His food has been called “light, eclectic, inventive, refined” by The New York Times, and his restaurant,

Le Rêve, is ranked the top restaurant in Texas – and one of the top 50 restaurants in America – by Gourmet magazine. But owner and head chef Andrew Weissman is not given to riding on his accomplishments. Not a single plate leaves the kitchen until he sees it. The chef Weissman trained under in France, Bernard Andrieux, is reputed to have dropped to his knees and wailed upon hearing of a gnat found in a bowl of soup. Now that’s attention to detail.

Weissman grew up in San Antonio but took a roundabout route to culinary stardom. At 22, he headed to Mexico City as a broadcast journalist, and took to cooking for the off-peak newsroom before deciding he wanted to be a chef instead. To the dismay of his fellow journalists, Weissman moved to New York, attended the Culinary Institute of America and graduated with top honors. A two-year apprenticeship under Master French Chef Jacques Thiebeult was followed by training in France, where Weissman served as sous chef to Andrieux at Hotel de la Poste and as a stagier at Restaurant Troigros in Roanne before returning to New York and a position at Le Cirque.

A vision for contemporary French cuisine ultimately brought Weissman back to San Antonio. Pulling together minimal funding, he bought space in the old Builders Exchange building and opened Le Rêve (French for “dream”). The menu is seasonal, based on local agricultural offerings, and includes delicate classics such as caramelized onion tarts (Weissman uses goat cheese instead of crème fraîche) and haricots verts, as well as more inventive dishes like oxtail and egg pasta ragù scented with rosemary and thyme.

From the soft glow of oil lamps to the pale gray-green walls and frosted glass windows, everything about Le Rêve evokes a dreamlike quality. The 12 small tables are turned only twice an evening (Tuesday through Sunday), and you can select from a seasonal tasting menu, with or without wine pairings, or a prix fixe three-, four- or five-course meal. Weissman asks his guests to make reservations and allow two-and-a-half hours for the meal; men should wear a jacket.

Le Rêve, 152 E. Pecan St., 210-212-2221, www.restaurantlereve.com.