Interior of new Artisans restaurant in midtown showing seating around the open kitchen.: Photos: Nick de la Torre

Restaurant as theater is often an overworked concept. But it’s impossible not to marvel at the theatrical nature of Artisans, the new midtown restaurant where a great portion of the space is afforded a dramatic view of an open kitchen that functions very much like a stage.

Chef Jacques Fox has dreamed of taking the open kitchen concept to the next level by expanding the definition of a “chef’s table.” Traditionally chef’s tables are a single private dining table situated close to the kitchen where diners can observe the staff at work.

At Artisans, nearly the entire dining room gets the chef’s table treatment with direct sight lines into the expansive kitchen set.
It’s a thrilling architectural design from Michael Hsu Office of Architecture in Austin, responsible for Uchi in Austin and Houston. And Fox said he couldn’t be happier with the design for the space where he’s serving a menu of what he calls “French eclectic” fare.

Because diners are so drawn by action in the kitchen, Fox said he and his partners (David and Sylvain Denis of Le Mistral) decided to “bring the kitchen to the guest.”

Tuna tartare with sesame tuile at Artisans.

There are 28 seats along a horseshoe-shape lip of the kitchen and a half dozen higher tables behind that act offer “mezzanine” views. The kitchen is visible from banquettes and booths near the restaurant entrance. Additionally, there’s a private dining room behind the kitchen with its own windows on the kitchen.

And what’s going on in that kitchen? Fox said his menu is classic French cuisine with flavor and technique influences from around the world. “I call it eclectic because I have cooked all over the world,” he said.

Appetizers include pan-seared scallops with spinach ravioli and a lobster cappuccino; foie gras with crème de cassis and saffron-poached pear; and duck and duck breast with quail leg confit and fig gastrique. Dinner entrees include Tasmanian salmon with soy au jus and creamy risotto; pistachio-crusted Chilean sea bass with creamy mussels and fava beans; seared red snapper with saffron potatoes; seared lamb loin with fingerling mashed potatoes; and roasted chicken breast with butter-poached lobster tail.

Ready for dinner and a show? You can get them together at Artisans, 3201 Louisiana, 713-529-9111; www.artisansrestaurant.com. Appetizers range from $8 to $22 and entrees range from $28 to $39 with a five-course chef's tasting for $65.

Chef Jacques Fox of Artisans is former executive chef of the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Resturant Management and previously spent time as chef of the Briar Club in Houston and Miramont Country Club in College Station.