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78 BY LISA COLLINS SHADDOCK. PHOTOGRAPHY CHRIS PLAVIDAL. The Annie Cafe & Bar HOUSTON MAIN EDIT ART: IMAGES # 64e1019 - 68e1019 By Laurann Claridge F rom the sunny and elegant Le Bilboquet — the go-to destination for ladies and gents who lunch and cocktail at night — to Up On Knox, the ideal neighborhood bistro, restaurateur Stephan Courseau has brought much to the Knox District. Now, between the two eateries on Travis Street is his new amorphous and amorous dining spot, with a Michelin-starred celeb chef. Food star, chef, and author Curtis Stone and his brother, Luke Stone, partnered wit h Courseau on Georgie by Curtis Stone, which focuses on seasonal dishes and an on-site butcher shop. The restaurant is the fi rst outside of L.A. for the Australia-born brothers and is largely inspired by their popular Hollywood eatery, Gwen. In fact, it's at Gwen that Courseau approached them about partnering on the Dallas project. "Stephan was in for dinner one night and mentioned he was doing another restaurant in Dallas and that we'd be perfect for it," Stone says. Executive chef Toby Archibald, a New Zealand native who spent time in Daniel Boulud's kitchen at Café Boulud, worked with the partners to create an enticing, ingredient-driven menu. Standouts include horseradish beet tartare peppered with red grapes and Kapiti Coast blue cheese; chestnut agnolotti with brown butter, ricotta, and parmesan; and Georgie rotisserie chicken, served with crispy baked mash and rosemary jus. "As a chef, if you're any good, you're constantly telling stories," Stone says. "Sometimes that's honoring a farmer or an ingredient, and sometimes that's creating a nice time, or a feeling you get when you smell or taste something." Just as sumptuous are the interiors, designed by Brooklyn fi rm GRT Architects. Plush booths in a warm, velvety orange slink around the space to form the majority of the seating. The seductive serpentine complement curves carved into the bar and coffered ceilings, creating the feel of a 1970s Riva yacht. Though based in Los Angeles — and often on the road traveling for his latest PBS show, Field Trip with Curtis Stone — Stone was involved in every aspect of the restaurant's planning and loves the competitive nature of the industry. "In the restaurant world, when you go in to service every night, it's either going to go really well, or it's going to go terrible — there's not much in between," he says. "To me, that's always still really exciting. I get that rush every time I open a restaurant — I'm pretty sure it's going to work, but is it? Did we make the right choice on the color of the banquettes?" To that question at least, the answer is a defi nite yes. Georgie by Curtis Stone, 4514 Travis St., 469.466.8263, georgiedallas.com. GEORGIE ON OUR MINDS A STONE'S THROW FROM HIS TWO KNOX DISTRICT EATERIES, RESTAURATEUR STEPHAN COURSEAU PARTNERS WITH CHEF CURTIS STONE ON A SWANK NEW DINNER DESTINATION. The bar at Georgie Curtis Stone Georgie by Curtis Stone