Al Biernat, Who Helped Foster the Dallas Steakhouse Scene, Has Died | Eater Dallas

"Opened in Oak Lawn in 1998 as the founder's signature steakhouse, it helped usher in an era of Dallas steakhouses alongside openings such as Nick & Sam’s, Pappa’s Brothers, and III Forks; a second location opened in North Dallas in 2017. The founder began his hospitality career at 18 in Aspen as a bartender and moved through New York, Los Angeles, and Houston—helping open the Palm in Houston, moving to L.A. to work at the legendary Palm location there (a hotbed of industry insider dinners for movies, music, and entertainment), and later being brought to Dallas by the Palm, where he opened the now-defunct Palm and served as general manager of all its locations in the city. For decades he was a leading figure in hospitality, and his reputation as a host was widely noted: in 2009, Dmagazine wrote, "Al Biernat is known as one of, if not the very best, hosts in the restaurant biz. His passion for pleasing and damn near photographic memory when it comes to remembering guests’ names spans over two decades, has become legendary and sets the bar for other front of the house guys on the local fine dining scene." In 2011, then-general manager Brad Fuller told NBC DFW, "the host of all hosts. He’s the nicest, most friendly guy. He’ll remember your name or what table you like, what you had last time you were in, whether that was last week or a year ago." Numerous celebrities stopped in over the years, including Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis, every significant Dallas sports figure, and former president George W. Bush; during the 2011 Super Bowl in Dallas Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston, Cameron Diaz, Demi Moore, and Jerry Jones all dined there. The founder was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease) earlier in 2024 and passed away on Wednesday, November 13; he was 69 years old. He is survived by his wife, Jeannie, his children Angelica Saylor, Kaitlin Biernat Connell, and Jess Biernat, and grandchildren; his family has asked for messages, stories, and photos from friends and customers to be sent by mail to 4217 Oak Lawn Ave., Dallas, Texas, 75219." - Courtney E. Smith