Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/6221
january–february 2010 / the tasting panel / 55 Barbara Werley, Ms wine director, pappas Bros. Steakhouse For being one of only four Master Sommeliers in Texas, Barbara Werley keeps a relatively low profile in the Lone Star State. (Many of us in Texas didn't even know she moved here.) But she's now the Wine Director at Pappas Bros. Steakhouse, a pin- nacle of meat in a city full of worthy competition. "Most of my career has been in hotels, resorts, casinos. It was just time to get back to one pro- gram, one list," says Werley. "The timing was perfect to move to Pappas Bros., plus I started cooking at a steakhouse while in college." As a Culinary Institute of America graduate, Werley worked high-profile gigs all over the coun- try, including tenures as Wine Director at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, and, most recently, Beverage Director at the renowned Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. Her move to Pappas Bros., however, allows more time to emphasize education and staff training, and to develop the restaurant's Masters Series. "We have a fabulous chef here, James Johnson, and I'll pair beverages and wines with his menu for just 12 people. It's intimate and interactive. We have so much fun doing it," she says. Werley also continues her research, having trav- eled most recently to western Australia, but she says the restaurant is still her favorite place to be. "You can't beat the list here. I think it's the best in the State. So most of all I just love to be here, work- ing the floor." www.pappasbros.com Janice Provost chef/par tner, parigi "Parigi began in 1984. We're celebrating our 25th anniversary," says Chef Janice Provost, owner of this cheery, urbane bistro. Once a destination restaurant, it has evolved into a beloved neighbor- hood spot and an important anchor for its regular customers. Having started here as a prep cook ten years ago, Provost worked through the ranks until the opportunity to transition into ownership presented itself. That's probably why she speaks of Parigi with a long-term fondness, despite the fact that she's been here for less than half of the restaurant's life. "One of the things I love is its size; we're mod- eled after the intimate bistros of Paris," Provost says. Seating about 65, Parigi features works by lo- cal artists, a sidewalk patio and a shoebox kitchen, where Provost spends most of her time. "My passion is the cooking and menu development, es- pecially with seasonal dishes," Provost says. "Parigi is an Italian word for Paris, which gives us the freedom to prepare French, Italian and American cuisine, although 'American' is really a wildcard term. Tonight, it means curry chicken; next week it might be shepards pie or beef Stroganoff." No matter what's on the menu, Provost says one of the most important aspects of the restaurant is using as many ingredients from Dallas-area farm- ers as possible: "That makes our restaurant part of the fabric of the neighborhood and part of the patchwork quilt of our city." www.parigidallas.com Master Sommelier Barbara Werley—one of just four in Texas—enjoys working the floor at Pappas Bros. Janice Provost uses as many ingredients from Dallas-area farmers as possible at Parigi.