The former NYLO Hotel location has officially transformed into The Clara Hotel with the completion of the hotel’s new food and beverage concepts.
Located at 8201 Preston Road, the property remains part of Hilton’s Tapestry Collection under owner NewcrestImage. The renovation includes 176 redesigned guestrooms and suites, updated meeting and event spaces, a heated outdoor pool and a renovated courtyard for weddings, corporate events and social gatherings.
A centerpiece of the redevelopment is the debut of Field & Vine, the hotel’s signature restaurant, and Archer, a late-night cocktail lounge.
“The Clara was always envisioned as more than a hotel,” said Mehul Patel, managing partner at NewcrestImage. “We wanted to create a place that locals would visit whether they were staying overnight or not.”
Field & Vine serves breakfast and dinner under Executive Chef Daniel Armand, whose nearly 40-year culinary career has included restaurants in New York, Nantucket, the Hamptons and Dallas before joining the Plano property.
The menu blends French techniques with Haitian influences and Texas ingredients. Dinner offerings include Gulf shrimp ceviche, harissa honey wings, steak frites, braised short rib, herb-crusted salmon and wild mushroom risotto. Breakfast features Belgian waffles, breakfast tacos, avocado toast, smoked salmon plates and brioche French toast.
The restaurant also incorporates herbs grown in the hotel’s on-site garden into its dishes and cocktail program. Signature cocktails include the Clara Bloom, Rosemary Paloma, Smoke & Sage and Garden Spritz.
“Some of my earliest memories are in the kitchen with my mother, learning that food has the power to bring people together,” Armand said. “Field & Vine is a reflection of that belief.”
Later in the evening, Archer offers a different atmosphere with a cocktail-focused lounge featuring darker interiors, leather seating and a menu inspired by navigation and celestial themes.
Signature drinks include Polaris, The Meridian, Clara After Dark, Fixed Point, Western Sky and Long After Sunset. The lounge also serves shareable plates such as lamb chops with mint chimichurri, tuna tartare, margherita flatbread, ancient grain hummus and cinnamon pretzel bites.
“Archer was designed to feel like the room the evening finds after sunset,” Patel said. “It’s intimate, atmospheric and intentionally designed for guests who appreciate great cocktails, thoughtful conversation and a place that encourages them to stay awhile.”
Field & Vine is open daily for dinner from 4 to 10 p.m., with breakfast served weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m. and weekends from 7 to 10 a.m. The restaurant’s bar remains open until 11 p.m. nightly. Archer is open Fridays and Saturdays from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m.
