Frisco has a new hang in the ‘hood and it’s lining up diners and fun-seekers like an E- Ticket ride at DisneyWorld.
KRM, Inc’s relatively new locations in Irving, Lewisville and Frisco demonstrate a commitment to the North Dallas area by the Kansas City, MO company, and we Texans seem to have a soft spot for the concept.
Admittedly, the first time that our team of intrepid FriscoFoodies tried to nosh some bar fare, we simply couldn’t get into the place in a window of time that worked for everyone in our party. But, as someone famous reportedly once said somewhere: “If at first you don’t get in, go, go again!”
So, we did.
The second time around, four famished friends made the pilgrimage to this castle of casual dining and adult beverages at 9449 Dallas Parkway, in Frisco. The location is right next to the IHOP in front of Main Event. Our group included a bottomless pit teenage boy, a PTA mom, a grandmother and one guy on an expense account.
The restaurant’s owners promote the place as a drafthouse with good reason. If you can’t find a drink you love in 54, you’ll be thirsty for life. The decor struck us like an Applebee’s on steroids. Neon signs, a car hanging from the ceiling and other sports and wacky memorabilia complemented a large and comfortable “sports bar” area. The bar boasted almost as many TV screens as draft beers. We made the snap judgement that the margaritas must be pretty decent purely because of the sheer number of them being served to thirsty customers.
Our table was ready after waiting seventeen minutes. We were seated in a rather tight booth arrangement that might not have been the best selection for our older diner but beggars can’t be choosers.
The server introduced himself promptly and immediately took our drink order before disappearing for about fifteen minutes. Maybe it was a break. Maybe he was embarrassed that the bar was busy and that he couldn’t get our drinks prepared. We’ll leave that judgment to the dining gods. We noted a certain evasiveness when we asked about the delay and we decided not to push. The kid was clearly in the weeds.
While we waited, we dove into the substantial menu. Ordering was a delegated task. Each person on the team would order one portion of the meal for all of us, selecting the food that he or she thought would best suit the others, thereby eliminating any order bias toward favorite foods in the reviews.The most tenured of our party, let’s call her MeeMaw, selected appetizers for the table. She went for variety, calling up the “Fry Me to the Moon” plate of waffle cut french fries, a rarity in this neck of the woods. Flavorful and smothered in bacon, scallions and…wait for it…melty cheddar, this twist on cheddar fries normally comes with a choice of 54th Street’s signature Gringo Dip or chipotle ranch. We went all out and demanded both as compensation for the late arrival of our drinks. Our very astute negotiation resulted in the arrival of both flavorful accompaniments. The Gringo dip was slightly spicy and reminiscent of traditional queso with a little pico tossed into the mix, while the ranch effort tasted curiously like the jalapeño ranch that is a Chuy’s favorite. The fries were crispy and did not suffer the expected sogginess from the cheese on top.
Although everyone tried the fries, we also opted for what appeared to be a “healthier” alternative: the chicken quesadilla. Again, the Machiavellian Menu Masters at 54th Street corporate made us choose between sour cream and guacamole unless we wanted to fork over another buck to keep our sour cream option and add the avocado yumminess. It was a bit like Obamacare. We were feeling flush and went that route to add to the required salsa. The dish was nothing special but the chicken had a more robust than average taste and it bit through the garnishes. A good experience, overall.
The PTA mom skipped the appetizers and leaped directly into a Greek salad that had a lower visual appeal than it did punch to the palate. Our friend raved about the Greek dressing which the server told us had been prepared in their onsite kitchen. The rest of the ingredients were very traditional; tomatoes, olives, cucumber and onion, all tossed with greens and some grilled chicken for protein, and feta for, well, Greek flair.
PTA Mom also selected sides but we’ll get to those in a minute.
Hungry Teen Food Processor® chose the salads and soups for the table. With PTA Mom firmly in command of her greenery, I was favored with the Outlaw Steak soup, MeeMaw rocked the Baked Potato, and The Processor lapped up some Chicken Tortilla. Truth be known, we all tried each other’s soups in what, I am certain, was the most unhealthy of practices. Just to be clear, we don’t double dip on most of our visits (when anyone important is watching).
My experience with the Outlaw Steak soup was very good. The base was a rich stew- like tomato and beef nectar that held its own with other tasty ingredients that included roasted corn, tomatoes, beans and, of course, fairly tender pieces of steak. This was a hearty bowl that begged me to finish, but I wanted to save room to enjoy the arrival of the good denizens of Entree Town.
MeeMaw dove into the Idaho Baked Potato soup. The creaminess was palatable and, according to all reports, not salty enough to concern her cardiologist. High sodium in potato soup is a concern many restaurants in the area, but not at “54.” Toppings on the soup included a little grated cheddar, bacon and scallions. MeeMaw deftly blended these into the mixture. PTA Mom observed that it’s clear that the chefs at 54 like scallions. The little green critters, cheddar and jack seemed to be abundant.
Finally, The Processor carefully travelled Chicken Tortilla Soup Road. Strangely, this menu item was probably the least traditional of the soups, abandoning the oft-found bouillon variety for a heavier stock that was topped with tortilla strips, sour cream dollop and, again, the ever present cheddar.
I took seriously my overwhelming responsibility on Main Course Duty.
The boy? Easy. A “mile high” burger. The question was which one to order?
Let me be clear: The burgers are not actually a “mile high.” That would be silly and, in more cases than not, require several skylights in the restaurant ceiling to accommodate them. Instead, the burgers were just somewhat larger in stature than normal, if not in beef weight before cooking.
The Kid likes the kitchen to bring the heat, so I chose the Devil’s Den Burger for him. The DDB was a chunk of meaty goodness, prepared medium to the young man’s taste, and it sported wing and BBQ sauces that weaker constitutions might later regret, some jalapeño bacon, and, yup, Monterrey Jack. Like hot wings, there was an offer of two or three cooling sauces to take off the edge but the fearless teen passed on all of them. He did mention he might like “ice cream later to cool my palate.”
Please! He’s been hanging out with the FriscoFoodies a bit too much.
According to the burger expert, the only fair way to rate this burger is on various 1 to10 scales that take into consideration juicy factor (7.5), beef quality (8.5), bun freshness (9.5), temperature (10), and overall taste (9). From a moody adolescent, this is an incredibly high score and dictated that I will enjoy a DDB on my next visit.
PTA Mom ordered up some side dish onion rings to go with the burger. I admit to trying one. It was rich and very flavorful, featuring actual hand-cut rings of white onions inside the crunchy breaded crust that might have been created with a hint of buttermilk.
MeeMaw was born in the Deep South by the Bayou, so what better for her to enjoy than
“A Catfish Called Wanda?”
This country staple showcased a huge battered piece of catfish that covered more than a third of the plate. It was flaky. In all likelihood, it wasn’t swimming in the Gulf that morning, but the fried fish was devoid of fishiness. The home cooking flair extended to the side items that included mac & cheese, the kind of green beans that drip in buttery, bacony sauce, that are only prepared the right way in the south. Coleslaw and tartar sauce rounded out the plate, but MeeMaw asked for cocktail sauce, which was happily, but not quickly, obliged.
PTA Mom enjoyed Chicken Madeira. Over a healthy portion of mashed potatoes, the food wizards at 54 placed a generous pan-fried chicken breast. Is there a theme herewith all of the frying? The bird was covered with mushroom madeira sauce. There were some at the table who thought “swimming in sauce” would be a better description, but who doesn’t like mushrooms, right? Top off the whole kaboodle with melted jack and a side of asparagus, and you get a “really good” meal that PTA Mom said she would order again, but she made it clear that she would ask to scale back the madeira on the next visit.
I was the group’s loser. I ordered the Triple Stacked Club sandwich with high expectations. It’s pretty hard to miss with sliced turkey, bacon and the traditional club sandwich fixin’s on wheat. But it missed. By a mile.
The “toasted” bread prepared on a greasy grill top tasted like it was from a diner that had seen better days. The entire sandwich was so slippery that it nearly shot across the table at MeeMaw. The Swiss cheese was remarkably tasteless. Maybe it had more holes than cheese? The mayo further added to the questionable texture of the sandwich. Instead of enhancing the taste, the honey mustard masked it. Maybe that was a good thing and maybe I should have upgraded to the jalapeño bacon, but I think that it still would have been reminiscent of the grill on which it was born. I doubled down on the onion rings and they were the best part of my meal.
On a later visit, I ordered the Pacific Fish Taco Platter that made up for the first visit. It was very flavorful and included a red pepper sauce, cilantro and the right amount of lime juice, returning 54th Street to my good graces.
No meal is complete without dessert. As no one was tasked with desserts, we each ordered our own. Carrot cake, creme brûlèe cheesecake and the salted caramel and chocolate brownie made the rounds of the table. Each was better than advertised. Next time, I’ll try the house chocolate cake with vanilla bean ice cream.
You need to make the trip. Try to hit an afternoon on a weekday if you don’t want to wait. The real party animals will line up at the bar at night and on the weekends.
54th Street is a good entry into the casual dining scene in Frisco and it stays open late, unlike most places in the area, open for food from 11 AM to 11 PM, Sunday through Thursday, Friday and Saturday until midnight. The bar stays open til Midnight on Sunday thru Wednesday and until 1 AM on Thursday through Saturday.