Food with a View

Five Sixty in Downtown Dallas proved once again that no one does Asian fusion better than Wolfgang Puck.  Every single item we ordered was fantastic.  Day 3 of KRLD Restaurant Week is my favorite so far, leaving high expectations for the rest of the week.  From the moment you show up, they are ready to serve.  The elevators don’t even have buttons, instead the concierge calls them for you – talk about high class!

Once we got upstairs, our table wasn’t quite ready so they recommended the lounge to order drinks and wait.  In case you didn’t know, Five Sixty is a 560 foot high restaurant at the top of Reunion Tower with floor to ceiling windows to give you a 360° view of Dallas.  If you have someone visiting and can afford the price, take them here!  The entire restaurant spins while you eat so that you get to see the full view of what Dallas has to offer – and don’t worry, it spins very slowly. 

As a twenty-something on a budget, Five Sixty was a family affair (read: Dad is awesome and picked up the tab.  Thanks Dad!) and we caught up on life and checked out the view as we waited for our cocktail waitress.    After looking over the larger cocktail list my parents were overwhelmed and ordered gin & tonics.  Sister went with the Pavlov’s Dog (gin-based) and I had the Pepito’s Revenge.  This tequila-based drink with a hint of basil and cucumber was light, refreshing and beautifully presented.  Although the cocktails are expensive ($16 apiece) they were both well made.  The restaurant’s eventual plan is to have a menu of 48 specialty drinks.  Not sure if that will be overwhelming or fun.  Maybe they will include options for those of us without a $16 per drink wallet!

Pavlov's Dog & Pepito's Revenge

Once we were seated and had ordered, the waiter brought over Wolfgang Puck's famous szechuan green beans.  Touted as one of the best things to eat in Dallas, the green beans are lightly steamed and tossed in olive oil with sesame seeds and walnuts.  They are light and refreshing with a good crunch.  Gotta love the complimentary amuse-bouche!

Lamb Samosas

For an appetizer, I took the waiter's recommendation of the lamb samosas.  A samosa is an Indian fried turnover usually filled with minced meats and/or veggies.  These were filled with lamb and were delicious!  Three samosas came with a mint sauce that made the flavors pop.  They also weren't as coated in oil as I would have suspected considering they are fried.  Sister ordered the mussels  and as good as the broth was, the shellfish itself wasn't anything special.  If you are wanting a seafood appetizer I would go with the shrimp & lobster spring rolls.  I had them at last year's restaurant week and loved them.  Rolled in a crisp wanton shell they are a great combination of the shrimp and lobster and come with a spicy honey dipping sauce to accentuate the flavors.

Spicy Sushi

Although we did not go to Central Market to pick up a fourth course coupon, I had learned from 2011 to order the additional fourth course here.  This year was a spicy sushi roll of tempura shrimp and avocado topped with a spicy tuna and tempura jalapeños.  Warning: do not put wasabi in your soy sauce as this has a great kick all by itself.  They do have this roll on their regular sushi menu if you happen to go there after the RW festivities have ended.

Shanghai Noodles with Tiger Prawns

Having had salmon the night before but still wanting something lighter I went with the stir-fry noodles and tiger prawns for my main course.  Wrapped in a spicy glaze, the thick Shanghai noodles had the right amount of spice to add to the light prawns.  There were also a good number of prawns — which is always important in a pasta dish including meat.  The last thing you want is too much noodle without some meat to it.  I would definitely order this dish again.

Dessert Trio

We finished the night with their dessert trio.  Five Sixty was the only place I have been to that does not have multiple Restaurant Week dessert options.  Instead each person is offered a plate of three smaller desserts to try.  There was a crème brûlée  cheesecake, a rich chocolate cake and a small scoop of peach ice cream.  The cheesecake was good although so small you barely had time to enjoy all the flavors.  The cake was so rich that I had to take a bite of the peach ice cream after each bite of cake to cut the thickness.  Overall, I wasn't too impressed with the dessert but everything else was so tasty it didn't matter.

Five Sixty earned an A from me Wednesday night.  With their great view and ambience, well made drinks and fresh food, Wolfgang Puck does it right.  I even took a gander at their sushi menu before leaving with the hopes of returning to celebrate another day.  This is a place to save your money for because they give you a great experience.