Lauren Drewes Daniels
Audio By Carbonatix
Dallas needs to get to know Reilly Brown. The chef has an impressive resume and has recently taken a step towards curating his own style and personality at Park Cities’ restaurant Frenchie.
A Bit of Background
The Michigander and Culinary Institute of America grad spent five years at the Michelin one-star PRESS Restaurant in St. Helena, Napa Valley, before moving to Dallas to work with the team at Georgie, where he played a role, alongside chef RJ Yoakum, in earning a Michelin Guide recommendation in both 2024 and 2025. Recently, he moved to another Travis Street Hospitality concept, Frenchie, where he is the new executive chef. (Chef Bruno Davaillon has taken the helm at Georgie.)
Moving Forward in Dallas
Frenchie is a more casual restaurant than Georgie; the theme here is approachable French comfort food. Lunch at Frenchie is a light, fun affair: country pate, Nicoise salad, steak frites and quiche Lorraine. Reilly is revamping the dinner menu, emphasizing clean flavors, classic French technique and seasonal ingredients.
Chase Hall
A sampling of the menu includes a grapefruit Hiramasa over a silky citrus emulsion, dotted with finger limes that pop, giving the dish a surprising burst (you’ll find yourself searching for them on the plate). A Winter Castelfranco has duck confit, candied walnuts, pickled pear, blue cheese, fresh herbs, shallot vinaigrette and shaved Brussels sprouts. Other plates include a whole branzino, pork chop and braised wagyu short rib. The Burger Au Poivre comes with gruyere cheese, black peppercorn aioli and is likely amazing.
We recently talked to chef Brown to get to know him a little better. Here’s our Chef Q&A:
It’s midnight, and you’re starving. Where are you going?
Ideally, I’m not awake at this time, but if there’s nothing appetizing at the house, then Saint Valentine would be a great option.
What’s one food trend that needs to retire immediately?
Aesthetic. First restaurants where the concept outpaces the cooking. Dallas has too much culinary talent for food to be an afterthought.
Pick one: Michelin Guide or Luka back?
This is a very tough question. Can I just opt for both?
If you’re on a date and you want to really get to know the person’s true character — and if the relationship has real potential — where are you taking them?
Weirdly, I met my now fiancé when she came in to dinner at the restaurant. I think she was able to find out a lot about me in that moment. I got to know her at Barcelona Wine Bar for our first date.
Who is a Dallas maker (farmer, pastry chef, barkeep) you wish more people knew about?
Dyan Ng, she’s an amazing baker and pastry chef. She’s the executive pastry chef for Travis Street Hospitality. She’s one of the most humble chefs I’ve met.
What are some of your favorite restaurants in Dallas right now?
Meridian, Georgie, Loro, Quarter Acre, Mot Hai Ba.
What’s the worst thing that’s ever happened in your kitchen – that you can speak of?
There are countless situations. One that I can speak of — a more PG situation — happened in California. I started a confit on dry-aged Flannery ribeyes in beef fat. I did this in a Rational oven on a steam setting. It was supposed to be at 55 degrees Celcius, but somehow during the cook time the knob got bumped up to 100 C (boiling). The timer went off, and when I removed the steaks from the oven, they were completely boiled. It was about $4,000 worth of beef that was ruined.
What’s the most under-appreciated position/job in a restaurant?
The porter team for sure. They are the backbone of the whole operation. I emphasize with my team all the time that it’s a “dish station,” not a “dish pit.” If you call it a pit, you will treat it like one, too.
What menu embellishment makes you crazy?
Overdescribing dishes to the point where it reads like a novel. I think it’s nice to be slightly vague, it makes it more exciting.
What is something that, if you see on a menu, you’re ordering immediately?
Any type of chicken wing dish! Talk about a fun product that I think isn’t used enough.
What’s the toughest challenge facing the restaurant industry right now?
Definitely rising costs across the board. Product costs are going up, general cost of living is going up therefore labor costs are going up. Finding a way to balance all this with menu pricing so that everyone from the employee to the guest is happy can be difficult.
What has having the Michelin Guide in Texas done for Dallas dining?
The Michelin guide coming to Dallas has done a few things. It’s definitely bringing talent from elsewhere to the city, which I think is great. It also has the ability to educate diners on restaurants they may not have otherwise visited or even known about. I think the guide also challenges people to think about what they view as a “great restaurant.”
