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Frank Geslani reviews...

KIRBY'S PRIME STEAKHOUSE IN SOUTHLAKE

 
Dinner at Kirby’s is like dinner with your rich friends. They’re sophisticated city slickers who are equally  at ease down at the ranch. With high ceilings, a sunken lounge area and crackling fireplaces, their digs are palatial and homey all at once. There’s an ode to the cowboy mystique, a mural depicting James Dean from the movie “Giant”, over their elongated, see-through wine room (inspired by a recent trip to Napa, no doubt). Oh, and your friends aren’t vegan.

One usually patronizes a steakhouse for one reason, and one reason only: aged, USDA Prime, Midwestern, corn-fed, cooked-better-than-you-would-at-home protein. I chose a massive “Cowboy Cut” ribeye. It arrived perfectly medium-rare (as ordered) adequately rested to retain all the juicy goodness. Carnivorous nirvana.

We also enjoyed the Blue Ribbon filet mignon. You can get it dressed up with cracked peppercorns, Roquefort cheese or Béarnaise sauce, but when done right, it is tender perfection in nothing but its own beefy essence. The stellar supporting cast, in this case their expertly prepared sides, round out a jolly-good show without upstaging the meat. Try the rich, bacony creamed spinach or the Jack Daniels sweet potato mash (when it’s available). You’ll feel warm and cozy on the inside—and that’s not just the wine talking.

At many steakhouses, seafood is either a token or an afterthought. At Kirby’s, seafood more than holds its own. The elegantly simple Maryland-style Crab Cake was a blissful find. A tower of succulent jumbo lump crab is oven-baked and held together with just a trace of breadcrumbs. Baking sidesteps the gratuitous grease and doughy-ness of pan fried or (gasp) deep fried versions. You can actually taste the high quality crab in this dish. It takes center stage in a sea-worthy Chef’s Seafood Appetizer Assortment, which comes with the crab cake, savory tequila shrimp, and shrimp and crab cocktail that get a vibrant kick from the Absolut Peppar cocktail sauce.

Surf and Turf is a given on any steakhouse menu, but for pure theater nothing puts on a better show than the King and Turf. It’s a filet mignon topped with a scoop of Roquefort cheese and an expansive pair of Alaskan king crab legs that stretch beyond the length of the platter. This is super-sized goodness that succeeds because of concise preparation. Good meat, good crab, lots of it and not much more.

Service is always a high point on our visits to Kirby’s. Unobtrusive, but right there when you need them. Knowledgeable, but unpretentious. Courteous, but not doting. In short, exactly what you pay for at an upscale steakhouse and the true yardstick for excellence. When you pay for top grade meat, it should be served with the reverence and the respect that it (and you) deserve. The rest is gravy. You’d expect as much from your rich Southlake friends, or so you’d hope, and it’s exactly what you ought to get at your favorite Southlake steakhouse.

3305 E. Hwy 114, Southlake 76092    |    (817) 410-2221  |    www.kirbyssteakhouse.com