Back in 2008, the Fairmont shut down its gaudy restaurant for renovation, spending more than a million dollars for a stunning artistic representation of rural Nebraska on the verge of winter. The walls are beige. The ceiling is also beige. The tables are flat and featureless, but for centerpieces standing like forlorn silos on a bleak landscape. Decorations? Also dreary. Management would have been better off hiring one of HGTV’s crews for the job. For a few thousand bucks, they at least might have added a splash of color.

Chef Andre Natera’s cooking deserves more interesting surroundings. He frames common (for Dallas) Prime rib eye in red wine butter and roasted wild mushrooms. On one visit, scallop crudo cuddled with fruit and root vegetable leaves. House made pâté has come rich and nutty, with gamey undertones and a side of forest berries. The restaurant draws from a rooftop garden, pulling fresh herbs and vegetables much of the growing season. Natera’s presentations, in other words, more than make up for the designers’ apparent ennui.