Del Frisco's - Dallas

User Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

The crab cakes were excellent, very fresh and flavorful. The marinated shrimp were plump.

Turtle soup was mediocre and served in absurdly small portions in a heavy ceramic bowl which amplified it, probably 4oz. at best. The soup taste like store canned Italian wedding soup and the bits of turtle along with all of the remaining ingredients were so small as to be be mere pulp. Certainly not worth any price

Steaks are slightly above chain steakhouses in price and quality isn't far off. Lamb was good, seasoned with sea salt and grilled to medium well but hardly a kick to the palette one would expect. Lamb was juicy without being greasy. Thumbs up here. A solid cut of meat.

Side dishes were carefully portioned to our dinner party by the staff. I understand the serving logic behind these establishments but we were each given little less than a serving spoon of each side and two asparagus spears. Side dishes were inexpensive in style and basic which could have allowed slightly larger portions. Fried and au gratin potatoes, the asparagus spears were a bit tough. Overall the side dish proportion efforts felt cheap and unnecessary for such an establishment

Desserts met expectations, the lemon cake slices were ample with a rich, dense frosting. The frosting seemed to be pure sugar with a smooth sandy texture. Very moist cake which remained spongy. One would expect so much moisture to weigh the desert down, I was pleasantly surprised and the deserts alone warranted a visit.

Cigar menu was insultingly overpriced. Cigars that retail (not wholesale) for $12 to $14 were priced at $30 to $40 each. My love of cigars was overruled by the cynical assumption I could be fleeced. Such mark-ups are fine for airlines or perhaps carnival games but not a fine restaurant. Bring your own cigar tote if you want to smoke. Selection was small and most were readily available at any cigar shop.

Scotch selection was standard with some 1oz glasses such as Glenfiddich 18 year and Glenlivet again being overpriced. Naturally to maintain the image that Del Frisco's is an international restaurant there were $2,100 bottles of port for sale on the menu but such things came off as out of place instead.

Service on drinks was consistent which started to falter slightly as the evening progressed and the number of guests increased. Atmosphere was great but by 9:00pm the dining room sounded more like a shopping mall where leaning around the table and raised voices necessary to be heard over the din of the other patrons.

We asked the waiter if the salmon was farm raised or fresh. He explained the seasons to one of our guests but followed up with the statement that "9 out of 10 people can't really tell the difference", assuming about customer's tastes isn't a winning idea in my book because the flavor difference is substantial.

Overall the restaurant was a place to be seen and I am sure if you have visiting business clients or want to impress without a lot of effort of forethought then Del Frisco's is the place to go. You can drop a wad of cash for peripheral amenities along with excellent deserts, flavorful appetizers and average meals. Del Frisco's is mostly image over substance with style and atmosphere being the primary selling points.

If you want a solid steak with better flavor (to me the real purpose to eating at a steakhouse) then there are plenty of steak and chop locations in Dallas which can satisfy your desires other than Del Frisco's without the noise and at times, silly attached pomp.

The image is well presented but the product is seeks to elevate just isn't up to the task. Average and overdone.

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User Rating: 1 out of 5 stars

Worst experience ever. Arrived on Monday night with a 7:00 reservation. Got to stand in the foyer as 7 became 7:15 became 7:30 became 8:00 while watching haggish hordes of aged boob jobs and lip implants and fat moguls whisked to seats in seconds upon arrival. Finally seated over an hour after arrival following a nasty scene - a fellow stranded 7:00 reservation party finally grabbed a vacated table and refused to leave it. Food - extremely mediocre. Service - unmitigated chaos. Thumbs way down.

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User Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

This place is WORRTH going to. I live in Houston and my family and I traveled 4-5 hours just for this restraunt!!!!

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