Friday, October 19, 2007
Best Bites: Dining out in Dallas-Fort Worth October 19
Email
|
Print
|
Tell us your story
|
Comments (12)
|
Two more places have opened in the Historic Downtown area of Plano, on 15th Street east of US 75. That's two more optimistic entrepreneurs gambling on the Street Without Pity (but with more than its share of old-lady antique shops). But both of these new guys seem to have half a shot.
Old historic downtown Plano has oodles of potential, yet to be fulfilled.
1. Fillmore Pub is the most promising opening in the area in the past five years. It comes from a team of veterans who previously worked at the Old Monk, including former Old Monk general manager Gabe Whatley; former manager Kelly Wesner, quaintly known as "the Mayor" because he seems to know everybody; and former chef Kirk Mexia, who was at the Old Monk, then helped open the Idle Rich Pub.
"I was at the Old Monk for the past seven years," Whatley says. "Then my wife and I moved to Plano. I'd been eyeballing this spot; my wife found it two years ago. It just looked like a pub."
They've been working on the space, which used to be a gift shop called Just Gotta Have It!, for about a year, adding the dark woods and booths that give it that quintessential pub feeling.
"We have great food -- fish and chips, Reuben sandwich, pan-seared pork tenderloin, grilled salmon, Guinness cheddar cheeseburger, chicken salad sandwich, Greek salad," Whatley says. "And we have a big list of scotches and American whiskeys."
Prices on the food are cheap, with the highest item being only $10.95 for the pork and salmon. And they do something no one in Plano does: stay open late, until 2 a.m. every night.
While on the topic of the Feargal McKinney empire, chef Ian Beach left Tecole Taco House about a month ago; according to a guy who answered the phone Thursday night, it was "the best thing for all parties involved." Given his Culinary Institute degree and previous stint at the Mansion on Turtle Creek (which, by the way, will now be called Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek), Beach seemed an odd fit for a taco drinking joint; he's been replaced by a fellow named Jeremy Chastain.
2. Back to old downtown Plano: Sheik's Restaurant is a middle-Eastern place that just opened on Avenue K, in what used to be the site of a short-lived Italian sub place called Poppy's and a Philly-cheesesteak place called Feels Like Home which before that was called the Philly Connection and well, let's not beat it into the ground, OK? Suffice it to say, there's been some turnover there.
However, if a place can survive on the dedication of its management alone, then Sheik's has every chance of making it. Owner Mohamad Salame moved here from Detroit, where there's a large population of middle-Easterners including Lebanese, which is Salame's heritage. So they're making a Northern version of middle-Eastern food, which is to say that the quality is better than what you find in the South (and that's true of almost every cuisine, the quality is just better up there, sorry to say).
Sheik's does shish kebabs, grape leaves, hummus, falafels. One dish with chicken in an intensely flavored lemon-butter-gravy comes off as a Mediterranean version of curry. The "Sheik's Special" is a family banquet with everything -- shish kebabs, shawarma, falafel salad, fatoosh, and more -- for $55.50. The location's nothing-fancy, and they don't serve alcohol. But they're friendly and responsive, exhibiting a degree of attentiveness that shows they know that the customer is important.
Related stories
- Tecole Taco House in Uptown Dallas closes abruptly (Dec. 30, 2007)
See more stories in:
Find...
Latest comments
- tetsujin28 on Experience the Amazon without those pesky mosquitoes: “One foot in Texas and one foot in Peru.” It’s more like One foot in Texas and my mind’s made of Doo...
- Andrew Laska on T. Boone Pickens pushes his energy plan to packed house at UT-Dallas: John, I can imagine Pickens’ response. Pickens’ calls natural gas a “bridge fuel” for 25-30 years. (...
- FOOD_FOOD on Nana's Kountry Kitchen in Grapevine is proud of its chicken-fried steak: THIS RESTAURANT DOES NOT HAVE A SIGN OUT FRONT YET!!! LOOK FOR A SIGN THAT SAYS “GRAND OPENING” AFTE...
- John McClelland on In which my cynicism about Dallas County taxes is proven at least partially wrong: School bonds that everyone keeps passing :)...
Latest reviews
- Billusa99 on Pappas Bros. Steak House: Agent 99 and I had dinner here last week for our anniversary and it was stellar! The somm. we had re...
- Colby Walton on El Taco H (Grapevine): Tried this Grapevine strip center taqueria for the first time tonight, after seeing it mentioned in ...
- lindabear1 on Banana Leaf Thai Cuisine: We live in Garland and this is “way up there”, but we had a coupon! Now we will go back again becaus...
Comments
sisterhazel Anonymous
Nice to see people giving downtown Plano a chance, I think it has a lot of potential. And what's wrong with old lady antique shops? Where else can you sell old ladies?
2 years ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
kirk Anonymous
I'm also glad to see some new options in that area. Here's hoping they last!
Sisterhazel: Aren't there better deals on old ladies at yard sales?
2 years ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
sisterhazel Anonymous
Kirk: You're right, prices are definitely lower at yard sales, but, except on rare occasion when the seller doesn't know what they have, the quality isn't there.
2 years ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Michael McCullough Verified
You left out the best little gem in downtown Plano -- Jorg's Cafe Vienna. It's the best German/Austrian restaurant in the Dallas area.
I haven't had any experience with the wurst because the schnitzels are so wonderful. Jorg uses his mother's recipes and one of the schnitzels even comes with a light curry sauce. It tastes much better than it sounds.
For an appetizer, try the Gebackener Camembert Cheese (Camembert Cheese, breaded and lightly fried to a golden brown, served with Cranberry Cream Sauce).
Oh, and don't forget the German beer. Jorg's has a small but very good sampling of very tasty German beers. Whatever your taste, you'll find it. I like the schwartbier myself (dark, thick, but not too bitter), but then I have a fetish for dark, nasty beer. Be careful about ordering the large mugs because the alcohol can creep up on you.
If you go in the late afternoon or evenings on Saturday (it's closed on Sunday), be sure and request Trisha to be your server. No, she's not German, but her Boston accent and laugh is nice to hear. She's very friendly, high energy, but if you're talking with a companion she's essentially invisible, which is the mark of a good server.
2 years ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Teresa Gubbins Staff
Michael - right ON, thanks for mentioning Jorg's, i should really preface every entry i make about old downtown plano with an homage to that place. Jorg's is one of those places that's easy to take for granted, but it turns out absolutely great food every day and night. you can tell from the moment you sit down and get their great complimentary rolls -- house-made, crusty, warm, GOOD. the beer selection is fantastic and the staff is wonderful, too. i hope that Jorg's and the Fillmore are able to enhance each other's existence and not subtract.
2 years ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
mizery Anonymous
Ms. Ery takes exception to your "old-lady antique" shops. First, Plano has more -- or as many --arty-crafty "antiques" places that those that actually sell vintage items. Second, unless these places have only one antique in common -- perhaps various parts of one old lady divided among them? -- they should be called antiques (note plural) shops.
As for garage shopping in Plano. It's fine, if your idea of an antique is something that hails between the late 70s and 2000.
However, Ms. Ery is heartened that the food scene is looking up. If she weren't an antique herself (and therefore endanged in Plano), she might be tempted to move to one of those trendy town houses in old downtown.
She does like the idea that if she wants to visit one of these new places, she can take DART from East Dallas (where the vintage shopping is second only to Oak Cliff.)
2 years ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Donna Chen Verified
Fillmore Pub sounds like a promising joint, although it will be hard to pry me away from Kelly's Eastside when it comes to downtown Plano places to hang out.
2 years ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Billusa99 Anonymous
One thing at a time here:
1) Re: *"As for garage shopping in Plano."* Ms. Ery... why would one shop for a garage in PLANO of all places?? They are big, full o' crap, as well as crank-shooting teenagers.
2) I'm glad to see that the food experience on east 15th is looking up. Anybody that has gradjeeated from the Dubliner crew has chops as far as I'm concerned. More importantly, the boss and I have been looking for an excuse to venture north of Loop 12 the next time we are in need a replacement electric cooktop appliance.
This new news very well increases those odds!
2 years ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
twisteddog Anonymous
I knew Ms.Ery was going to start complaining.
2 years ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
mizery Anonymous
Complaining is a perk of growing old, Twisted. I made nice way too long.
2 years ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
luniz Anonymous
two words, tg: raw kibbe
2 years ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
va32h Anonymous
I actually work at one of those old lady antique shops and the old lady who owns the place is pretty cool, as it happens!
We are a stone's throw from the Fillmore and have tried most of the lunch menu - the portions are huge and except for one slightly charred hamburger, very good.
1 year, 10 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Post a comment