Knife Steakhouse

Our dining experience at Chef Tesar’s restaurant Knife in Plano exceeded all of my expectations- which were quite lofty! The food was beyond amazing and the service was impeccable - and this was despite the restaurant being short-staffed due to the fact that they are just relaunching dining room service. The restaurant had a nice casual elegance vibe. It was fun to look at the artwork around the restaurant. I was especially touched when my eyes landed on a portrait of Anthony Bourdain. We were seated at a table near the kitchen- which I was excited about. The line was 3 members short and they worked like crazy trying to keep up with the incoming orders. It was fascinating to watch them work. The front of house staff was also scrambling to make sure they kept diners well-taken care of - and they succeeded marvelously! Shortly after we were seated, a small platter of beautiful raw vegetables and dill dip on ice arrived. I am not a fan of raw vegetables, but the gorgeous colors of the carrots coaxed me to try the items on the tray. I had no idea there were purple carrots- and they were so yummy! The fact that they included radishes was extra special to me. My all-time favorite episode of “Top Chef” is “Choke Holds and Clammy Hands” where the elimination challenge forced cheftestants to prepare dishes that featured radishes. A basket of a variety of fresh breads arrived tableside and we chose the rosemary sourdough. It was so tasty! Our appetizer was the flight of 5 types of bacon with bacon jam. Our server cut each slice of bacon and described what it was and included details about the flavor profiles. My husband, daughter and I were all blown away by the bacon. My daughter is not a huge fan of bacon but she said the bacon flight was the best thing she has ever eaten! It’s impossible to put into words how good it was! Then the main course was served. My husband and I both ordered a 10 ounce filet with the macaroni and cheese. (Again, I loved the nod to the season 14 victory Tesar had with macaroni and cheese.) We shared a side of butternut squash that had been roasted with brown sugar. My daughter ordered lobster with drawn butter and the macaroni and cheese. Our steaks were wonderfully tender with a crisp outer layer - simply scrumptious!! The Mac and cheese was out of this world!! It was so creamy and the bacon crumbles added the perfect panache to the dish. The squash was really good too - first time I have ever eaten butternut squash. Dessert course was AMAZING! I ordered the chocolate creme brûlée and it was the best dessert I have ever eaten! Truly! My husband ordered the chocolate, hazelnut and blood orange. It was also delicious! My daughter had the chocolate and coffee cake and ice cream dessert. It was so good! We topped off our meal with a carafe of pressed coffee and a cappuccino for my daughter. They provided our desserts and coffee at no charge due to the slow service time. The entire dining experience took more than 3 hours due to the staffing issues. But the attentive staff, amazing food and my soaking up every moment made the dining experience extremely enjoyable! This dinner dethroned my former favorite- Michael Chiarello’s Bottega in Yountville. We made sure to tip well and even handed the chef a nice tip to share with his team - you should have seen his eyes light up. With the pandemic’s brutal pummeling of the restaurant industry, watching the team at Knife work so hard on our behalf was something I won’t ever forget! If you ever get the chance to dine at Knife, you MUST do it!