16601 Addison Rd., Addison
972-381-9896
Promised delivery time: 55 minutes
Actual delivery time: 52 minutes
The Score
They're giving the orders (at least that's what it feels like): 0
Precision of ordering process because they're giving the orders: 20
Precision of delivery: 9
Not having to make small talk with driver: 16
Beef cooked to level orange choking threat: -12
Fajitas delivered warm: 5
Flour tortillas delivered warm: 3
Fact that they deliver steaks: 30
Total: 71
Overall Standings
Roti Grill 88
Scalini's Pizza & Pasta 87
i Fratelli Pizza 85
Spiatzas Pizzeria 80
Panda Delite 78
Dallas Gourmet Grill: 71
Skillman Wok/Border Express 54
Zini's Pizzeria 51
LA Gourmet Pizza 47
Um...lost my train of thought.
But this Addison-based restaurant isn't that cool. When I called, the guy on the other end of the phone dealt with my order in a perfunctory manner, turning the process into a no-frills, staccato exchange. No "hello, this is Dallas Gourmet Grill, may I..." stuff, just a clipped demand: "order."
Yes sir. I'll have fajitas, sir.
"Number." I tell him.
"55 minutes."
That's it--a purely economical and efficient conversation, almost
military in its concern for the customer. The delivery struck the same
perfunctory chord: a shade under being precisely on time, no flair or
extraneous pleasantry, just a simple drop off. Like ordering an
artillery strike or something.
It's perfect for a joint that delivers old-school meat and potatoes type meals.
I've driven past the joint several times, however. It's a storefront tucked into
a mangy strip dominated by the one lone gas station on the stretch that
begins when Inwood emerges from 635 and ends at Trinity Mills, so I
didn't expect much...especially in the way of fajitas sizzle. There's
just no way to keep the dish popping on a cast iron skillet that long.
Instead of a steaming show, you get strands of tough, chewy beef, a
bunch of nicely sauteed onion slices, four hunks of green pepper and a
single fragment of red pepper, all saved in foil and dripping with
juice that tastes suspiciously of Herb-Ox bouillon--a surprisingly nice
flavor when it soaks into vegetables but rather unnecessary when it
comes to a supposedly hearty meat dish.
At least they try, including decent salsa, packets of sour cream and a container of greenish paste meant to pass for guacamole.
It's edible, and that counts for something--especially when the place
promises to deliver steak and fries, 16-oz. double cheeseburgers and other hefty, artery-clogging
indulgences. I mean, ribeye delivered straight to your home, grilled up and ready to eat. Even if you need a saw to get at it, the idea is a good one.
And if they delivered cigars and bourbon as well....