It's the day after Valentine's Day in one of the most romantic restaurants in Dallas, Georgie. Heart balloons fill the ceiling, couples sit close and everyone looks just fabulous. But Executive Chef RJ Yoakum and I are talking about process. We are talking about improving. We are talking about excellence. And about being the best.
"I mean, I've only been an executive chef for 17 months," Yoakum tells me. "And just think of where we were a year ago." He's right, and it's hard to believe it hasn't yet been a year. It's even harder to believe that this has even happened, because in fine dining, where margins are slim and tastes are discerning, turnarounds like this can be elusive.
This has been nothing short of spectacular: a one-two punch of a Michelin recommendation and a James Beard semifinalist nod. But how did this happen? How did we get here? And what can we learn?
Things Might Start Out Promising
Before Yoakum's arrival, Georgie seemed to have everything it needed for success: A Michelin-starred chef blazoned on the menu, a brilliant executive chef in the kitchen, a stylish and romantic interior (thank you Brooklyn-based design firm GRT) and a dry-age fridge proudly displaying tomahawks.
On paper, Georgie seemed like a can't-miss. Georgie doesn't exist on paper but in reality. And for whatever reason, things reality didn't work out: Curtis Stone's name came off the restaurant, while Toby Archibald, the brilliant executive chef left to start his own brilliant restaurant, Quarter Acre — a restaurant that made Local Profile's 2023 best-of-new list. And the tomahawks in the dry-age fridge? AWOL.
Most surprising of all? Georgie's owner, famed restauranteur Stephan Courseau, took a gamble on a young Thomas Keller disciple from the French Laundry, RJ Yoakum. But actually, this wasn't that surprising, especially if you knew Yoakum.
Or if you had his food. Out of the gate, there was buzz: This new chef is doing things, important things, delicious things, people told me. And when I tried his food, yes, they were right. Georgie was reborn, and it was great. But now, it's even better.
Change Brings Opportunity
I follow Yoakum on Instagram. His Stories are chockablock with inspirational quotes from basketball players. Yoakum played varisty in high school, taking Mission Viejo in Orange County all the way to state, and at the Culinary Institute of America. (The gentleman at the adjacent table shared trainers with Yoakum and tells me that chef could really, really hoop). Yoakum brings out a smoked and roasted beet, a symphony of Italian and Japanese flavors, and pulls out his phone and shows me a quote he posted: "Change brings opportunity," the text reads over a photo of newly-minted Laker Luka Dončić.
"You can’t just run and play like a robot in basketball," Yoakum is quoted on his college blog. "You have to see what works, to create, to take what’s given to you. It’s the same with cooking."
It was all those years on the court, with that driving passion to improve that find their way into Yoakum's ethos and this restaurant. "You're competitive," I tell Yoakum. But he doesn't just want to win, he wants to be better.
"We are continually asking ourselves how we can be better."
Change does bring opportunity, but as he points out, it doesn't have to be radical change. It needs to be consistent and positive.
"We need to look where we were and how to get better — just a little better," he says. "But consistently better." Five steps forward, three steps back, always moving in the right direction. "We are continually asking ourselves how we can be better," adds Yoakum. The asking is important, but the answering is even more so.
Then at the end of nearly two years, there you are, perhaps with deserved recognition. But it's not all about the awards or rave reviews: the dining scene in Dallas and Collin counties are littered with critical favs who didn't make the long haul. "This is the restaurant business," Yoakum says. "And yesterday was our most profitable night yet." Yesterday was Valentine's Day. And it wasn't just profitable, it was delicious. Not bad for a restaurant that reinvented itself, scuttling its old steakhouse menu for something new. Change does bring opportunity.
The Importance Of Teamwork And Accountability
"I want you to meet my chefs," Yoakum says — not exactly the words I was expecting from this critic's darling. Maybe, because I don't recall that many executive chefs making it a point and going out of their way to introduce me to the other chefs in the kitchen.
"It's all about the team," Yoakum continues. "They are the ones that hold me accountable." Part of that team is developing internal talent and part is bringing in external talent. "Mery, my sous chef, is like a Swiss Army knife," he says. "She can master anything and make it better." Delegate and elevate in action.
Born and trained in Argentina, chef Mariana "Mery" Aguayo cut her teeth in Chile doing pastry and prep in Punta Arenas, Chile before working as a line cook doing high-end Mediterranean and Japanese in Miami, and then landing at Georgie's grill station, with Yoakum promoting her to sous chef. "In fine dining, there still aren't many women who are sous chefs or executive chefs," she says. This, of course, continues to change.
Yoakum appears suddenly — as he does, and seems to vanish back into the kitchen just as quick — and sets down a dish, saying, "This is Mery's." It's short rib sachetti, with a bone marrow broth and whipped Parmesan whey. It's savory and delicious: a spoonful of umami heaven.
"This is a team-driven restaurant," chef Reilly Brown, who left the Michelin-starred PRESS Restaurant in Nappa Valley last June to work at Georgie. (Moments earlier, while taking photos in the kitchen, Yoakum sang the praises of Brown's culinary techniques. Brown, who started in finance, before following culinary's siren song.)
The Importance Of Culture In A Business
"Cooking is the fun part of the restaurant business," Brown tells me. "The business part ensures we still have jobs." The North Texas restaurant scene is filled with memorials of great, critically acclaimed restaurants that just never could go the distance. This is hard business.
"The most important thing is the culture — it's key. Everyone has to be in the restaurant, and here, everyone is." But "in," Brown means that they are focused on making Georgie the best it can be. This isn't just a job, where you punch a time card in and out.
You can feel that culture — the desire to excel — throughout the restaurant, from the front of the house, where service seems to get better and better each time we visit, to the back of the house, where new dishes are introduced and old favorites are perfected. "We are very number forward here," Brown says. "People lose sight of that in fine dining, the margins are slim."
"The most important thing is the culture — it's key."
Whenever I see Yoakum, he inevitably mentions how the restaurant is doing. The conversations bring to mind something I was told in the late 1990s when interning in Hollywood: Clint Eastwood always finishes his movies on time and under budget. Other filmmakers might lose sight of the business part of the movie business, but not Eastwood. The goal was to make art, sure, but not go pear-shaped in the process.
Brown loosely recalls a quote: "If you can take care of the finances, you can do whatever you want."
Closing The Michelin Gap
This isn't the first time I've met Jared Guinta. A few months earlier in late December, during a date night, I met Guinta. "The lifestyle here is much better than Nappa," he told me. "Everything closes there earlier, so when you get off work, there isn't much to do."
Like Brown, he arrived at Georgie via PRESS, but unlike Brown, the Des Moines native is in the front of the house, working as the general manager.
We're near the bar, talking about the Michelin Guide. Now that it's in Texas, Guinta thinks that even more chefs and hospitality managers will head to the state, bringing with them starred experience and, ultimately, raising the bar. I could've sworn, I say, that Georgie would've gotten a star. But I've never worked at a Michelin starred-restaurant. Guinta has.
"During line-up, we talk about our values and what we want to bring to dining," he says. "The difference is 'the why' — the sense of purpose." Guinta might be right, but Georgie could already have that. And I can't help but think that Brown is also right when he thinks the gap "is shortening."
"The difference is 'the why' — the sense of purpose."
I'm reminded of when I cover golf at PGA Frisco: Anyone on the tour is 99.9% better than anyone reading this article. And the gap between a so-so player on the tour and Scottie Scheffler is minuscule, but at that level, those tiny differences are big. Close that gap, and you're world class.
When Not To Rest
Every time we go to Georgie, it's better. We were here a few months ago on date night. Now, it was already pretty great the first time, but with each visit, there is progress. The menu is always tweaked and tuned, steps are always added and removed from service. The tinkering continues. Pay attention. It's noticeable.
But the relentless pursuit of perfection is more than an old Lexus slogan. The restaurant is romantic. It's fun. People laugh, chat and pull close. The food is playful (heck, Yoakum recreated a Big Mac in a bite-size appetizer with grilled cheese custard and beef tartare), and most important of all, it's delicious.
"We're only at year two, I look at where we were six months ago, where we are now, and where and how we can get better," Yoakum tells me. "We just need to improve and do it consistently." He's sanguine about all the attention, praise and awards: "You know, there will be others who get this kind of recognition next year." The best of the best go the distance, stay consistent and always aim for improvement, no matter how small. Just. Get. Better.
The clock hovers around 10 p.m., and today, like every day, Yoakum has been here since 8 a.m. Last night, he did 180 tables. You should take tomorrow off, I joke. "You know what Kobe said?" he says. "Rest at the end, not at the middle."
Recommended For
Georgie is an excellent date night and worth the drive out to Travis Street, off I-75 (about 35 minutes or so, depending on traffic, from Legacy West). It's also a terrific option for business meetings with clients or dinners with friends. It's possible to sit — and dine — at the bar, making a good solo spot, too.
For Those With Dietary Restrictions
When seated, we were immediately asked about dietary restrictions. If guests need something taken off or substituted, tell their server. Vegan and vegetarian options are available. "Gluten-free is our most common dietary restriction," says Robert, who took care of us.
How To Get There
Georgie is at 4514 Travis Street, Suite 132 in Dallas. That's about 35 minutes (at least) from Legacy West — our rec: make a late reservation to above rush hour traffic. While they close at 9 p.m. on Monday (8:30 p.m. on Sunday), Georgie is open until 10 p.m, Tuesday to Thursday, and goes until 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. If you're going to a concert at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, Georgie would make a wonderful end to a memorable evening.
We thank Georgie for hosting and treating us. Hungry for more? Check out our dining guide.
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