Bobbie’s Airway Grill Lands in Preston Hollow

Bobbie’s Airway Grill, the newest spot from Robert Quick and Western Addition (the team behind il Bracco), recently opened at Preston and Royal. Its name is a nod to the former tenant, Dougherty’s Airway Pharmacy, and Quick’s mother, Bobbie. The concept promises an “upscale American grill with mid-century nods,” and they’ve tried to preserve and honor the Preston Hollow neighborhood’s legacy through art, architecture and design, including hanging the original “Airway” sign from the pharmacy above the kitchen window.

Coffered ceilings and a large bar greet guests, and the back wall has several pieces of whimsical art from Quick’s personal collection. There is also a small outside patio, but we ate indoors on this hot and humid summer evening.

We started with the Bracco, basically a frozen greyhound with Aperol and fresh grapefruit, refreshing and bright. The Gold Rush was a mix of Buffalo Trace bourbon, honey and lemon and was served ice cold. Both were adequately prepared if not spectacular, which would be a theme for this evening’s dinner.

We started with The Oaks Dip. Oak is a descriptor that figures prominently on this menu because the wood-fired grill burns Texas post oak. In truth, we’re not really sure how that applies to this dish, which consisted of a sharp cheddar cheese dip garnished with chives and served with Fritos. The dip was indeed sharp without being overpowering, and the scoop-style Fritos, which seemed an odd choice to us [Editor’s Note: Hank is from Chicagoland], worked as intended. It was a great taste and crunch flavor combination; we just wish that perhaps they’d attempted to make the chips in-house.

Another item off the starter menu, buttermilk biscuits, came four to an order, square-cut and thick, along with a side of orange marmalade (that did seem to be made in-house) and beurre de barratte. There was a bit of a wait for these to arrive, so it would seem they make them on demand. They were good – the marmalade not too sweet, the biscuits flaky enough – but they were not spectacular.

For mains we went with The Oaks burger and the Pacific halibut. The burger was attractively presented, cut in half on a pillowy brioche bun and piled high with cheddar, pickles, lettuce and Oaks Sauce (a somewhat smokey ketchup). The beef was chuck ground in-house, and while flavorful, was a bit on the small side. True, the burger was under $20, which is relatively inexpensive for an upscale restaurant, but even at that we thought the beef portion was on the small side, especially since this burger comes with no sides.

The Pacific halibut was seared over the ubiquitous oak and served with potato purée and roasted peppers that were prepared with chèvre cheese, olives and herbs. The potato purée was wonderfully rich and smooth, but the peppers had a bit too much going on, especially for a side. The halibut was a decent portion at perhaps four ounces and was adequately cooked, taking on the characteristics imparted by the wood grill. It probably could have been removed from the flame a minute earlier than it was.

We really wanted to try the pineapple upside-down cake but, unfortunately, we had a “genteel sufficiency” as they used to say back in the day (we were too full, in other words). That will have to wait until another visit, perhaps when patio seating would be more comfortable.

As yet another entry onto the “casual fine dining” scene in North Texas, Bobbie’s Airway Grill isn’t bad at all. It may not be spectacular, either, but then again this can be expected in a new spot that is still trying to get its sea legs. We’re confident that things will only get better.

5959 Royal Lane, No. 515. Sunday – Thursday, 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.; Friday – Saturday, 11 a.m. – 11 p.m.