Hickory

Kent Rathbun is one of the most highly acclaimed chefs and restaurateurs in DFW.  Both Jasper's and Abacus have been highly acclaimed by critics and diners alike.  He recently opened up Hickory, which is a causal restaurant that he describes as a "modern Texas roadhouse."  The menu is intriguing and serves up several Texas favorites, including barbecue, burgers, chili, and tacos.  Since it opened in June, I have dined there a couple of times and had the opportunity to sample several of the items.

Hickory Waffle Fries

For appetizers, the restaurant has several options with a twist on the traditional, including chili, fried green tomatoes, charred corn bread, Hickory waffle fries, and smoked sausage fondue.  I have sampled the Hickory waffle fries and the charred corn bread.  The corn bread is delicious and served with honey butter.  The Hickory Waffle Fries are topped with Maytag blue cheese, bacon, and scallions.  If you have ever had Rathbun's Maytag blue cheese potato chips at Jasper's, then you will notice that the Hickory waffle fries are basically the fry version of this dish.  The waffle fries themselves are excellent and have a very strong blue cheese taste.  I personally liked this twist on the traditional cheese fries, but would have preferred to have a little more bacon and scallions on my order.

I was also able to sample some of his smoked meat.  On my first visit, I ordered the Meat Lovers Combo with Wagyu Brisket, Smoked Turkey, and their sausage of the day, which was Chorizo.  The brisket was smoked well, had well rendered fat, and was better than I had anticipated.  Unfortunately, a quality bark was lacking on the serving I received.  The turkey had a nice smokey flavor, but was a little too chewy for my taste.  Perhaps my favorite of the three, the sausage had a nice little kick to it and I liked the texture of the course ground sausage.

Meat Lovers Combo

As much as I liked the barbecue, I was also impressed with the 44 Farms Burger.  This burger was served with a pepper crusted bacon, scallion hollandaise sauce, and an egg which I had cooked over medium.  The overall flavor of the burger was great, the bacon was top notch, and I liked the egg cooked over medium because it wasn't quite as runny as some other burgers I have had with eggs.

44 Farms Burger

Sides are impressive here as well.  Although I have only tried the Texas Cheddar Mac & Cheese and the Backstrap Molasses Baked Beans, both were terrific.  The mac & cheese was topped with Parmesan cornbread crumbles and somewhat spicy, but not so much that it overwhelmed the cheddar taste.  The beans were my favorite of the two dishes.  They had a very sweet taste and were topped with two slices of thick cut peppered bacon.

Texas Cheddar Mac & Cheese and Backstrap Molasses Bake Beans

The Texas Sized Chocolate Cupcake is the only dessert I have tried so far, but it had an excellent chocolate flavor, was very moist, and was served with a warm chocolate topping.   The restaurant has a warm and cozy feel to it and the servers work hard to please.  I had a few questions that they couldn't answer regarding menu items, but that is expected with a new restaurant and a staff that is still learning the ropes as well.  I think Rathbun has another winner with Hickory.   I wouldn't hesitate to go back here again and I know that I will have to go back very soon because I still haven't tried the burnt end chili or ribs yet!

Texas Sized Chocolate Cupcake

Hickory
http://www.hickoryplano.com
Livin the Good Life Rating=3