Dallas Voice (Dallas, Tex.), Vol. 22, No. 52, Ed. 1 Friday, May 12, 2006 Page: 44 of 80
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Texas Digital Newspaper Program and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the UNT Libraries Special Collections.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
life+styledining
The fire this time
Kenny’s Wood Fired Grill gives the steakhouse a retro-casual makeover
By Arnold Wayne Jones Staff Writer
Our meal began with a handshake.
We’re not talking about a greeting from a
friend or a business associate joining us for din-
ner. Not even a maitre d’ welcoming us back to
our regular, casual haunt.
No, the handshake came from our waiter, who
offered his first name (per the custom) before
asking for ours as well — names he used every
time he approached the table. We didn’t notice
whether every other customer got the same pal-
o’-mine reception, maybe because we were so
surprised to get it ourselves.
If that kind of familiarity puts you off, then
Kenny’s Wood Fired Grill in Addison might not
be an ideal fit. Even without the handshake,
Kenny’s oozes easy sophistication with a lopey,
“how-ya-doin’?” attitude. “Don’t get saucy with
me, Beamaise” reads a motto at the bottom of the
&\f>ccic>ici' the T'if'fercHcc
TD<M
I t. .t... ii. .1 ,.i
CHURRA S C A RI A
'Brazilian Sfeakhouse
|exas de Brazil is an authentic Brazilian- j
style steakhouse. At Texas de Brazil
diners are tempted by an extravagant
40-item seasonal salad area, roasted
vegetables and sides. A troop of
carvers roam the restaurant with choice
cuts of sizzling beef, pork, lamb, sausage
and chicken - all flame-grilled to
perfection and served tableside on
large sword-like skewers.
"Award of Excellence"
Wine Spectator
"America's Top Restaurants"
Zagat
Dallas, TX Addison, TX Fort Worth, TX I
2727 Cedar Springs Rd. 15101 Addison Rd. 101 N. Houston S\.M
214.720.1414 972.385.1000 817.882.9500 /
On-Site Event Coordinator - Private Dining Rooms - www.texasdebrazil.com
DALLAS, TX - ADDISON, TX - FORT WORTH, TX - SCHAUMBURG, IL - MEMPHIS, TN - ORLANDO, FL - MIAMI, FL - ARUBA
Coming Soon: RICHMOND, VA - FAIRFAX, VA - BATON ROUGE, LA - DENVER, CO
menu — an hysterical in-joke for fans of Mel
Brooks movies that declares this is a place that
has a sense of humor about itself.
But do not confuse a light-hearted atmosphere
with a lack of seriousness toward the food —
style and execution are paramount. At a dinner
soon after it opened, we were treated to popovers
that called to mind Neiman Marcus’ Zodiac
Room — a nice way of setting the tone on the
high-end of the scale.
The eponymous “Kenny” is executive chef
Kenny Bowers, who previously led Rockfish and
Daddy Jack’s. That resume might lead you to
expect lots of seafood on the menu, and there is:
lobster, salmon, shrimp and tuna are not hard to
find. But there’s also refreshing diversity in the
flavor profiles of all the dishes.
Exhibit one: the Portobello fries ($8.95). Few
’shrooms ever work their way onto my plate, but
these — served with Maytag blue cheese, per-
haps the best blue cheese made in America —
came close to finally making me a convert.
Portobellos have a reputation for being the meaty
mushroom, and this preparation stands up well to
the meat dishes: tasty (a touch a white truffle oil
doesn’t hurt) without being overpowering.
There are about as many appetizers as main
dishes here, and most could make entrees on their
own. That’s surely frue of the wood-grilled oys-
ters ($8.95), which came on the half-shell with
reggiano cheese baked hard over top for a strong
aroma and texture.
The hickory-smoked salmon with dill caper
aioli ($8.95) was lovely and fresh, and the tender-
loin crostini ($8.95) with a port reduction demi-
glace was prepared in a rich though not unduly
heavy beamaise. Cooked medium rare and
incredibly tender, it was melt-in-the-mouth spec-
tacular. (Wood grilling adds a hint of smokiness
to the dishes you don’t get with natural gas.)
Some restaurant crab cakes seem more cake
than crab — pulverized and breaded into submis-
sion — so the chunky preparation here ($10.95)
came as a welcome surprise. Remoulade and
beamaise (again) gave it a spicy, eggy kick. For
even more spice, try the ahi nachos ($8.95) in
wasabi mustard sauce, sweetened with soy.
REPORT CARD
Kenny’s Wood Fired Grill, 5000 Beltline Road,
Suite 775, Addison. Open for dinner seven nights
a week. 972-392-9663.
Food: A-
Playful but seriously tasty, Kenny's doesn't just
do red meat but clever appetizers, seafood, even
salads.
Atmosphere: B
The decor is dark — common, for some reason,
in steakhouses — but the '70 disco music piped
in enlivens it. And It can get busy and loud.
Service: B
Wait staff is friendly, sometime to the point of
familiar, but overall efficient.
Price: Moderate to expensive
Any time “market price” appears on a menu,
you know to bring the no-limit credit card, but
many items are $16 or less.
Stuffed Burgers
Your Knox-Henderson Neighborhood Spot
CHEOORR GRITS-UIEOGE SfllflO-PULLEO PORK SHnOUJICH
4425 N. CENTRAL EXPY‘214-261-6000
www.metro-grill.com
mw for LuncH m oinntR i orys r ujeeh
QRuncH SRTUROflv Rno sunoRV iiflm - 3pm
RRflQUFT ROORIS RURILRBLE
44 I dallasvoice.com I 05.12.06
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
Vercher, Dennis. Dallas Voice (Dallas, Tex.), Vol. 22, No. 52, Ed. 1 Friday, May 12, 2006, newspaper, May 12, 2006; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth238908/m1/44/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.