Moving across the country to take an executive chef position at one of the country's only permanent pop-up restaurants doesn't exactly leave a lot of time for leisure. When chef Brooke Egger of Kitchen LTO made the trek from California to Texas, she had no idea what to expect about the city, its diners, or most important, the restaurants she'd be competing with.
Despite her chaotic schedule in the kitchen, Egger has still managed to cover some pretty good ground in the Dallas restaurant scene in the month that she's been here. Take a few tips from someone who's cooked at and eaten at great restaurants all over the world and check out these four spots.
Bolsa Critics have been raving about what chef Andrew Bell has been able to do at Bolsa (pictured above) in Bishop Arts, and Egger only had nice things to say about the menu there. Her memory was a little hazy -- she went to Bolsa after Margarita Meltdown -- but she did remember a smoked fish served in a jar that she described as "amazing."
Blind Butcher When you're moving to Dallas, gorging yourself on all of the various meats the city has to offer is pretty much a requirement. Lower Greenville's "meat Mecca" Blind Butcher is an obvious first stop. After chowing down on the duck and foie gras sausage at Blind Butcher, Egger wanted to work with chef Oliver Sitrin to create a boar sausage for a stuffed quail dish on the menu at Kitchen LTO. Unfortunately, the restaurant just isn't set up for mass production.
Luck Out of all the dining options at Trinity Groves, Egger has only been to Luck, the craft-beer inspired spot two doors down. Even if you do need to just wind down with a few beers and an order of bierocks -- delicious little pocket pastries stuffed with meat, cheese and jus -- Luck is definitely worth a drive over the bridge.
Popeye's After working and living in health-conscious California, Egger says that the best thing about Dallas is "eating fried chicken whenever I want." Popeye's is fine for someone with such a busy schedule, but hopefully Egger will have time to make it out to Carrollton or Roanoke for a legit pile of fried chicken at Babe's Chicken Dinner House.
