Is "locavore" a word? If it means "local ingredients" than this place is thin on them. Texas quail, what a unique concept....Dallas Mozzarella Company cheese is far from a rarity these days & pretty much nothing else on the menu is local or even from Texas. Seems like Chef Kent is using the "local" angle kinda like the 1/2 baked "green" angle to play on Dallas' less than sophisticated palates. The fare sounds heavy, amateurish & dated. Blue Plate is safe throwback that's tired already. I am pleasantly surprised though at the decent and well priced wine list. It actually has wines that aren't from Napa.

The food was "decent" though several choices were disappointing. The wine list was "bad" and the cocktail service was worse. Three Stars! * * * = Very good: A destination restaurant for this type of dining

I don't mean to discourage Ms. Brenner. I love her writing and her devotion to tacos. And anyone who sees the love in Tacos El Si Hay is ok in my book. But I do think there is some star inflation going on here. Both reviews were tepid, but both got three stars. I have not been to Rathbun's, but I have been to Hully and Mo, which basically served up really mediocre bar food. I am not sure if that restaurant is even worthy of a review, much less any stars. It's a cool place to hang out, but a "destination": are you kidding?

Not pleased with Hully and Mo but there is a learning curve. I ordered a hamburger medium rare which was well done and not tasty or easy to chew. French fries are those skinny,skinny ones, too salty. Service was okay.

If Hully and Mo's didn't have its famous namesake and bankroll -- say, if it was called Metro Grill -- it would be well on its way to closing up shop by now. Other than the name to serve as a draw, "young and pretty" is all Hully and Mo's has going for it. The place seems confused as to whether it wants to be a steak joint and cigar bar for the douchebag set, or a sports bar (which based on its advertising, I thought it was supposed to be). A coworker and I went to H&M's during the NCAA tournament, hoping to watch some of the early round games, only to realize that this "sports bar" has fewer televisions than your average Chili's. They would be well served to replace some of the many framed signed jerseys on the wall -- look, we already know that Hully and Mo were and probably know a lot of professional athletes -- with televisions; isn't that a baseline of a decent sports bar? As to the food, H&M's was memorable for one of the most curious and unappealing chef's salads I've ever encountered - a bed of 90% iceberg lettuce, scraps and shards of other cheap salad elements (with hardly a tomato to be found), and four full slices of what appeared to be turkey cold cuts. Not sliced, not chopped, just four cold cuts laid on top of the salad. Weak all around, and poor service and poor food just isnt going to cut it in this market/economy.

Hully and Mo's got a 3 star? I bet the managers of Cibus and Grace want to kill themselves now!

Based on the reviews that I have just read, I can not fathom how they achieved a three star rating (particularly Kent Rathbun's.) From what I read, they appear to be average at best, certainly not three star material. Having not been to either establishment, after reading each -- I don't plan to visit....One wonder's whether the powers behind the restaurants had any influence as to the awarding of the stars...I preferred when the reviewer awarded stars based on each facet of the operation (food, service, ambiance) and then derived the overall rating from there.

I'm a little confused as well. The star ratings on these two reviews do not match with previous reviews. There is no consistancy here. I have not been to either place, so I have no idea if they are mediocre or not, but based on Brenner's previous reviews, I would think Rathburn's place would be 2.5 starts at best (and Hully's & Mo's, please! Does it even merit a star???).

Haven't been to Blue Plate, but H&M is just plain awful. You star ratings clearly have no bearing on reality.

I have been to BPK twice and have been dissappointed both times. Entrees, sides and even the wine list is just "OK". I even took the time to write to Big Daddy himself about both of my visits and never heard from anyone... interesting.

How do you arrive at 3 stars with comments like: "fine", "bland", "dense mass of salty beef", "depressed me", and "undercooked"? I think you missed the mark on this one. 2.5 stars at best. And when did $$$ start fitting into the "affordable" category?

Gotta give the Ironchef a break. Just because everyone's mother/grandmother makes a perfect wedge(not bland), fried chicken (seasoned properly), meatloaf(not a salty mass of beef), mac and cheese (firm, not runny) and knows to what degree beans need to be cooked, it doesn't give you the knowledge criticize a professional kitchen.

And geez...$16 fried chicken, give the dude a break. Man has to pay the bills.

Thanks for the info, LB. Can't wait to put this one in my regular rotation.

HK, perhaps you missed the parts of the review with comments like "so good!," "standout starter," "lovely flavor," "terrific," "nicely spicy" and "right on." The rating was a 3, not a 5. If the main courses are mostly very good and side orders less so, more weight is given to main courses. And at that level of dining room -- that is to say, a real restaurant with serious, professional service, a place in which a great deal of thought and resources has been put into the decor and where high-quality ingredients are used, if you can get good main courses for $16 or $19, that is relatively affordable in this city, where entrees are often more than $40.

Hmm. For me, entrees are often under $10.

Entrees are often more than $40 in this city? How about not in 95% of the restaurants in town, Madame Brenner. What LA freeway did you come in from?

H&M is about as below average as a place can get.

No.apparent.consistency.whatever

I'm sorry to disagree -- but a $16-19 basic entree is not "affordable" (and is hardly even "relatively affordable"). Even Guidelive disagrees; BPK recieved the second highest price rating (3 of 4 $$$) in the Guidelive price ranking system. And as to your comment that entrees are "often more than $40 [in this city]" - no way they're "often" that much, unless you're at a very high end joint like Pyles or Craft, or at one of the many overpriced steakhouses here. Dallas has a nice restaurant scene, but LA, NYC, or Chicago it ain't. All that misplaced view does is enable the restaurant biz price creep.

Leslie, as much as I am enjoying your reviews, I think your take on pricing is from another city. But I also have a question - under the current rating system, can you give a 'half' star as previous commentators have recommended (2.5 stars)?

HELP US LESLIE!!!

You reviewed 8 starters and sides at BPK - only TWO of which you did not suggest were off in some way...then you pretty much hammer ALL the sides except for MASHED POTATOES...as to your comment that more weight is given to entrees
1. redfish - terrific
2. Fried Chicken - flavorful (A bit salty)
3. Pot roast - tender & Delicious, sauce flat, vegetables "life sucked out of them", chewy beet bites bizarre
4. Meatblock (who would order something called a "meatblock" anyway???) - "dense mass of salty beef"

Seems clear to me that there are restaurants you go to and TRY to find the good things, and others you go to looking for the bad things

And $16 for Fried Chicken a "value"!?!?!?! You're gonna start a revolt here in Texas with that statement! Funny you did not mention the price of the sides...NO WAY you could EVER convince anyone that those are a value!

The great thing about a blog, a critic isn't limited to 1000 words. Go, Leslie. Explain.

I meant to say 8 starters and ENTREES - not sides...

All you people stop complaining about the price. A restaurant is judged on food, service, and decor, NOT price. I know you suburbanites are used to paying $10-15 an entree at Applebees and the Cracker Barrell, but in real, actual restaurants that do not get their food from a frozen bag, the properitors have to charge $15-20 an entree just to stay open.

The majority of good Dallas restaurants have entrees priced at $15-$30 an entree. Very few have most entrees above $40, although more have one or two items at the $40+ range. So yes, $16 is a value priced entree for a moderately expensive restautrant.

But like I said before, a restaurant should never be judged on price. The review should mention price to give the readers an idea of cost so they don't walk into a $30 entree place unknowingliy, but that's it.

If you don't like the price, you don't have to visit. I'm sure Applebees will gladly take your reservation.

Mere, I was surprised when I moved here from Los Angeles to find that the restaurants are just about as expensive, in general. And this is a city where cost of living is supposed to be much lower than L.A. Regarding half stars, no, we do not use them at the DMN any more. It's difficult not using them -- there are certainly restaurants I'd give a 2 and a half or a three and a half -- but I think the full-star system is better, partly because it encourages us to use the full range of star ratings.

To WOW???? I'm not sure what the point is of counting up the mentions of particular menu items. My overall impression of a restaurant is more holistic than that -- it's about how the whole experience adds up for me.

It's so wonderful to hear everyone's comments. Thank you, all, for posting them.

THE POINT IS:

I also agree that, based on the review penned, that Blue Plate Kitchen deserves only 2 stars.

I also believe that Kent Rathbun DID know you were there, Leslie, as he also knew when Bill Addison was at Abacus. He has his ways, whatever they may be, and your experience confirms that in regard to your bill being taken care of.

I'm disappointed that, unlike the boldness you summoned for your review of Grace, that you gave in to what I'll call city pressure on this, and awarded Rathbun's poor new concept one more star than it deserved.

The only good news is, in time, people will find out the truth. That the use of local ingredients was a selling-point, a jump-on-the-bandwagon move based on marketing more than any real passion, and that the food is second-rate. It seems he figured that, with his name, a nice design, and a a low-ish price point (in theory, at least in name), that he could get away with serving sloppy-ish, gut-filling food and let it masquerade as "chef-driven" "ingredient driven" local cuisine.

Hardley!

I've had dinner at BPK. I am a frequent guest at Abacus and Jasper. I have multiple favorites on both menu's. I've almost had everything on the menu at Jaspers and it's very good.Back to BPK. The field salad was a small pile of BLAH! Salmon was perfectly prepare but small, put some of those local veggies on the plate. The MaWMaw pie-I was hoping to feel like I needed to walk around Preston Plaza twice. That pie needs some....more something. BPK needs some tweaking in the kitchen. My friend has the grilled chicken and gave it a C. My Cosmo was great and waiter was friendly. Valet Service was attentive. Diry up the grill and put some more food on the plate.

If there's a problem with the ventilation, it's a safety issue for patrons and staff, perhaps a fire safety violation.

If mac and cheese is runny it should have alfredo in it's description.

If a cook doesn't know when a bean is cooked there's a fundamental problem with training.

If the ExChef lets an undercooked bean leave the kitchen I wonder what else can be wrong with the operation.

These are all basic requirements for a fine, no any, restaurant. A nice atmosphere and friendly service can't overcome these flaws.

Leslie, I love the way you write, but you gotta get some perspective.

Keep up the good work Leslie. Arguments like these only make the dining scene better for those who choose to listen to what the consumers are angry about. Its simple really..

a. Food that is well prepared
b. Restaurants who care for the customer
c. Honesty from the establishment
d. A good value.

A forty dollar plate may hold more value than a sixteen dollar plate, and vice-versa.

Visited this place last night - and found the food and the design very trite. There is nothing unique about the atmosphere, except from being very dark due to poor lighting and overly heavy dark finishes. The pork chop was dry and had little flavor. The staff at the bar was friendly.

Leslie-I know this isn't the "right" forum and such...I'd be happy to take you to Avila's for a great dinner- show you great food and service for a very affordable price! Its almost free. Thanks for your hard work.

Kudos to Louis DeLuca for one stunning photo!

www.alfonsocevola.com

I give Hully & Mo 6 months. Dallas diners are known to have a nasty habit of chewing up a restaurant and, spitting it out.

Had lunch at Blue Plate Friday with 5 other coworkers.

Poor service, slow kithen, over priced average tasting and small portions.

Not to mention the interior decor was the same as when it was Z-Grill.

After all the hype the experience was underwhelming.

It was much better as Z-Grill.