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Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Vickery Park: Doing better-than-bar food in old downtown Plano

by Teresa Gubbins

Vickery Park onion rings

PLANO — Vickery Park is one of the trio of places, along with Fillmore Pub and popular newbie Urban Crust, that's transformed old downtown Plano into a buzzy nighttime hub.

An offshoot of the Vickery Park on Henderson Avenue in Dallas, it's deceptive: It looks like a bar, with a frat-boy crowd on weekends, yet if you go early enough -- before 8 p.m. -- you'll find a surprising menu of better-than-bar food -- same as the Dallas branch, with cheese board, grilled vegetables, and mussels.

Like the Dallas original, Plano has an 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday-Sunday brunch with Belgian waffles, crepes, and migas. But what Plano has that Dallas does not is lunch hours, with $6 specials that allow you to combine half-sandwiches and salads.

Vickery Park pulled pork sandwich

Sandwiches such as the pulled pork come on wonderful glossy brioche buns. The pork was shredded, then spiked with bits of red pepper and onion, and served with an order of skin-on fries. These were cooked in the fryer twice, the classic method, producing fries that turned a deep golden brown.

Vickery Park salad

One common snack are the onion rings, which come with a large portion of fries, ranch dressing, spicy ketchup, and sliced jalapenos. The rings were thick, but had a bread-crumb-style crust instead of the preferable beer batter.

Sandwiches and other entrees come with choice of salad or soup such as tortilla, a tomato-based broth loaded with chunks of chicken, chopped celery, and tortilla strips.

Vickery Park soup

Chef Eric Nijera, who helped create the menu, now makes the Plano branch his headquarters. Nijera was influenced by Marc Cassel with whom he worked at the Green Room and who is drawing mobs at Park, the new hot spot on Henderson Avenue.

"Since Eric worked with Marc Cassel for six years, we definitely have a lot of his influence," says co-owner Sean Teele. "Cassel has described his food as 'collision cuisine,' the juxtaposition of one thing with another, and you can see that in our signature brisket sandwich topped with a Kahlua cream sauce."

Teele says that they fell in love with the quaintness of Plano's old downtown.

"That's where Vickery Park needs to be: an older, historic, more mature type neighborhood," he says.

Sauces for Vickery Park French fries

Staff
Verified User
Anonymous

Maybe the Grape should move here.....I didn't realize there was a Downtown Plano. Everything is either vacant, or about to be vacant....except a few restaurants. Just my opinion...

david torres Verified

2 months, 1 week ago
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Now David.... You need to come downtown and play. It's hopping.

And don't go taking the Grape away from those deserving Dallasites.... mostly because then they'll all be up here.

Jason Rice Verified

2 months, 1 week ago
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what streets make up this "downtown Plano" that you speak of?

nina_chawla Anonymous

2 months, 1 week ago
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nina_chawla, the "action" in downtown plano is in a couple of blocks centered around 15th street and Avenue K

Teresa Gubbins Staff

2 months, 1 week ago
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its too bad, because we used to enjoy going to the antique stores. They're adding all those pricey condos/apts and it's not working. They're trying to develop another Shops at Legacy, area, from the west side. Maybe Sal's needs a pizzeria on the East side too!!! just my opinion....

david torres Verified

2 months, 1 week ago
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I love Sal's! something about huge, floppy, greasy pizza really does it for me.

nina_chawla Anonymous

2 months, 1 week ago
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their quality has gone down, in recent months....it's a crap shoot when we went there....we go to BESA's now, thanks to the 'pegasus gang's' recommendations! Sal's quality went down, when Vito left. He's Sal's brother-in-law.

david torres Verified

2 months, 1 week ago
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Hey - 'round the corner from UC, Vickery Park and Fillmore's is the old staple Kelly's Eastside... and another 50 feet gets you to Sheiks.... great great Mediterranean (not tried it but rumored the best Hummus for 20 miles)

The antique stores are alive and well and some frilly silly little fashion shops. 14th St Gallery has a satellite in the ArtCenter on (14th on 15th)

Dude - it's passing you by. Get out a bit.

But this article IS about <font size="4">Vickery Park...</font>
<font size="5">AND</font>
they are remarkably cool. So much so that they are hosting Rover's Post-show reception
THIS THURSDAY NIGHT after My Way.

Yes I'm totally freakin biased. They rock. Get out. Visit them. They are great neighbors.

Jason Rice Verified

2 months, 1 week ago
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Downtown Plano was a good suprise to me,a culture shock....while they have a real theatre and shops there,something I did not see 7 years ago....and the Dart Rail is very handsome for that area now,...

While this story has a good,I mean good food review,shots of the what's to eat looks good too, I am impressed,...A/T, ..Moody and in a good mood about downtown Plano...

alexander troup Verified

2 months, 1 week ago
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jason, you forgot the costume store on the corner !! GEEEZS(sp?)!! Since we're off the subject.....WHEN DID THE NURSERY, down the street go? It's been there for a long time!! Did I miss another meeting?

david torres Verified

2 months, 1 week ago
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Until I was exposed to the historic square back in January of this year, I used to claim that the only culture in Plano was the yogurt at Kroger.

Of course, this was colored by a decade of Plano-As-Legacy.

And before my first show with Rover, obviously :D

Mike Hathaway Verified

2 months, 1 week ago
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::you forgot the costume store on the corner

Nope - never forget Jerry and Señor. Not in my biz.

And the nice little Fish Shack just over the tracks.

And yes, in the meeting you missed the Butcher Shop moved to 15th @ G but I don't recall the nursery' plans.

Jason Rice Verified

2 months, 1 week ago
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Don't forget Jorgs' Cafe Vienna and their Biergarten. Oktoberfest is right around the corner with sausage and beer for all!

Gwen DuVal Staff

2 months, 1 week ago
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can we just get a satellite picture, via Google Maps? <lol!> We lived at those apartments for a year, right after the rail opened. We thought it would revive the square, but it didn't. Then they started building more apartments/condos. </lol!>

david torres Verified

2 months, 1 week ago
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david torres Verified

2 months, 1 week ago
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::Jorgs' Cafe Vienna and their Biergarten

Ok, subtract 20 points from my total score. Yep - speaking of mainstays, Jorg and Kathy will never again speak me.

15th St Cafe, Aparicio's 2 blocks north, Tino's Too, one more block. And the eternal Poor Richards just one-half block more. BJ's, IHOP and Friday's a stone's throw across 75. Fishmongers, Jersey Mike's...

There's a reason we don't generally leave Plano.

But back to Vickery's -- go. now. fun.

Jason Rice Verified

2 months, 1 week ago
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"Glossy brioche buns" are good to find.

Nancy Nichols Verified

2 months, 1 week ago
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gotta remember to check this place out some day, thanks for reviewing it TG.

luniz Anonymous

2 months ago
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Which place? there are about 20 different places, mentioned on this thread....Vickery Park? just kidding......the wife and i are checking it out on friday...she heard about it too....