Wolfgang Puck’s Dallas outpost opened with great fanfare early in 2009. As it turns out, the accolades were well deserved at the time. Despite a change of chefs one year into its existence, the kitchen still deserves some note. It plucks from Asian and Continental traditions with the occasional (and quite rewarding) detour into more local inspirations.

Try “General Tsao’s Quail,” which features tender Texas game bird wearing the familiar sauce like shellac. Curries begin easily, before a wealth of spice swells over your palate. These are confident and creative dishes worthy of a famous name. The place can be snooty, at least when it comes to dress code. They’ve turned away tourists wearing shorts on a steaming summer day. But service is refined.

The bar is glitzy (and priced to match). The space is lean and modern, although that hardly matters, as appropriately gussied guests are treated to a rotating, 360-degree view of the North Texas skyline—quite a let down…until you slowly scroll past downtown’s steel and glitz towers.