Adam C.
Yelp
34 Slophouse. TL:DR If you want to spend this kind of money, there are plenty of places in DFW that will blow your socks off and be well worth the drive. If you can forego the pomp that this restaurant offers, you can spend half the money and have a better dining experience and more flavorful food here locally. This joint doesn't hold a candle to any decent steakhouse you've ever been to. I double dog dare you to get the $58 ribeye.
I walked into this place without expectation, and figured I'd just let it play out. I'm no stranger to fine dining, so while I wasn't taken aback by the pricing on the menu, they've definitely attempted to shoe-horn themselves into very fine company. The apparently recent and marvelously done renovation that was of the "Pinterest, Take the Wheel" sort. It's everything that the fresh-from-out-of-state up-and-comers will love.
One wall in the then empty dining area is filled with portraits of famous people that have never been to the restaurant or were all dead. The opposite wall has more interesting art that is markedly more "Western" but you know, hip and cool so as to intentionally remind you that you're in Downtown Denison. I was thankful for the empty tables, because the layout would have assuredly been quite loud had they accidentally managed to fill the place to 50%.
Go to any big city, and you'll find a few restaurants with pricing inline with what you'll encounter here. I've dined at and enjoyed my experience at many of those restaurants. What you won't find here are all of the perks of traditional fine dining. Most of the time, when a restaurant has the gall to charge you $12 for a side dish, you'll find that the preparation is excellent, the flavors are delicious and that the portion is commensurate to the "a la carte" price.
Here that is not the case, though you can get their famous soggy "Candied" Brussel Sprouts doused in vinegar, the firm and unremarkable "Garlic Whipped Potatoes". You will also find $6-9 beers, $11+ desserts, $13-$16 cocktails and so much more.
Having read the room, I buckled myself in for the ride and decided to stick with a basic dish to avoid the disappointment of an unremarkable $60 steak. I chose $32 "Chicken Fried Chicken", which upon delivery to the table, appeared to be a wee cornish hen quarter, heavily brined (my guess) and awkwardly battered and dressed for presentation on a tiny bed of broccolini at the center of a mound of those aforementioned garlic whipped potatoes. This particular dish would have been a non-starter on the menu of much more budget-friendly restaurants (at half the price).
My dining companion had set her sights on the $36 pot roast. This may come as a surprise based on the review so far, but the three pieces of "wagyu" stood out as a poor execution of pot roast, though a great way to get rid of the extra forty bucks you had kickin around. In all fairness, the pot roast has been well received by our dogs.
At this point, I'll summarize:
The building? Rad
The seemingly recent makeover? Nice enough to impress the wine mom in your life.
The Music? Actually good. Chuck Berry, Ray Charles, etc. Probably the highlight of their efforts.
The Menu? They are very, very proud of themselves.
The Food? Out of self-preservation, I opted not to get a steak. Of the dishes and sides that I did try, it is impossible to convey how let down I was by the dishes I received.
Service was good.
Denison deserves better, and that rad old building could be home to one of many great restaurants. Maybe when 34 Slophouse closes, I'll go check out the new restaurant that then makes use of the space.