15 OctOber 12 - 18, 2023 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents Some Pig We got an inside look at how Perry’s prepares an average of 600 five- finger-high hunks of meat for lunch each Friday. BY BRADY COLE P erry’s Steakhouse & Grille offers the kind of meal you plan your week around. Then, for the next month or so, you find yourself telling everyone how good it was. And the chance to have a meal like that for lunch makes it even better. At Perry’s, Pork Chop Friday lunch is a cultural event, a right of passage for carnivores of all shapes and sizes. While sitting in the crowded dining room, have you ever wondered how this all comes together so effortlessly? We have. So we asked and were invited to go behind the scenes to see how Pork Chop Friday is pulled off. Before we get into the process, let’s talk about the history of Perry’s pork chop. This is a steakhouse, right? Why, then, is the sig- nature dish not a steak? Owner Chris Perry wanted to offer something that couldn’t be found elsewhere. Drawing from the family butcher business, he created a pork chop that had never been seen before, a proprie- tary cut accentuating three types of pork in one gigantic seven-fingers-high hunk of meat. Diners can experience the lean, cen- ter-cut loin, the well-marbled “eyelash” (the top part above what is traditionally called the eye of the chop) and the flavorful rib meat, all carved tableside. Friday is the only day Perry’s is open for lunch, and the center of attention is the “smaller” five-finger-high lunch cut chop for an amazing price of $19. Chops are served from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at three North Texas locations (Uptown, Grapevine and Frisco). And the goal is to never run out. Yum. Friday lunch at Perry’s starts before dawn. At some point in the wee hours of the morning, chefs and butchers show up to load the pecan wood into the smoker and get the fire going. The chops are trimmed and seasoned, placed in the in-house smoker — which holds dozens of chops at a time — and left for four to six hours. As each chop is re- moved from the smoker, it is temperature checked and rested. After resting, it’s off to the band saw, where each chop is sliced, trimmed and weighed. The sliced chop is then seasoned again and finished in the oven, which pro- vides the signature flavor and carameliza- tion on the outside. The final prep includes placing the pork chop on a cast iron skillet and covering it with Perry’s signature steak butter and a squeeze of lime. A cloud-soft scoop of mashed potatoes joins the chop along with a house-made applesauce. As we were walked through the process by Perry’s Vice President Howard Cortes and Corporate Chef Daniel DeLorensi, we learned that timing is the key to serving an average of 600 pork chops at each restaurant each Friday. Fresh chops are constantly be- ing loaded into the smoker as others are prepped. Chefs and expeditors know exactly how many servings will be needed for each 30-minute window of time. It’s almost like they know what you are going to order be- fore you get there. During lunch, we got a peek in the kitchen to see the smoker and the band saw. The kitchen was a scene of precisely mecha- nized chaos. Back in the full dining room, many tables were clearly headed into pork heaven. We saw golfing buddies, business lunches, fam- ily celebrations and quite a few tables we can only assume had already moved on to the weekend. As each table was seated, or- ders were placed without looking at the menu, and diners had their meals within 10 minutes. Our meal was amazing, as always, and we definitely couldn’t finish it all. This, we were told, is by design. They want you to have leftovers and even provide a link to their website on the doggie bag for preparing your leftovers. Yet another meal to plan your week around. ▼ FIRST LOOK FIT FOR ROYALTY KING RESTAURANT IS AN INVITATION TO SAVOR THE OPULENCE OF INDIA’S PAST, RIGHT IN THE HEART OF MCKINNEY. BY ANISHA HOLLA B uilt to look like a mid-century Indian palace, King Restaurant is a real dia- mond in the rough in McKinney. The restaurant rises 50 or so feet off the ground and is dotted with wooden-planked windows and elephant statues. The building boasts im- posing columns and a golden porch swing out front. When asked about the unique decor, owner Amand Mand points to his father’s restaurant back in Indiana, not coinciden- tally also called King. “I fell in love with the name, and knew I had to call my restaurant the same thing. It’s a way to pay homage to everything my dad has taught me,” Mand reminisces. The menu here draws from the North Indian region of Punjab. Indulge in a no- ble spread of appetizers, which include traditional dishes like dahi puri, Indian wafers jeweled with dollops of Indian yo- gurt or gobi manchurian, a fried cauli- flower snack tossed in sweet and spicy marinades. Both are masala-packed pre- ludes to the aloo tikki chaat, with a lightly fried potato patty that’s crowned with a chickpea curry and sprinkles of crunchy fried potato. For the heartier appetite, you can, of course, enjoy the classic dish of butter chicken or paneer tikka. A more regal option might be the homemade baltis, a classic Punjabi dish that’s been cooked in a steel wok. Creamy, coconut tones underlie cur- ries like the paneer karara and the chicken masala, all of which are served in a steel dish. Pair any with a side of naan, which has a light, fluffy core of crispy edges. Try the gar- lic naan or other options like the Amritsar Kulcha, stuffed with dried seeds and spices. The bullet naan has a kick of green chili. All are baked-to-order in the tandoor. Parts of the menu we didn’t even get around to exploring are the tandoori skew- ers marinated in Punjabi spices, or the 10 different rice entrees, each of which is served with a choice of meat or vegetable. The palace-like building is quick to entice over-indulgence; we finished with leftovers but a lingering desire to come back to ex- plore the rest of the menu. The food is royal in flavor and volume. Sip on a sweet or salty yogurt-based lassi to help out with digestion and close out your meal. And if you still feel heavy afterward, take a leisurely stroll along the picturesque lake behind the restaurant. From the architecture to the food variety to the almost overwhelming portions, King restaurant is an invitation to savor the opu- lence of India’s past, right in the heart of McKinney. King Restaurant 6851 Virginia Parkway, McKinney. Tuesday, 5–10 p.m.; Wednesday – Thursday, noon – 3 p.m., 5–10 p.m.; Friday – Saturday, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m., 5–10 p.m.; Sunday, noon – 8 p.m. Closed Monday. ▼ FIRST LOOK STUFFED NEW YORK BAGELS LAND IN FRISCO CRISPY ON THE OUTSIDE AND CHEWY ON THE INSIDE IS THE MARK OF A PROPER BAGEL (WELL, TO START). WE CHECKED OUT BAGELOGY TO SEE HOW IT STACKS UP. BY ANISHA HOLLA I t’s no secret: Dallas seems to be chock- full of shops claiming to be the one-and- only authentic New York City bagel stop. We’ve scoured Google, Yelp and even Reddit forums in our quest for the perfect New York City bagel: chewy yet crisp, toasted yet soft, flavorful yet not overpower- ing. While we’ve had occasional but limited luck, we recently found another contender. Bageology is the 2022 brainchild of Ameira Olayan and Fadia Anani, who left ca- reers in nursing and catering, respectively, to address the lack of a true-to-the-city New York bagel. “We were disappointed when we realized that Frisco didn’t really have any authentic bagel shops,” Olayan says. After traveling to the East Coast and training for two weeks in the art of bagel making, the duo returned to open a Frisco bagel shop that carries an extensive menu of more than 15 varieties of bagels, all boiled and baked in-house, with more than 14 types of cream cheese schmears to adorn them with. The sheer variety of the menu is some- thing Olayan and Anani take pride in. “We felt like if we were going to go big with this, we needed to do it like people do it on the East Coast. They really don’t skimp on their bagel menus up there,” Olayan says. Indeed, the bagel selection lives up to New York standards. Order from traditional like the classic everything, poppyseed or sesame bagel, or sate your palate for adven- ture with options like the pumpernickel or za’atar. Satisfy your sweet tooth with options like French toast or a chocolate chip bagel, which offer a subtle but gratifying sweet- ness. Bagel flavors are discernible yet muted enough for that nostalgic yeasty, soft, chewy New-York-bagel texture to shine through. Of course, some might argue that it’s not really a New York City bagel without lavish, almost overflowing fillings. Cream cheese, or “schmear,” is no less abundant than the bagel selection. Order from standard cream cheeses like the plain or blueberry spread or jump right into bolder flavors like the fruity pebble or (seasonal) pumpkin spice. Note- worthy is the honey walnut flavor, which boasts a subtle honey-infused base that’s studded with toasted walnuts. The pistachio is another nutty creation with a sweet green schmear that’s packed with ground pistachio nuts. Bagels arrive generously loaded with spreads, just Brady Cole Perry’s pork chop is a favorite Friday lunch. | CITY OF ATE | ▼ Dish >> p16
