Del Frisco's Grille

Del Frisco's Grille recently opened on McKinney and it is a hot spot right now. Wednesday presented a wonderful opportunity to give it a try. Across the street from Frankie's sports bar and next door to the new Private Social, this is one place that we were actually pleased to find valet parking.

We made a reservation, which was a good call. This place was packed with people two and three deep all around the bar. Busy! We were seated in a booth on the backside of the restaurant that faced the kitchen. Our waiter was very nice and offered up several opinions about the best of the best.

We started with the ahi tacos and they were fantastic. The shells are extra crisp, which brings a nice contrast to the texture of the tuna. Stuffed with avocado and topped with spicy citrus mayo, these unique tacos are something that you should definitely try out.

From there we moved on to the crabcake. Made with generous pieces of real crab, this cake was lightly seared so that you weren't overwhelmed by the fried taste. The peppers gave it a nice flavor, but the sauce brought the dish home. Spicy, but not overbearing, it was a great combination.

The Pimiento cheese fritters were delicious little balls of gooey cheese served alongside chipotle ranch sauce. Making your cheese fritters with pimiento cheese is actually genius because it gives the cheese a little extra punch.

The wild mushroom flatbread seemed like a good choice, but it wasn't our favorite. The dough tasted off a little - maybe frozen? - and something was missing from this dish. Fontina cheese, caramelized onions, and baby arugula are usually a home run, but this was lackluster.

We were also a little disappointed by the jalapeno mac and cheese. We expected something more from this dish that boasted both jalapeno and bacon, and instead decided that it was a little Velveeta-tasting. I'm not going to lie - we ate the whole thing - but it felt like a dish that had very little thought going into it.

We were also a little disappointed at how quickly the staff wanted to turn over our table. On four different occasions, people (who weren't our waiter) tried to clear our plates when they obviously still had food on them. My wine glass was taken away with wine still in it (crime of crimes). We were interrupted repeatedly by the staff, and it got to be a distraction. We get that it's popular, but we still dropped a pretty penny in there and that was something we didn't appreciate.

Luckily, the coconut cream pie finished our meal and made our taste buds beyond happy. Generous white chocolate shavings, a huge dollop of whipped cream, and everything else good that goes into a coconut cream pie, this dessert was both visually appealing and so, so tasty!

Now, the noise level in this place is intense, and it is super crowded (make sure to get a reservation and you might request a table so that you're not directly next to the bar crowd?), but it makes for a fun evening. We will definitely be back and hope for better/less service.

The Dish: ahi tacos and coconut cream pie were our favorites!