Review: Bob's Steak & Chop House

At Bob's, all entrees come with a choice of "smashed" garlic potatoes, a baked potato or skillet-fried potatoes with peppercorn gravy and onions. Boring, boring and better. The whole meat and potatoes thing is tried and true, but at some point we need an upgrade. The skillet-fried potatoes were a good start, what with the mild spice of the peppercorn gravy, but the garlic mashed potatoes were just trite filler. Not one person on our dining ventures loved the smashed. They picked, poked, tasted and turned back to the meat. Again, the meat is obviously the star, but if half the plate is potato and half is better-than-sex prime, the potatoes should also be fantastic.

Then there's that "signature glazed carrot." If you enjoy glazed carrots, go for it, but the presentation is formidable, to say nothing of the glaze. That gigantic root cock is one of those culinary phenomena that takes three or four bites before you realize exactly how sweet it really is. And then it's too late.

Bob's non-beef options are lackluster—acned pubescents to the beef's aged character. The pork chops were fair, but I've had better, and so have you. They were slightly dry and paired with cinnamon sauce. Not plain applesauce—which would invigorate the pork—but a homemade Myers's Rum applesauce so heavily spiced it could have been dessert. Pass.

The fish special on one visit was a pan-seared sea bass with tomato-basil salsa. The sea bass was out-danced by the salsa, and I felt slighted. It was well-cooked, but I didn't eat much of it. I wanted sauced fish instead of fished sauce.

Culinary redemption is sweet, however, as crème brûlée and carrot cake made for a large and lovely end. All desserts are made on site, and it's evident with every bite. The thick, chilly vanilla custard luxuriated below a perfect crust of burned sugar. A thick custard, it was oddly light, not too rich and incredibly smooth and creamy. The four-layer carrot cake was dressed in a rich cream cheese icing. The cake was akin to gingerbread with a perfect balance of savory and sweet. The carrots and nuts provided the perfect crunch. It was, however, so large it should serve four or one giant.

At first, one wants to give Bob's Grapevine a big, comforting and sympathetic hug. Not many folks there dress for fine dining. Is it not an event to throw down a Grant for meat and potatoes? Because it should be. But then it becomes clear: Because of those nagging little deficiencies, Bob's Grapevine is no event. Little efforts could change Grapevine's steakery into more than just a loud restaurant in the suburbs that's got great beef. It's the little things, after all, that can turn boys into real men.

Bob's Steak & Chop House, 1255 S. Main St., Grapevine, 817-481-5555. Open 5 p.m.–10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 5 p.m.–11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, closed Sunday. $$$$