Tucked away in Montgomery Plaza at 2600 West Seventh Street—with a view of Chick-fil-A and a wine shop—is chef Eddy Thretipthuangsin’s Bite City Grill. It officially opens to the public today, the first day of spring. While many restaurants have come and gone in this exact location, Bite has a menu that is built to last. Reservations, which people have booked since March 10, have filled up quickly.
Last night, I was invited to the premiere of Bite. Here’s a preview:
COCKTAIL PROGRAM: The night began with handcrafted cocktails. Each cocktail is named after a zodiac sign made with unique flavors, so the decision was quite a toss-up. I landed on the Sagittarius, containing smoked bourbon, sweet tea, limoncello, and St. Germain. While peering over the bar I could see the bartender using a smoke machine. He brought the drink in a covered mason jar, and smoke came floating out of my drink as soon as I opened the lid. My guest ordered the Gemini, which is a sangria spin-off. It was filled with red wine, fruits, and homemade syrup.
SEATING: We were eventually seated in a cozy two-person booth, with the perfect view facing the entire restaurant. Chef Eddy T., previous exechuchef of PakPao, made his way to our table and said while many people were disappointed he didn’t open a Thai restaurant, he wanted to do something new and fun, which I am so glad he did.
APPETIZERS: Based off Chef Eddy’s menu suggestions, we ordered the beef carpaccio appetizer. Without a doubt, I could eat this all night long. It was served with a heavy drizzle of olive oil and delicious miso garlic aioli topped with caper berries, shaved Parmesan, and cipollini onions. The overwhelming flavor of olive oil made the carpaccio taste fresh, and the crunchy onions and soft textures of the carpaccio were blended perfectly with every bite. Lastly, the caper berries gave the dish a nice tang. My guest and I each ordered a salad next, while I chose the Mama Lou salad, she ordered the miso Caesar. The Mama Lou salad consisted of Napa cabbage, crispy wontons, carrots, and a chili sesame dressing. With every bite of the salad, you get a sweet taste ending with a little kick that will have you will be reaching for your water glass. The miso Caesar salad was prepared with hearts of romaine, Parmesan-Reggiano, miso Caesar dressing, and a white anchovy crostino.
MAINS: All the entrées are under $24. We ran with Chef Eddy’s suggestions and decided on the braised short rib with a balsamic soy glaze and the seared Long Island duck. The braised short rib didn’t even need to be cut with a knife; the meat fell off perfectly. Soft polenta, cippolini onions, and roasted tomatoes came with the rib. The seared Long Island duck, on the other hand, was divine and rich with flavor. The duck was served with a parsnip and cauliflower puree, blackberry and raisin demi-glace, and seasonal vegetables. The duck’s sweet and salty flavors left my mouth watering. I was scraping my plate clean by the end of it, including the duck fat. And that’s saying something.
DESSERTS: Bite’s fresh strawberry-filled cheesecake is dome-shaped with a lemon meringue underneath it. My guest ordered the salty caramel semifreddo, which was served on top of a brownie.
While Bite City Grill has the sophistication and warmness of a high-class restaurant, you don’t have to empty your pockets to eat there.
Hayley Votolato is a D Magazine intern, and aspiring food and travel editor. She will be graduating from Texas Christian University with a degree in Strategic Communication from the Schieffer College of Communication this May.
