Any time is a good time at Stillwell’s at Hôtel Swexan, but we especially like it at Cowboy Hour. Try the tuna tostadas — and make them at home for your very own Cowboy Hour.
C&I talked with Julian Payne, general manager of Hôtel Swexan, about the new Dallas property and its Michelin-recommended restaurant, Stillwell’s.
Get Payne’s Swexan hacks and try your hand at some of Stillwell’s Cowboy Hour specials.
C&I: What’s the ideal way to spend a day at the hotel?
Julian Payne: An ideal day at the hotel starts with mindful movement in our state-of-the-art gym, followed by a morning cold plunge and sauna session. Then, head up to our guests-only rooftop restaurant, Léonie, for breakfast, and spend the afternoon by the pool in a private cabana, sipping and savoring dishes like our Coconut Ceviche and Tuna Nachos from Pomelo.
When it’s time to deepen your relaxation, guests can take advantage of our Joanna Czech partnership, and stroll on over to the spa for a rejuvenating facial. From here, it’s an easy walk into the Harwood District, where the Katy Trail and American Airlines Center are just minutes away.
After coming back to the property, guests can have a drink at Isabelle’s and check out the Martini Cart, before heading to dinner at Stillwell’s — celebrated for serving the finest steak in Dallas and the warm spirit of Texas hospitality.
While you’re here, be sure to make time for afternoon tea, served every Saturday and Sunday on our 20th floor. Lastly, you have to experience Babou’s — a hidden late-night lounge that transforms into an exclusive, spirited nightclub.
Stillwell’s Tuna Crudo
Recipe courtesy of Stillwell’s (stillwellsdallas.com).
Ingredients
- Sesame Dressing (You may also substitute a premade sesame dressing if you prefer it!)
- 2 cups rice wine vinegar
- ¼ cup honey
- ½ cup water
- ⅓ cup toasted white sesame seeds
- ⅔ cup sesame oil
- 2 cups neutral oil for dressings (sunflower or grapeseed)
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- Wonton Chips
- Wontons
- Togarashi
- Avocado Smash
- 2 avocados, smashed
- 3 limes, juiced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Miscellaneous Ingredients
- Tuna, small diced
- Chives/scallions, sliced
Method
- Smash Avocado.
- Mix all ingredients and season with salt. Put at bottom of a bowl and smooth out.
Tuna Mix
Add all ingredients except oil to blender for dressing. Let run until seeds are broken down. Slowly add in oil until thickened. Mix with tuna until desired coating of dressing and season with salt. Cover avocado with tuna in bowl. Garnish with chives/scallions.
Wonton Chips
At 325 degrees fry wontons until golden brown and season with togarashi and salt. Serve with tuna crudo.
A Cocktail While You Cook — La Chiquitita
Courtesy of Stillwell’s
Ingredients
- 3 quarts water
- ½ quart pink peppercorn
- ½ quart hibiscus syrup
- 1 quart fresh strawberries
- 4 quarts white sugar
- 2 ounces Casamigos Reposado
- 1 ounce lime juice
- 1 Fat Ice cube
- 1 dehydrated lime (for garnish)
- 1 dehydrated blood orange (for garnish)
- 1 olive pick
- 1 rocks glass
- 1 shaker tin (or to cups that can fit together)
Pink Hibiscus Strawberry Syrup (Bulk)
Boil water with pink pepper corn for 15 minutes. Next turn off heat and add hibiscus and let sit for 5 minutes. Then strain and add sugar. Finally blend strawberries in blender with your pink peeper corn/hibiscus syrup and fine strain.
Mixing of Cocktail
In a mixing tin, add 2 ounces of Casamigos Reposado, 1 ounce of lime juice, and 1 ounce of the Pink Hibiscus Strawberry Syrup. Shake the cocktail vigorously, and strain over a Fat Ice cube. Garnish with dehydrated lime and dehydrated blood orange.
Get behind Hôtel Swexan’s collaboration with the boot-making sisters of Miron Crosby.
PHOTOGRAPHY: Courtesy of Hôtel Swexan
