Business Lunch: Truluck’s

BEEF IT UP: Truluck’s diners can do business over entrées like fillet of beef Oscar. photography by Doug Davis

WHY TRULUCK’S: The perfect business lunch should be several things: efficient, conducive to conversation, and, of course, tasty. But above all else, a proper business lunch should be mess free. That’s why you don’t see a lot of mergers and acquisitions going down at Sonny Bryan’s. Contracts smeared with barbeque sauce? Not good.

The same could be said for a crab house. Cracking claws and keeping your jacket sleeve out of the warm drawn butter all while signing on the dotted line requires dexterity better suited for a contortionist than a Brooks Brothers–wearing businessman.

Worry not. Truluck’s feels your pain. Truluck’s crab claws can be shelled for you, eliminating the mess while still allowing you and your lunch mates to enjoy the restaurant’s sweet, succulent meat that it is known for. Truluck’s offers a variety of crabs year-round, varying in origin from Florida to Australia. Availability depends on the season. Florida stone crabs—a Truluck’s specialty that slightly outshines the Texas version offered year round—can only be harvested from October to May. If the restaurant has them, order the Florida claws.

WHAT TO EAT: Besides the crab, delicious knife-and-fork options abound at Truluck’s.

The fillet of beef Oscar is topped with Australian Spanner crab, shaved asparagus, and a kicky jalapeno Béarnaise sauce. Traditionally it’s served with the restaurant’s signature Parmesan mashed potatoes. But for a decadent turn, try the king crab mac and cheese instead.

Roasted free-range chicken is served with bacon, leeks, and fingerling potatoes. A savory rosemary-orange pan sauce will change your mind about having chicken yet again for lunch. Likewise, Truluck’s takes seafood standards—sesame-crusted Ahi tuna, grilled Halibut, miso-glazed sea bass—and prepares them so well that they feel fresh again.

For those on a tight budget, Truluck’s power lunch specials will keep your accounting department happy. Choose from entrées like chopped steak, shrimp skewers, and grilled salmon. The power combo includes your choice of soup or salad, any entrée or sandwich, and dessert for $19.95.

And though it’s best to keep your wits about you while talking business, it’s hard to pass up Truluck’s extensive wine list. All bottles on the list are offered by the glass and in a tasting portion. That means you can indulge in a glass of Silver Oak Cabernet and not hear about it later from your CFO.

WHERE TO SIT: The Dallas location of Truluck’s sports an old-school, clubby charm minus the overbearing machismo of many steakhouses. Its exterior is reminiscent of a retro roadside grill courtesy of the space’s former days as Fog City Diner. Inside, things can get a little noisy during peak lunch hours. It’s best to avoid the open dining room and ask for a booth to the right of the entrance. The space is cozy and far better suited to business talk. Besides, you don’t want the whole room to see you dip your Hermes tie in that ramekin of melted butter, do you?