As incredible meals go, Del Frisco’s has set the bar extremely high. Like an Olympic gold medalist and world record holder, trying to exceed the last milestone is more difficult. But a recent visit to the Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steak House, on Olive Street, proves that the team of chefs, waiters and managers continues to exceed expectations and set new records for epicurean experiences.
Moving from a windowless facility on Spring Valley Road to the new location downtown—with floor-to-ceiling windows that provide views of the Ritz Carlton, Dallas and The Residences at Ritz-Carlton, Dallas— is the most obvious enhancement, but the kitchen is not to be outdone.
You have your choice between first or second floor dining or at which bar you would prefer to imbibe. The second floor offers a sheltered outdoor patio, which is the place to dine on summer nights or autumn evenings around a fire pit. The second floor also provides private dining rooms, which can be sized to order.
Before you have even had an opportunity to review the new menu, the hostess and servers will ply you with bottled water, sparkling or distilled, and a luxurious warm loaf of toasted sesame seed encrusted bread.
Start you dining experience with the house specialty cocktail, the VIP, which uses Svedka clementine vodka infused with fresh Hawaiian pineapple, with an orange twist. This refreshing drink is perfect for hot Dallas days and sets the tone for the upcoming meal. The danger is that enjoying just one is very difficult.
As the appetizers arrive at your table, prepare to be ruined for eating at any other restaurant. The jumbo lump crab cake, drizzled with a Cajun-spiced lobster cream sauce, provides bites of crabmeat so large, you will think you ordered an actual crab dinner. For the ultimate, decadent delicacy, order the thick-cut Nueske’s bacon au poivre with a bourbon molasses glaze. This thick-cut slice of meat is so tender and so flavorful that you could almost order this as a meal unto itself, but you would be missing the truly amazing main course.
Before the new menu item arrives, though, you will want to enjoy one of the signature salads. The newest offering is the heirloom tomato and burrata salad with an aged balsamic reduction and pesto, but you cannot go wrong with the signature Del’s Salad—a serving of crisp greens, tomatoes, shaved carrots and crisp bacon dressed with a delicate avocado-infused ranch dressing that pairs so nicely with the bacon that your palate is reinvigorated in preparation for what is to come.
And what comes next is truly one for the record books.
Along with the new location, Del Frisco’s has been preparing a new menu that has, literally, taken months to prepare or, more accurately, age. Making its debut is a list of 45-day dry-aged steaks that deliver a robust beef flavor. On offer are a 16-ounce prime strip or prime ribeye and a 32-ounce double bone prime ribeye, called the Double Eagle, with limited availability. Served with a side of the signature creamed corn with blistered shishito peppers or the Uptown Del’s Potato—a stuffed baked potato with melted Fontina cheese, chives and shaved truffle—and you have before you a meal prepared for a king.
Between the meal and the impeccable service, you will truly feel like royalty.
To complete your visit to Del Frisco’s, it would be almost criminal not to try one of the many delectable desserts. From the lemon or butter cakes, for those who still have room or someone to share with, to the perfect finish, the Del’s Delight, a dessert cocktail made with Nocello walnut-hazelnut liqueur, crème de cacao and vanilla ice cream, Del Frisco’s knows just how to finish an evening of dining indulgence.
Del Frisco’s has certainly set the bar even higher, not only for everyone else to reach but also for themselves. It will be fascinating to see the new heights this team of Olympian epicures will reach in the future.
