Restaurant Review: The Hall Bar & Grill

Steakhouse impresario Bob Sambol, founder of Bob’s Steak and Chop House, is the talent behind this clubby, casual, meat-centric spot in Trinity Groves. Rows of liquor and wine bottles line the wall above the back bar, and hundreds of framed 8-by-10 photos of North Texas athletes fill almost every inch of the remaining walls. The menu features burgers, sandwiches, soups, and salads alongside a short list of high-end Prime steaks. We started with a tower of onion rings perched atop each other like wide-cuff bracelets. The fried batter hugged the thick slice of onion on every bite, an important element in my assessment of a perfect onion ring. A split Caesar salad was nothing more than a shallow bowl of limp green lettuce tossed in an invisible dressing devoid of flavor. A whole roasted chicken, served lying on its back with legs and wings sticking up in the air, gave us easy access to the moist and tender breast meat basted in its own juices with a touch of thyme and lemon. The 12-ounce Prime rib-eye cooked to a rosy-red medium rare was the plate my tablemates attacked. And with good reason: it was well-seasoned and comforting. The crowd was an eclectic multigenerational mix much like a large family gathering. Obviously the wide price range of the menu is working for Sambol.