When I had told Joni that I had an 8am meeting on Friday her first question was "who eats breakfast that early?" My answer "I do, so I can be ready for our lunch feeding". That should have been a given. It was about 11AM by the time I got back to the house, and after a little while it was time to discuss lunch. That's pretty much what we do. Discuss feedings and have feedings. She recommended Del Frisco's Grille. It's the casual dining concept of Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse. I had eaten at the steakhouse in Houston a couple years ago and it was amazing. So trying the grille was an easy sell.
Del Frisco's Grille has 18 locations around the country, and another 4 opening this fall. They should really consider opening in OKC or Tulsa. We went to the one in Southlake, about a 20 minute drive from their house. Southlake is a pretty high-end area, with some great shopping and restaurants. Central Market is right nearby, and is one of my favorite grocery stores. I'm not ashamed to admit I usually shop there every trip before I head back to Stillwater.
It was super hot outside, but it was freezing inside so we decided to try out the patio. We had originally only seen the upstairs patio from the parking lot, but it wasn't open so the hostess suggested we check out the other patio just beyond the bar. It had 4 big umbrellas covering the space, which provided shade. Really, the only reason we toughed it out was because of the breeze. It was a hot breeze, but at least it moved the air.
We both wanted prosecco, so we got a bottle
I love the chiller. It was table height and very convenient. The prosecco was very light and refreshing against the summer heat. The only down side to the patio is the construction across the street and the traffic. But get past that, and it's wonderful.
 |
| We were the only ones braving the heat! |
After a little bit it was time to get food. We decided to start with the fire roasted artichoke
 |
| Meyer lemon vinaigrette, parmesan, black pepper aioli |
This was the biggest artichoke I've ever seen. The plate was hot, so the artichoke was still very warm. It was delicious. The aioli had a strong bite, but was excellent. The lemon vinaigrette was strong as well, but not overpowering. The challenge with artichokes is that it's a lot of work for not a lot of "meat". Kind of like when you pick crabs. But we pushed through and enjoyed every bite.
After 3 glasses of water in about 15 minutes, I asked the server if we could get a pitcher of water. She looked at me kind of funny, and I'm sure that's not a request they ever get, but that's okay. It was blazing hot out there. A few minutes later, our pitcher arrived
She even put a bunch more ice than normal so that the water wouldn't get warm too fast. That's great service.
For lunch Joni got The Grille prime cheeseburger, and I got the steakhouse salad
 |
| Double patties, lettuce, red onion, tomatoes, pickle, sloppy sauce |
I didn't try Joni's burger, but she said it was delicious. I love how they serve the sloppy sauce on the side in the little squeeze bottle. I did try a french fry and they were hot and crisp and delicious. Perfectly cooked. I should have tried the sauce but I forgot.
 |
| Broiled prime sliced steak, deviled egg, crunchy cress, avocado, bacon, parmesan, blue cheese, lemon-horseradish dressing |
My salad was outstanding. You could taste the high quality of the meat. It had so much flavor, and I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of steak on the plate. And it was cooked perfectly medium. Usually you get chopped up hard boiled eggs in a salad, so I was really surprised to see deviled eggs. I could literally eat a dozen deviled eggs in one sitting. The server said it was the same as the appetizer (which we briefly considered getting) except for the truffle-chive vinaigrette. I really liked that presentation.
After we ate, we still had prosecco left so we paid our bill and moved inside to the bar to finish our drinks. I love the gorgeous lighting and display above the bar
As we sat and visited, a guy came and sat down next to Joni. He ordered food, and when it was delivered we saw a side dish that looked really interesting. Since we'll talk to anyone we struck up conversation. Come to find out he went to OSU! He played football for a year, but then tore up his knee. And now he's an orthopedic surgeon, and partner in an institute specializing in regenerative orthopedics. He's so excited that his daughter is an incoming freshman at OSU, and that it gives him more reason to get football season tickets. I went to the restroom, and by the time I got back she was telling him about the club level. She's a great saleswoman, speaking from her club experience. We ended up spending another hour there with him, and even met his partner who came over to join him. Had we not needed to finish our drinks, we never would have met him. What a small world!
I was kind of surprised at the size the main dining area is. It only seats about 60 guests, at a combination of booths and tables. But with the 2 patios that about triples their dining capacity. As you walk into the restaurant you can immediately go upstairs or walk straight ahead; main dining to the left, bar to the right, and the patio where we sat to the right of the bar. I love that the restaurant has floor to ceiling windows that take up 3 of the walls, There's a huge wall of wine, both in the main dining room and up the staircase to the upstairs patio
Will I go back? No question. The food was fantastic, the service was excellent, we now have a new friend who works just minutes away, and we really want to sit at the upstairs bar next time
