. It was during his time in California that he met his wife and partner-to-be.

Gina serves as Bijoux’s sommelier and is a fixture in its cozy, muted-gold dining room.

"We wanted this place to feel like our home,” Scott said of the dining room at Bijoux.

Two years ago, they jumped at the chance to operate a second-floor space at the Westin’s refurbished Galleria location.

"They’ve done a terrific job with the remodel,” Gottlich said.

His Second Floor Cafe, under the direction of executive chef J Chastain, is half cocktail lounge bar, half fine dining.

The bar boasts more than 60 whiskeys. The restaurant offers food made with classic French techniques. With Gottlich’s consultation, Chastain executes familiar flavors into works of art.

Meat loaf and green beans isn’t ground beef and ketchup with limp beans from a can; it’s braised short ribs molded together with carrot puree and tempura haricots verts. Those same braised short ribs are paired with eggs for a modern yet comforting take on steak and eggs.

The Second Floor is steps from overlooking the Galleria’s ice-skating rink, and it’s offerings are available through room service.

Bijoux, in the upscale Inwood Village, operates under a unique concept. Guests choose from three-, five- or nine-course prix fixe selections from an ever-changing menu.

"Again, we wanted the experience to be more like dining in our home,” Gottlich said. "We change the menu daily, and everyone in the kitchen contributes to it. We serve what’s fresh and available, but if someone says, ‘Hey, cranberries sound good,’ then we’re going to have a cranberry dish that night.”

The Gottlich team promises food from the heart by way of the skills that they’ve learned and their resolute attention to detail.

If the Sooners can follow their alum’s lead, then Bevo might well be on the menu at Bijoux Saturday night.