Rick Stein’s Steakhouse fits the mold to a T, from the eponymous name to the desirable address on the Dallas North Tollway, in a spot that once housed another steakhouse, Fleming’s.
A former partner at III Forks, Rick Stein opened his namesake place two years ago and, like the steak, it’s aged well. At dinner one night, he showed an intuitive ability to gauge the neediness of each table and respond accordingly. Thus, for the big table of sales folks out on the company dime, he went gonzo with the wine, helping to choose from a respectable list (thumbs up to the Joel Gott Zinfandel) and then oversee the pour. But for the quiet twosome, he respectfully backed off.
New York strip was 16 ounces of Prime meat, full-flavored, with random streaks of fat and a dark crust. Filet mignon came many ways, including one tall, peppercorn specimen topped with a mild, mustardy sauce. One area where Rick Stein’s does break from the norm is to throw in a starch and vegetable (at no extra cost) with entrées, for slightly better value.
Salads were fantastic, including the wedge, with chunky blue cheese and solid bites of bacon instead of crumbled bits, and the house salad, with pine nuts, sun-dried tomatoes, and feta. Crab cakes, nearly entirely crab yet with a crunchy dark crust, were seriously good enough to make you rethink the category altogether. Not unlike the steakhouse that served them. 18020 Dallas Pkwy. 972-713-9999. $$$.
Update: Rick Stein’s has closed.
