Burnt by J.H. — Restaurant in Van Alstyne

Last weekend, we decided to book a last minute getaway in the area. Dining selections were somewhat limited, but this place intrigued me, so I made a reservation for Saturday evening. We are so glad we did. First, the decor/ambiance. Simple but rich: dark green linen napkin; beautifully stained wood tables; amber water glasses; a moody bar; leather bench seats in brown and green. Frank Sinatra tunes playing lightly in the background. My husband started with an Oaxaca Fashioned, a take on an Old Fashioned. He thoroughly enjoyed his drink. We shared the meatballs for a starter. Three very well seasoned pork and brisket meatballs with shaved Parmesan on top. For me, they rode the line between too much salt and just enough—but they were very tasty and spicy. My husband ordered the double pork chop with sweet potato and I had the steak frites. My steak was perfectly cooked (medium) and the fries were hand cut and delicious, the perfect amount of doneness. My husband’s pork chop was huge. I don’t know what went into the crust seasoning but ohmygoodness it could have been on a leather shoe and I would have eaten it, it was so good. I couldn’t pinpoint all of the flavors in the sweet potatoes. Maybe some maple syrup or honey and something for heat, too. Neither of us could finish our portions. I can easily finish my plate as lunch tomorrow. We could have asked to split the pork chop entree and been more than happy. We chose to stop eating our entrees to save room for some dessert, something we rarely do. We had the berry cheesecake, and it was another win. The cheesecake was so smooth, the blueberry compote so tasty, and you could tell there was butter in the graham cracker crust. Divine! Upon finishing our meal, I told my husband that it’s worth paying for a special night out when you can tell the amount of care and love that went into preparing the meal, from the conception of the dishes to their execution. Lastly, service was top notch. Steve was attentive and paid attention to the pacing of service. He didn’t hover. We finished our meal about an hour after we started, and the place was jumping; he had several tables but was consistent on service throughout. Thank you for our special night out of town. I hope local support continues and this place can be open...

So nice to have such an upscale place in Van Alstyne. We came in on a Friday night with a 7:15 reservation. It was completely packed out. Cocktails were well portioned and very tasty. I opted for the "Feel the Burnt", this was essentially one of the best Margaritas I have ever had. Good quality tequila and balanced. It was not overly sweet despite a mango infused flavor. It came in a beautiful glass and the "special presentation" was fun with the fire component. This added to the aroma but not in an obnoxious way as some smoke cocktails can. We also ordered an old-fashion, a mocktail, and a "bramble me a way." This was like juice, you would easily throw a few back.

Appetizers- Ham and White Bean, good Meat Balls- Good but I wish there were 4 instead of 3. Makes sharing with two couples a little complex. I am not interested in fractions during a night out.

The Goat Cheese Salad was a 10. Dressing was very tasty and not over portioned.

Main courses- We sadly missed out on the last Wellington. I will be back.

Steaks were good. Chicken Roulade would benefit from a better presentation and a bit more generous portion of sauce. The Short Rib was massive. It was anything but "short" I did wish there was more Chimichurri.

Overall the plating could be a bit more complex. This isn't to say the food wasn't good but the presentation was underwhelming.

The wait staff was attentive and courteous.

Very much enjoyed...

We were looking forward to having a nice dinner without having to drive to Dallas…very disappointed. So much potential here, great atmosphere, excellent service-terrible food. We were also surprised there was no bread/butter appetizer basket as you will often find in similar restaurants. Husband had the meatball appetizer which I didn’t try because he said the brisket used was super smoky and he knew I wouldn’t like that. He ordered beef Wellington, medium rare with fingerling potatoes. It was served well-done with no flavor, he said the pastry was the only part of the dish that was good. The potatoes had zero seasoning. I had the filet medallions with shrimp. My first bite of a filet was my last bite. It tasted like it had been vacuum packed and sitting in its own “blood” for a week. If you eat beef frequently you know what I’m trying to describe-definitely did not taste fresh. My shrimp were tiny-nickel sized but were the only part of my meal that I ate. A great steak should be the easiest thing for a restaurant to prepare and this was the worst filet I have ever had. So much potential here-wonderful atmosphere/location, great staff, do better with your food-menu sounds good but chef dropped the ball with quality and or...