Thyme for Change

A menu change-up isn’t always necessary. After all, when it comes to good food—as in the case 

  of Del Frisco’s Grille in Southlake—why mess with award-winning taste? But, as Head Chef Aaron Henschen explains, a restaurant has a responsibility to its patrons to serve not only great food, but food they can feel good about eating. “There’s been a lot of emphasis put on healthy foods and gluten- free menus,” Henschen says. “We wanted to be able to offer those choices to our guests as well.”

On its recently updated lunch and dinner menus, Del Frisco’s added new soon-to-be favorites and made updates to your favorite standbys. Chef Henschen says they changed one such item on the menu from fried to roasted (the Simply Roasted Chicken). The new chicken dish is now gluten-free and served with hand-mashed potatoes, asparagus and roasted chicken jus.

After hearing about the healthy side of things, I opted to order a salad for my starter course. Although, the cheesesteak eggrolls served with sweet and spicy chili sauce and honey mustard—a new and popular menu item—seemed like the next logical choice.
I went for the kale and quinoa salad, made with shaved Brussels sprouts, dried cranberries, shaved manchego cheese, sweet corn, jicama and champagne vinaigrette—and added grilled chicken.

Upon arrival, the salad’s size made me immediately think this would be my only course. As a matter of fact, I only ended up eating half. However, as filling as it was, it wasn’t in the least bit heavy. This is a great example of a lunch menu favorite that had a mini makeover.

Another addition to their menu and food service are specials served on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, for which the restaurant offers a special meal only available that day on their Daily Dish menu.

I dined on Tuesday and had the opportunity to enjoy the fresh, made-from-scratch chicken pot pie. Arriving fresh from the oven and larger than life, the pie literally overcame the serving platter.

After piercing the light and flaky piecrust, the aroma of chicken and vegetables filled the air and immediately reminded me of mom’s home cooking. By far, Tuesday is the most popular of days to dine, according to Chef Henschen. As a matter of fact, upon arrival I was told by the wait staff to definitely try the chicken pot pie—and I’m glad I did.

Taking your lunch break in Southlake shouldn’t mean you’ll have to sacrifice atmosphere for taste—at Del Frisco’s Grille you can get the salads, gluten-free and healthy fare you’re looking for in a

sit-down environment complete with table-service. Another change you should look forward to this spring at the Grille? The patio will be up and running.