Revisit: Cretia’s on McKinney

We had heard that Cretia’s bar was hopping after hours. We had not, however, heard that people were exactly dying to eat there. So we went on a Saturday night for dinner and a scene. The former was decent; the latter, sensational. Here’s what Cretia’s does well: a fat, moist fillet of sea bass, seared extra crispy on the outside; a brick of ooey, gooey macaroni and cheese, glued together by yellow Cheddar, mozzarella, fontina, Gorgonzola, and Parmesan, billed as an appetizer; a moist-on-the-inside chicken-fried chicken. Here’s what Cretia’s doesn’t do so well: Parmesan-crusted trout, which really had no crust at all but a runny cheese sauce; mashed potatoes, which needed butter and salt; and a Superman-size mound of mashed sweet potatoes, which absolutely overwhelmed that delightful (and delicate) sea bass and was an odd pairing with the red pepper coulis also on that plate. Also so-so was the dry bread pudding, which was strange for a place that’s the offspring of a bakery (Cretia’s Flour and Flowers in Duncanville). But let’s focus on the action in the bar. Once the sun sets, the pretty and primped twentysomethings descend for cocktails and live music, and we were only too pleased to join them for another glass of Sauvignon Blanc. Next time we may skip dinner and go straight to the show. 4438 McKinney Ave. 214-252-9300. $$.