Blue Plate Kitchen-Dallas, Texas

Blue Plate Kitchen in Dallas, Texas does not grab your attention from the exterior, but the reputation of the owner and the aroma of smoked meat draws you in. Its close location to the Dallas North Tollway makes it a convenient stop, and the proximity to Sprinkles Cupcakes is an added bonus.  

The owner, Ken Rathbun, is a renowned chef who competed against Bobby Flay on Iron Chef America—and won. Expectations were high due to the chef's success and his other outstanding restaurant in the Dallas area, Jasper's.

Upon walking into Blue Plate Kitchen, I was impressed by the décor; it was simple but sophisticated. The interior was mostly wood, which provided a homey atmosphere, but touches of metal added trendiness to the restaurant. We arrived shortly after the lunchtime rush, so it was very quiet, and we were seated right away in a booth with plenty of space between us and the other customers. The aroma of smoked meat was still present. Although not as strong, it still got your stomach and taste buds ready for some food.

The wait staff was extremely helpful in providing recommendations and giving more detail about items on the menu. Our waitress was very personable, and we enjoyed talking with her. Our orders were served just as we asked, and her recommendations did not disappoint. It was clear that Blue Plate Kitchen had an experienced wait staff, a fact that added to our enjoyment of the meal.

At just one page, the menu was small. Even so, it was difficult to decide on an entree because so many things caught my eye. I decided on the Cuban sandwich with hand-cut fries, even though the chicken fried steak with maple gravy was extremely tempting. My companion chose the pulled pork sandwich with housemade barbecue ranch chips. The amount of meat in the Cuban sandwich was overwhelming, but the smell of the pork made me dive right in. The crunch of the bread provided a nice contrast to the tender smoked pork and made it hard to stop eating the sandwich. The smoky flavor of the pork and the slightly sweet flavor of the pickle created a nice balance, and I added more pickles to ensure that every bite contained a piece of pickle. The fries were crisp on the outside but still soft on the inside and were sprinkled with just the right amount of sea salt. My friend's pulled pork sandwich was also overwhelming in terms of the amount of food, but just as appetizing. The pulled pork was so tender it nearly melted in your mouth, and the ancho barbeque sauce was addictive; now other barbeque sauces pale in comparison. The unique barbecue ranch potato chips were extra crunchy with a perfect amount of seasoning on each chip. I actually kept reaching for the chips instead of the fries that were on my plate. While my meal was delicious, I would order something different next time, just so I could try everything on the menu.

Blue Plate Kitchen provided Southern comfort food and put its own unique twist on each plate, including the maple gravy and ancho barbeque sauce. In addition, the restaurant itself provided a calming atmosphere through the attentive wait staff and the simple but eye-pleasing décor. I can’t wait to share another meal there with friends and family.