Here’s a novel concept - a restaurant that throws unnecessary protocols, silly kitchen policies, ‘I’ll have to ask the managers’, and ‘sorry we can’ts’ down the drain!  As an avid fine diner, I believe in the restaurant industry there are really only two possible scenarios when a diner asks for something outside the box.  They can either say we can’t or we won’t.  Unfortunately, most responses to requests like this fall into the latter – that path of least resistance, we could but we’d rather not, and flat out we’re too lazy to please you attitude that absolutely drives me up the wall.  If it is physically impossible and just can’t be done, fine.  I mean, if your crème brulees are pre-made and already set and all you’re going to do is sprinkle the sugar and light it on fire I can understand when you tell me you can’t make me one with egg whites.  But if you tell me I can’t substitute green beans for the baked potato or the only way I can is with an up charge, that’s a “won’t”, you’re more concerned with getting an additional $5.95 than you are pleasing me and you’re really going to piss me off.

And now a message from Kenny’s Wood Fired Grill…

Do you remember a time when there were restaurants without BS split charges, automatic 18% gratuities or statements like “I’m sorry, that’s our policy?”

Welcome to Kenny’s Wood Fired Grill.  Reminiscent of the way things used to be, a place where we make it our policy to have no policy!  Thank you very much for coming, we really appreciate it!  If there is absolutely anything we can do to make your experience more enjoyable please let us know.

The above proclamations are plastered right on the menu at Kenny’s which immediately endeared me to this restaurant.  The fact that they serve terrific food, have excellent service, and bring it to you in a congenial urban atmosphere makes Kenny’s a no-brainer for those daring enough to brave restaurant row in Addison for dinner.

Let’s talk about affable Chef/Owner Kenny Bowers.  You’d be hard pressed to find a bigger fish aficionado in town.  His kitchen resume includes dearly departed Big Fish Little Fish - perhaps the first in town to patent the chalkboard mix and match concept, Daddy Jack’s and sibling Lefty’s and, most notably, as the top toque at Rockfish Grill (do they have a location in every suburban shopping center in north Texas?).  Looking at the walls of his restaurant, he’s garnered praise from virtually every dining publication in existence.  Hopefully he’s got room for us somewhere!

KWFG is a decided break and notch above his past haunts.  Predictably and thankfully he pulls from his seafood pedigree but raises the bar from the streamlined, chain mentality of Rockfish to a hands-on, chef driven experience. 

Both lunch and dinner start with a gi-normous crusty popover served with a pat (why is it called a pat of butter by the way?) of Plugra butter.  The center is doughy.  The outside is crispy and flaky.  The rich butter is absorbed and everything in the world seems okay for the few seconds after you take the first bite. 

Unfortunately, I’ve never been able to stop there typically devouring it as I’m trying to order my appetizer and entrée.

In harmony with everything else at the restaurant, the menu is uncomplicated leaving little to the imagination – and I mean that in a good way.  Starters we can’t get enough of include a tenderloin crostini, ahi tuna nachos, smoked salmon, and portabello fries.  The silver dollar sized crostini is topped with sliced filet drizzled with demi glace and a spoonful of classic béarnaise sauce.  One could easily make a meal out of these.  The ahi tuna nacho has thick slivers of very rare - a slight sear on the edges - tuna resting on a crispy wonton.  A small dollop of wasabi aioli dotted with sweet soy sauce completes the dish.  The freshness of the tuna, crispiness of the wonton, and spicy sweet mixture of sauces makes this one of our favorites (see it on Dishes to Die For).  Let me go on record that Kenny’s has the best smoked salmon in Dallas.  Done in house I remember almost the exact version from Chef Bowers’ days at Big Fish Little Fish.  Too many times at other places this dish gets over-smoked but the smokiness here is just right.  Accompanied with a classic caper dill aioli and water crackers we’ve struggled to find any flaws with this dish (see D2D4).  Finally, how could a combo of earthy mushrooms, truffle oil and blue cheese be anything but spectacular??  Chunky strips of portabello are battered and fried then dribbled capriciously with truffle oil and served with a creamy, cool house-made blue cheese dressing for dipping or just eating with a spoon if the mood strikes you.  After the popover and a few of these selections you could easily leave Kenny’s happy and stuffed but, if possible, I do urge you to save room for the entrees many of which just shouldn’t be missed. 

On to the temptations from the deep blue, Kenny’s has two items that we have enjoyed at Daddy’s Jacks for years.  The New England Baked Stuffed fish is just phenomenal served with a generous stuffing of Ritz crackers, crab, shrimp, and scallops and topped with lemon butter.  I just have to say it again…this dish is just phenomenal.  The other hold over is the Lobster Fra-Diavlo, a heaping mound of Maine lobster, shrimp, clams, and mussels over linguini with your choice of a spicy marinara (our fave) or a garlicky white wine sauce. 

I almost feel guilty eating the U-10 Bacon Crusted Shrimp.  Perhaps the largest shrimps I have ever laid eyes on are wood grilled then slathered with a brie fondue and crusted with crumbles of applewood bacon (no Bacos here my friend).  This is one of those dishes where every bite makes you close your eyes, slowly shake your head, and say “oh my God that’s good” to yourself.  Any hint of self induced guilt subsequently subsides as I shove the last one in my mouth and contemplate licking the plate clean of every cheesy bacon morsel.  And there are plenty of restaurants serving miso glazed salmon but I enjoy Kenny’s much more than most.  Grilled till the skin is crispy, it is served with a sake butter sauce and specks of miso syrup.

All of the entrees are served with your choice of a side.  That lineup includes Adult Mac & Cheese – a sinful conglomeration of elbow macaroni, smoked gouda, cure 81 ham (much better than cure 80 IMO), and a dash of truffle oil.  Bubbie’s potato cake is a dense cake served baked potato style with a scoop of sour cream, cheddar, and bacon on top.  I know it’s tough to dress up asparagus but my personal favorite way to enjoy it is when it is grilled to a nice char and drizzled simply with some kind of acid.  Kenny’s tees it up just that way with a light vinaigrette.  And if you’re confident enough to order French fries (even if they’re not called pommes frites) at a nice restaurant, do it here.  On my ever growing list of pet peeves are poorly fried French fries.  Thick, limp, and soggy ain’t my thang.  Cut thin and fried nice and crispy is how they’re supposed to be and Kenny’s delivers.  If it can’t stand on its own in your side dish of ketchup, throw it back!

I chuckle every time I go to Kenny’s and pick up the wine list.  If you hadn’t picked up on the whimsical nuances yet, when you grab the faux leather booklet standing erect on your table you see the words DOUBLE SECRET PROBATION stamped in gold on the outside.  For you serious types, that’s a reference to one of the greatest cinematic achievements in American film history, Animal House.  The list is short with a few selections in each category and a strong emphasis on American wines.  No frills, no fuss, you get it.

When someone says, “I give them an A for effort”, that’s another way of saying it sucked but they tried hard.  So I’ll give Kenny’s an E for effort on the service front because they try very hard to make you feel welcome, are not put off by special requests, and are really just over the top accommodating.  One night when we dined there, we went in without reservations.  Being a Wednesday night I figured we were safe.  For whatever reason, they were slammed so we were told it would be a 30 minute wait.  The bar was also hopping and there wasn’t a stool to be had.  After about 15 minutes, the manager came over and offered to buy us a drink while we waited.  Totally unnecessary but what a nice gesture to make us feel welcome.  And of course we gladly accepted.  The waitstaff doesn’t strike me as the stereotypical industry veteran squad.  In fact, they’re younger and a little laid back but, like their boss, they are clearly there to make your night more enjoyable and don’t miss a beat.

Brick walls, leather booths, wood chairs and tables, and dark carpet describe the urban bistro feel.  The bar runs the length of the space and is usually jumping.  As far as I know, they are the only restaurant in town with a Grey Goose dispenser (think beer tap).  It is some special machine that chills the popular vodka fast tracking the process of making the perfect martini or ‘on the rocks’ orders from you manly men.  Oh, and it looks really cool.

And unless it is leap year, an 18 wheeler has jack-knifed on the tollway, or Haley’s Comet makes a surprise appearance in north Dallas, there’s a much better than average chance that you’ll see Chef Bowers in the open kitchen and you know our affinity for chefs that actually cook…

In this day and age where chefs work the crowd instead of the gas burners, patrons are there to be seen instead of there to enjoy the food, and some restaurants have strayed down a path that makes their life easier instead of yours, Kenny’s is an oh so welcome gust of fresh air beckoning those days when you went to a restaurant, paid for a meal and left happy and satisfied.  What a novel concept.