Okay, we’ll say it: Bijoux is one of the finest dining rooms in Dallas, a nest of meticulous flavor and textural alchemy. It’s an elegant setting: hushed plush. Muted earth tones, draperies and padded tablecloths, a red accent here and there—it’s almost oppressively formal. With a wink.

Okay, we’ll say this too: and yet...the food can be hit or miss. Some dishes can be radiantly brilliant. Crispy pork belly that melts in your mouth dovetailed with a subdued palette of flavors ranging from faintly sweet to bitter: applesauce and cippolini confit, braised endive, and a grainy mustard vinaigrette. Or perfectly moist skate wing that literally falls into shreds as soon as the crisp crust is disrupted. But then you snivel atop overwrought ravioli dishes where the pastas are either gummy or overly thick. Pasta does not seem to be a forte of über-chef/owner Scott Gottlich. Yet the plates for the most part are masterful: beautifully composed and reflecting precise execution.

Service fluctuates between exemplary and marginally competent, which can make the atmosphere a bit disjointed. Scott’s wife Gina Gottlich runs the front of the house and is charming. But chef Gottlich occasionally circulates through the dining room and comes off as a bit of a surly chap. But as the saying goes: ya’ gotta sneer and crack at some eggheads to make a haute omelette.