Chef Kenny Mills brought steakhouse quality to a burger grill at Chop House Burgers.
Now, he wants to bring grill prices to a new steakhouse.
With Chop House Burgers thriving in its new expanded dining room, Mills will open Chop House Steaks & Seafood nearby on West Park Row Drive in Pantego.
"We don't have a steakhouse around UTA, and this is a good location," he said.
Chop House Steaks will replace the former Blue Danube at 2230 W. Park Row Drive.
It'll open at dinner only and serve mesquite-grilled choice steaks, Mills said.
He's an old pro, with steakhouse experience at Capital Grille , Chamberlain's and Sullivan's before he went into the burger business.
Mills said the steakhouse will be "wallet-friendly," with platters in the $20-$25 range.
The burger grill doubled in size and also has been selling takeaway chocolate chess-pecan, pumpkin and "sawdust" pies.
It's open for lunch and dinner daily except Sundays at 1700 W. Park Row Drive; 817-459-3700, chophouseburgers.com.
Now a routine barbecue stand, the Billy Bob's Texas Cafe has added chef Mark Hitri to update the menu.
Hitri also will expand the catering and private dining menus, said Billy Bob's spokeswoman Pam Minick.
The cafe has needed new spirit to distinguish it from Cooper's Old Time Pit BBQ in the Billy Bob's parking lot.
(Hitri comes from Saint-Emilion Restaurant, where former Kalamatas and Clear Fork Grill chef Summer Jones takes over the kitchen under owner Bernard Tronche.)
Advice: Book Christmas Day reservations now.
Fewer restaurants will open, and for shorter hours.
On OpenTable.com, Cast Iron is booked.
Tables remain at Mercury Chophouse in Fort Worth and Buca di Beppo or Copeland's of New Orleans in Southlake.
Six10 Grille and Vidalia's at the Worthington will be open in downtown Fort Worth, along with the Gaylord Texan R esort in Grapevine. Plus, there's Humperdink's in Arlington and familiar mainstays such as Vance Godbey's in Lakeside, the Iron Skillet Restaurant in Weatherford, Luby's and Furr's.
Update: Bonefish Grill in Southlake is now expected to open Dec. 10.
Bud Kennedy's Eats Beat appears Wednesdays in Life & Arts and Fridays in DFW.com Weekend. 817-390-7538
Facebook: Bud Kennedy's Eats Beat
Twitter: @eatsbeat
