Seeking Greatness

The Seeker, 809 East Rd, Stephenville. 254-964-3550. 11am-2:30pm Sun (coming soon), 5-9pm Tue-Thu, 5-10pm Fri-Sat. Happy Hour 3-5pm Tue-Sat.

Acclaimed chef Stephan Pyles finally opened a restaurant west of Dallas County. Over the last three decades, the Big Spring-raised restaurateur has created two dozen restaurants, including six in Dallas. Pyles’ take on Southwestern cuisine is fairly legendary, and at one point, he ran his restaurants and a consulting business while in his spare time crafting menus for American Airlines. Pyles closed shop in the East-o-plex circa 2020. At that time, he announced he was focusing on consulting and opulent cooking events and culinary tours, like his partnership with artisan cheese monger Paula Lambert to the South of France being advertised on PBS.

The Seeker, Pyles’ latest offering, is way west in Stephenville. That’s just a little too far for a spur-of-the-moment meal, but it does make for a pleasant adventure, especially considering The Seeker is nestled into Mod Motels’ Interstate Inn, a visually stunning 1960s-themed revitalization of the otherwise unprepossessing building.

No matter what time your reservation may be, aim to arrive for happy hour (3-5pm daily). You’ll get to snack on well-priced appetizers and enjoy a discount on the creative cocktails at the gorgeous wraparound bar. My dining companion and I were enamored with the Hell’s Eggs — deviled eggs that were well-seasoned but not spicy and creatively presented with chile Pop Rocks and candied bacon. Any Gen-X kid loves some Pop Rocks, and the tiny sprinkle provided crunch and good conversation at the bar. The Vesper martini, with purple-hued Empress pea-flower gin, vodka, and Lillet Blanc, arrived in a tiny test tube submerged in an icy goblet, served in a dainty coupe glass. The floral Lillet and the darling presentation of the gorgeous purple gin were an absolute delight.

Moving into the dining room, which carries on the ’60s theme of the Interstate Inn, start with the watermelon rind pickles, making good use of the white rind of the melon we usually toss –– the barest trace of pink flesh and white rind with the green bits cut off. The pickling brine was a perfect combo of salty, sweet, and sour, with a slightly Asian spice to it. Crispy Brussels sprouts with apple-smoked bacon were another pleasure. A sweet glaze complemented the sprouts, which were served just a little too al dente for my taste.

For our entrée, braised boneless short ribs with two sides proved to be the most tender short ribs I’ve ever eaten, made even more flavorful by a lusciously sweet barbecue sauce with a slight kiss of hickory. The accompanying Redneck Mac ’n’ Cheese wasn’t rave-worthy, but the steamed green beans came steamed in a salty, pickled tomatillo dressing that was unexpected but still good.

If you like ceviche, the tasting plate of all three options might be ideal for a light dinner, especially if you can’t choose between salmon, tuna, or shrimp. Spicy salmon Veracruzana with a surprisingly tart pop of capers was an unexpected pleasure. The Ahi tuna was a cooling, sweet wonder with Thai-influenced flavors of sweet-tart passion fruit and chopped coconut. The shrimp ceviche was served with a preserved lemon that tasted bitter, along with bits of mango and chives from the raised bed gardens outside. Overall, I had no regrets about the ceviche sampler, but I’d likely choose a different entrée next time.

To supplement the sampler, I picked the Ecuadorean potato cake, described as sort of deep-fried mashed potatoes, which sounded too good to pass up. The end result was oddly sweet, not needing salt or any other spice, topped with crème fraiche, a little corn salsa, and microgreens.

The entrées were reasonably sized, meaning not Texas-sized portions. The good news is that left room for dessert. Ordinarily I could take or leave butterscotch pudding, but we were wooed by the menu’s description. Pyles’ version with a salted caramel bottom layer and a crunchy snickerdoodle cookie was absolute perfection in a tiny mason jar.

Is The Seeker the start of Pyles’ far-west kingdom? Who’s to say. With graduation time at Tarleton State approaching, brunch will be in the offing starting Easter weekend. Pairing the restaurant with a cutesy motel offers Pyles a chance to have a captive audience for luxury food-themed bed-and-breakfast weekends. (An Italian-themed weekend in which one could learn to make the cuisine and sample Pyles’ take on it ran around $1,500 for two days.) Pyles is savvy: Fort Worth’s restaurant scene is packed with moderately upscale, chef-driven joints. Places like Stephenville could use some. We sat at the bar and chatted with a couple from Eastland, about 45 minutes west of the ’Ville. It was their second visit, and although they hadn’t made reservations, they contentedly sat at the bar for dinner. If you have the opportunity to go west –– far southwest –– put The Seeker on your radar.

The Seeker
Short ribs w/two sides $29
Ceviche trio $27
Hell’s Eggs (happy hour) $8
Vesper martini (happy hour) $10
Watermelon pickles $8
Potato cake $8
Brussels sprouts $9
Butterscotch pudding $10