As many know, I am a frustrated restaurant critic.  I write restaurant reviews for my blog posts at least once a week, but usually they are mid-priced restaurants… good food/reasonable prices.  Well, this week I got to experience something special.

This week I had dinner at Five Sixty.  For those unfamiliar with this restaurant, it is Wolfgang Puck’s new restaurant at the top of Reunion Tower in downtown Dallas.  (And for those unfamiliar with Reunion Tower, it is the tall tower with the “ball” at the top that you see in almost every picture of the Dallas skyline.)  The entire experience was exceptional!

To start with, the atmosphere was great.  Five Sixty is a revolving restaurant.  The stylish and contemporary seating area rotates completely around the “ball” part of Reunion Tower giving patrons some of the most wonderful views of Dallas.  And in case you were wondering, the restaurant was named for the height of Reunion Tower… 560 Feet.

Even better than the view, was the food.  This was simply an exceptional meal.  The menu is very broad with many Asian infused elements (including a sushi menu).  I started out with the Crab Cakes.  Having lived in Washington, D.C., I have spent time in eastern Maryland and I know good crab cakes.  These were incredible Crab Cakes!  More crab than filler and served with a thai spiced sauce and topped with micro greens.  These crab cakes were moist, flavorful and perfectly seasoned.

As a main course I had the Lacquered Chinese Duckling, served with Star Anise, Lo-Mein Noodles, Blood Orange.  It was simply incredible.  The best duck I have ever tasted.  The skin was very crispy while the meat was moist and flavorful.  Very well seasoned with strong natural flavors.  Not at all gamey or oily like duck can sometimes be.  It was prepared perfectly and the presentation was beautiful.

Finally for dessert I had the apple pie with vanilla ice cream.  This was a crustless pie prepared in a skillet and dished out at the table.  The sweet apple flavor was bold, strong and were well balanced by the rich smoothness of the ice cream.

The service was exceptional (ask for Jessica) and the prices, while expensive, were well worth it.  The food and service quality justified every penny.  Our meals with a glass of wine each ran roughly $100 per person.  I highly recommend Five Sixty.  It’s a special restaurant and an incredible dining experience.