At 31, he is the executive chef and owner of The Lodge, the highly successful restaurant he opened in a Castle Hills mansion, and the more eclectic, Mediterranean-influenced Bin 555. He has, in a few short years ignited and transformed the culinary scene where food touched by style and innovativeness very often is overlooked for more familiar everyday fare.

“I wanted to change the culinary landscape of San Antonio,” he says. “I think it’s happening.”

His intensity and creativity in the kitchen have made him a nationally rising star. It wasn’t long ago that Dady graduated from Texas Tech with a B.A. in restaurant, hotel and institutional management, then headed to the California Culinary Academy. He worked at the renowned Stars Bar and Dining under the tutelage of Chef Chris Fernandez. When he graduated, he went to work for Executive Chef David Frakes at the Beringer Wine Estate.

“After I trained for three years in San Francisco, we decided to move back to Texas,” says the Nebraska native who spent his high school years in Coppell. He spent six months as the general manager of Reata in Fort Worth, a move that he says taught him the financial end of restaurants he needed to know. And, he knew he wanted his own restaurant.

He and wife Crystal considered several cities in Texas — Dallas, Houston, Austin and San Antonio.  Dallas and Houston were saturated with restaurants, Austin was feeling the effects of the dotcom failure (Crystal worked for the industry in California and they had been there, done that), so they decided to look in San Antonio.

They found the location that became The Lodge, the 2½-acre oak-laden remains of the 1929 Slimp estate. Armed with a Small Business Administration loan, the couple and Jason’s brother, Chris, did some minimal revamping, and in October 2001 they opened and changed the culinary landscape of the city.

The Lodge, a rustic, elegant and romantic dining destination set among the twisted oaks of Castle Hills, offers ambiance and a true dining experience. Bin 555, opened in January 2006, is a more casual, “small plate” restaurant with a terrific and affordable wine list and a Spanish-Mediterranean-Italian flair. They opened a second Bin 555 in August 2006 in Coppell. Dady opened his Italian eatery, Tre Trattoria in San Antonio this past summer.

Crystal handles the books and marketing in between spending time with their daughters, 4-year-old Jaycie and toddler Tessa.

Is it different being a chef’s kid? Dady says Jaycie looks at her mother and says to call dad and tell him she wants the likes of bobwhite quail or gnocchi for lunch. When she was just over a year old, she loved steamed mussels.

“Jaycie loves to come to the restaurants, and she loves a lot of foods, even though she does like some things that are, well, 3-year-oldish,” Dady says.

Today, Dady loves his work and loves San Antonio. Ten years from now, he said he hopes to be in one of two positions: either the proprietor of 12 restaurants or “one little 28-seater” somewhere.

“Yeah, I would like either one very small, hands-on intimate restaurant, where it’s just me and the food, or 10 or 12 different places, all different styles,” he says.

Featured Recipe: Pan Seared Texas Bobwhite Quail with Brown Butter Fettuccine, Sage, Butternut Squash, Celery Root and Pecorino Romano

[ Serves Eight ]
8 Diamond H Range Bobwhite Quail (semi-boneless)
1 butternut squash
1 celery root
1 red onion
1/8 cup fresh sage leaves
1 pound fettuccine pasta
8 ounces butter
2 lemons (halved, seeds removed)
4 ounce olive oil

Cut the quail open on one side to open up for flat searing. Pat dry with towels and set aside.

To cook quail                                                                                                                                       Heat large sauté pan over medium high heat. Season quail with salt and pepper on the skin side.Add 1 ounce of olive oil to sauté pan and let oil swirl for 10 seconds. Gently lay quail down in pan on the skin side and sear until golden brown. Once the skin is browned and crispy, flip over quail and turn off heat. Let quail sit in pan for 2 minutes, remove and pat dry from excess oil.

Remove quail from pan. Drain all oil from pan and turn pan back onto medium high heat. Once pan is slightly smoking, add butter and sage. Continue to swirl the pan until butter is browned but not burned. Once golden brown, squeeze juice from lemons and set sauce aside for finishing dish.

Pasta
Boil pasta according to packaging. Once the pasta is cooked, remove from water and place on sheet tray and gently pour 1 ounce of oil to prevent noodles from sticking. Set aside and reserve for cooking.

Vegetables
Peel the squash, celery root and onion.
Julienne into very small matchstick pieces. Set aside.

To cook dish
Heat large sauté pan over medium high heat. Add 2 ounces of olive oil and sauté vegetables until tender. Once tender, add the pasta and the brown butter sauce. Toss everything together and plate in large bowl. Place quail on top of pasta. The dish is garnished with grated Pecorino Romano cheese.

The Lodge is located at 1746 Lockhill Selma, San Antonio, www.thelodgerestaurant.com. Tre Trattoria is located at 4003 Broadway, San Antonio, www.tretrattoria.com.