If you’re in the mood for dining somewhere new, there are worse options than a stroll down Las Olas Boulevard. The street’s shopping-and-dining stretch between the tunnel and the isles has recently seen a number of new openings, with everything from upmarket sports bars to high-end Asian restaurants taking bookings. Meanwhile on the boulevard’s downtown stretch, entire new buildings are going up – and with them, new restaurants.
One of those places, Del Frisco’s Grille, recently opened in Las Olas Square, the redesigned two-building multi-use space that’s among the spots adding more walkability and outdoor spaces to downtown. (Del Frisco’s is helping with a recently opened 100-seat patio.)
“In Las Olas Boulevard with all the economic growth in the area, that was a bonus,” general manager Scott Kurzawinski says. “The specific location, when you’re going just west of the tunnel, that’s where the hub is going to be.”
As new residential makes downtown into a livelier, livable place – alongside the traditional business crowd – it’s a good time to be in the downtown restaurant business.
“We have all the different commerce here,” he says. “We have a built-in power lunch crowd that transitions into happy hour.”
And then of course, the dinner crowd.
The people behind Del Frisco’s have tried to make it the kind of place that can satisfy all those patrons. This is a steakhouse that does all the cuts – but there’s also more casual fare, bar food, places to sit and have drinks – basically, there are options.
“We took a steakhouse and we modernized it,” Kurzawinski says. “You’re not always looking for a steak.”
The menu includes their takes on American classics – dishes such as short-rib stroganoff or an indulgently gooey truffled mac and cheese. There’s fresh seafood and happy hour bar food such as tacos and flatbreads. Shareables such as artichoke with sweet basil cream sauce or cheesesteak egg rolls prove popular, as do the seared scallops with goat cheese polenta.
”We want to keep it fun and vibrant,” Kurzawinski says. “We’re always looking to change our menu up.
“We wanted to broaden when people can come in so that it’s not a stuffy environment. It’s inviting. You come in here and you don’t have to wear a sport coat.”
The Dish: Bacon-Onion Jam (as used on Del Frisco Grille’s Quinn Burger)
Ingredients
- 6 slices of hickory smoked bacon, ½ in. dice
- 2 lbs. of yellow onions, 1 in. julienne slices
- 1 tbsp. minced garlic
- 4 tbsp. unsalted butter
- ½ tsp. kosher salt
- ¼ tsp. cracked black pepper
- ¼ tsp. cracked black pepper
- 1 tbsp. aged balsamic vinegar
Method
- Dice bacon slices into ½ inch pieces and reserve.
- Cut onion into quarters, then thinly slice.
- Preheat sauté pan to medium; render bacon until crisp.
- Once bacon is browned, add onions and butter.
- With heat on medium, caramelize onions, stirring often, for 5 minutes.
- Cover pan, set timer and let cook for 8-10 minutes.
- Uncover, add garlic, stirring frequently and scrape down all sides until golden brown in color, approximately 5 minutes.
- Add balsamic, salt and pepper, and cook 3 minutes until vinegar evaporates.
- Use to top your favorite burger, or let cool and reserve for up to 3 days.
