Steakhouse News

Hoffbrau Steak fires up the grill for new location in Grapevine

Hoffbrau's steak & baked potato.

Hoffbrau Steak & Grill House

A longtime steakhouse is coming to Grapevine: Hoffbrau Steak & Grill House, a small family-owned and -operated chain that's been in Dallas-Fort Worth for more than 40 years, will open a location at 700 W. State Hwy 114, previously home to a Brick House Tavern & Tap, which closed during the pandemic.

According to a release, it's opening November 28, the Monday after Thanksgiving.

Hoffbrau's menu is centered on Angus beef steaks, plus chicken-fried steak, Dr Pepper pork ribs, Shiner Bock fried mushrooms, and "Texas Pesos" fried jalapenos.

The bar features local beer on tap plus cocktails such as margaritas and old-fashioneds.

Hoffbrau was founded in 1978 and has been owned by husband-and-wife Aron and Rainey Fogiel since 1988. Now a second generation is on board: In 2020, their children Natalie Fogiel Moon and Patrick joined the team.

There are currently four other locations in Amarillo, Benbrook, Granbury, and Haltom City.

"When scouting out locations we had our eyes on Grapevine specifically, knowing how tight-knit the community is here," Rainey Fogiel says.

In the past, there have been Hoffbraus in Fort Worth on South University Drive, which had been there for 38 years, but it closed in 2020 when they couldn't come to terms with the landlord. They closed another longtime location in Dallas' West End in 2016, which had been there for 23 years.

They're also opening a location in Mansfield, billed as their biggest ever; it's projected to open in 2023.

Rainey says they have something special planned for the Grapevine spot, which will boast two fireplaces, one in the dining room and the other on the a covered patio.

"We’ve added special touches to this location to celebrate the community including murals and a historical Grapevine photo wall," Rainey says. "As a family business, we know how important & special meals around the table are. We are honored to foster those experiences for our guests and are eager to add Grapevine residents to our growing family!"

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TikTok News

TikTok critic Keith Lee visits Dallas spinoff of Fort Worth steakhouse

TikTok

Keith Lee

A TikTok critic paid a visit to a surprisingly fancy DFW restaurant: Viral critic Keith Lee, whose online restaurant critiques generate millions of views, bestowed a visit upon Wicked Butcher, a local steakhouse that started in Fort Worth.

Wicked Butcher is a fine-dining spot from hospitality group DRG Concepts that debuted in Fort Worth’s Sinclair Hotel in 2020 with a menu of steaks, seafood, and wine. Lee visited the Dallas location, which was originally known as Dallas ChopHouse, then reopened as a Wicked Butcher spinoff in early 2024.

According to a spokesperson for the restaurant, Lee visited on December 29, and gave no warning he was coming. He wasn't invited or compensated for the review; he just showed up as a guest and ordered food to go.

But he seems to have been recognized, since a general manager approached him and asked for his feedback on the food. The spokesperson, however, states that they ask for feedback from all their guests regardless of status.

A steakhouse is a little more highbrow than some of the small, independent spots Lee has favored in the past. In a four-minute TikTok video, he shares what he ordered, along with his ratings and comments.

Items he ordered along with his notes include:

Green Curry Salmon. "It's seasoned really well, it's not super spicy, but it does have a little kick," Lee says. "The rice has the perfect texture, too." 8.6 out of 10.
Steak Frites. He gave the fries and steak separate ratings. He liked the parmesan cheese on the fries, but wished they were more salted. The steak was medium rare. Said it was “very well-seasoned and extremely tender” and that it was “cooked perfectly.” Fries 7.5 out of 10; steak 8 out of 10.
Salmon tartare and rice crackers. Commented that the cracker is "seasoned perfectly, in my opinion," with a chili lime seasoning. 9 out of 10
Bread was described as “pillowy, layered, and flaky.” 7.5 out of 10.
Blackberry basil lemonade. He enjoyed it so much that he ordered two. “Another blackberry mint lemonade, please!” 9 out of 10.

He gave customer service a rating of 9 out of 10, remarking that customer service in downtown Dallas is usually good.

The total bill was $142.89.

“One thing I do love about the Dallas food scene— we’ve been here about a month, a month and a half— they do got some nice fine dining restaurants,” Lee says in the video.

Lee recently relocated to Texas from Las Vegas in November, after visiting Dallas on a number of house-hunting trips as well as roundups of Dallas-area restaurants. Wicked Butcher is not the only DFW-area restaurant he's explored; he recently visited Hutchins BBQ.

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