In a galaxy far, far away (560 feet above ground, to be exact), the twinkling lights of Reunion Tower signal to Dallas, Texas locals and awestruck tourists that nighttime has fallen on the greatest city in the country. Take your photos, revel in this southern skyline that rivals NYC, but know that the astronomic experience of this famed Dallas landmark cannot outshine the gastronomic experience within.
Five Sixty by Wolfgang Puck is one of the most extravagant, unique restaurants in Dallas. With a contemporary Asian menu with a Texan flare fashioned by celebrity chef and owner Wolfgang Puck, Executive Chef Jacob Williamson, and Sushi Chef Hiroyuki Fujino (Chef Fuji, for short), the restaurant manages to transport diners across the ocean despite the floor-to-ceiling windows and revolving dining room, which remind you that you’re still in Dallas. It takes around one hour for the dining room to complete a full rotation, but don’t abort the mission if you miss your desired photo-op the first time around. Instead, lose track of time and space, sip on a playfully-titled cocktail, indulge in the flavors of Crispy Shrimp & Lobster Spring Rolls or Laquered Chinese Duckling, and travel deep into the heart of Texas with 360-degree views of the Dallas cityscape.
Mission Impossible: Choosing What to Order
As a seasoned food blogger, I know to do my research before visiting a restaurant for the first time. Usually, I need only 5-10 minutes of Instagram and Yelp scrolling to know which items on the menu are the most popular, and which are the most photogenic (usually one and the same, but this can make it easy to fall into the trap of ordering a less-than-tasty dish #forthegram). However, my light social media stalking wasn’t sufficient for the chops of Five Sixty. The restaurant’s personal Instagram page is all-encompassing, giving a virtual tour of everything from cocktails to food to architecture, which makes it difficult to pinpoint a single standout dish. The “location” tag was no more elucidating, as past visitors documented a wide variety of plates, each one more intricate and enticing than the last. Thus, when I stepped onto the 50th floor of Reunion Tower for my dinner at Five Sixty, I felt about as clear about what to order as the hazy clouds around me.
Thankfully, our server was a wiz with the menu, answering our every question with enthusiasm and expertly navigating the extensive menu with us per our preferences. The star treatment continued throughout the meal, beginning with our very first dish of Spicy Tuna Tartare wrapped in sesame-miso cones, which, as it turns out, are actually served to the stars every year when Wolfgang Puck caters the Oscars (I’d like to thank my stomach, for getting me to where I am today…).
Next up, our taste buds touched down in China, with a Texan spin on a traditional Chinese dish: Smoked Texas Wagyu Brisket Potstickers with dried cherries, black vinegar, and chili oil (pictured above). Though I tend to steer away from spicy food, I’m glad we tried this crowd-favorite. The black vinegar and dried cherries diluted the spice of the chili oil, which allowed me to appreciate the succulent, perfectly cooked brisket. Before tasting this dish, I was intrigued by the idea of complementing a traditional, savory potsticker with something sweet like cherries. The combination worked (no surprise there), so much so that I wish the cherry flavor had held an even stronger presence on the plate.
I temporarily sheathed my chopsticks to enjoy our next dish the way only a proper lady could: with my fingers! These Crispy Shrimp & Lobster Spring Rolls (pictured above) were one of the only recurring dishes I encountered in my prior social media trolling, so I knew I had to try them (for making memories, not Instagram stories, of course). I love seafood, but surprisingly, my favorite part about this unique dish was the fried wrapper. Sealed at the top with a fresh onion (which turns black when deep-fried), the crunchy wrap provided the texture needed to balance the dense contents of the roll (chef packs a lot of crab and lobster in there—but I’m not complaining).
With two menus to order from (the dinner menu from Chef Williamson and the sushi menu from Chef Fuji), my guest and I were conflicted when it came to our main courses. Per our server’s suggestion, we maintained a Chinese theme for our first entrée: Laquered Chinese Duckling with Texas Peach Compote. This dish was heavenly, with perfectly cooked duckling made all the more mouth-watering by crispy skin brushed with a sweet plum wine sauce. Even the Lo-Mein Noodles, which came on the side, were unforgettable. Could this meal get any better? Silly question to ask when sitting on top of the world in a dining room that literally revolves. Of course it could, and it did.
Bacon-Wrapped Sea Scallops from Chef Fuji’s Japanese Charcoal Robata Grill whisked us away to Japan (but still Texas…I mean, bacon-wrapped scallops?! Are you kidding me?!). My personal favorite dish of the meal, these scallops were cooked in such a way that the entire scallop carried the same texture (as opposed to the top and bottom developing a crispy finish, as would happen in a standard grilling process). Chef Fuji clearly capitalizing here on the Texan (American) mantra that everything tastes better with bacon, but the exotic addition of lotus root on an accompanying skewer (above) was a surprising delicacy that I enjoyed almost as much as the scallop itself.
I felt inclined to order sushi seeing as Five Sixty boasts an extensive menu of rolls, but I don’t know the first thing about ordering specialty sushi (yes, Chef Fuji also offers California rolls for all you #basic foodies). Our server once again came to the rescue, guiding us toward the award-winning Fujipeno Roll, containing cucumber, tempura shrimp, tuna, sweet & sour chili sauce, and avocado (apparently, this roll has been dubbed one of the top 3 rolls in Dallas for many years).
Oftentimes, I find that sushi delivers one-note of flavor, likely due to the fact that most raw fish exhibits a similar taste, which is difficult to counterbalance without making the roll too spicy or sweet. The Fujipeno Roll was different. What made it so great was that I was actually able to distinguish between different flavors in the roll. The tempura shrimp offered a crunch and saltiness that was completely distinct from the chewier, sweeter flavor of the tuna. However, these flavors managed not to compete, but rather to complement each other with the aid of peacemaker sweet & sour chili sauce.
Are half birthdays worthy of celebratory dessert? Duh. In fact, they’re worthy of two celebratory desserts at Five Sixty, one complementary and one chosen by yours truly. My dinner serendipitously fell on my oft-forgotten half birthday, so I decided to order something to celebrate. Yuzu Baked Alaska (left), with blueberry ice cream and buttermilk cake, was fresh and tangy—a perfect, light summer dessert that didn’t leave me feeling overly stuffed. But surprise! At Five Sixty, half birthdays still call for full celebration, so shortly after my first dessert arrived, I received a sweet second (right), on the house (not one, but two candles to blow out? I wish for my half-birthday every day…and a never-ending supply of bacon-wrapped scallops, please).
The unexpected delicacy was Caraibe Chocolate Mousse—a whipped, light and creamy mousse with decadent almond cake, a rich compressed raspberry filling, and matcha tea ice cream. Though I’ve never been a huge matcha fan, I might have to change my Starbucks order after trying this dessert. Another light and fruity ode to summer, the chocolate flavor in this dish acted as more of a subdued base for the standout raspberry filling and matcha tea ice cream (if you’re a chocolate lover and all this fruity dessert business makes you sour, the dessert menu also offers a Bittersweet Chocolate Soufflé with hazelnut gelato).
Wolfgang Puck once expressed that “cooking is like painting or writing a song. Just as there are so many notes or colors, there are only so many flavors – it’s how you combine them that sets you apart.” Five Sixty paints a picture of Asian cuisine across the Dallas skyline. From the ground below, you won’t be able to see this striking culinary masterpiece. But, lucky for you, this galaxy is only five hundred and sixty feet away…