FORT WORTH -- Del Frisco's Restaurant Group plans to open a second restaurant in downtown Fort Worth next year.
The Southlake-based company said Monday that it plans a two-story, nearly 9,200-square-foot Del Frisco's Grille in the Commerce Building, one of three buildings under construction in Sundance Square.The restaurant will also have a 1,800-square-foot outdoor patio on the grand plaza planned between the new buildings.Bill Martens, vice president of development and construction for Del Frisco's, said the company had been looking for a second Fort Worth location for a couple of years because many patrons to its Double Eagle Steak House on the south end of downtown had been asking for another dining option."Once we became aware of the expansion, the Sundance Square area was the ideal fit for us," Martens said. "We wanted to be a part of it."The Grille will be open for lunch and dinner, and possibly offer brunch on the weekends, Martens said. Del Frisco's, at Eighth and Main streets, is only open for dinner.Del Frisco's Grille is an upscale bar and grill concept that is casual and provides a very social atmosphere, Martens said.The menu includes steaks, hearty salads and sandwiches and is known for its Lemon Doberge dessert, a six-layer confection made from scratch daily and frosted with three different icings. It also has 500 selections of wine.The restaurant's decor will be tailored to the Fort Worth market, and the menu will offer a few unique items, he said.This year, Del Frisco's Grille in Rockefeller Center was cited by the New York City Association of Hotel Concierges as the winner of the 2012 Concierge Choice Award for "Casual Dining," an award given to those who create exceptional experiences for NYC visitors.Del Frisco's Grille is the first restaurant to sign a lease in the Sundance Square expansion, said CEO Johnny Campbell."This is the first of many announcements we will have in the next few months about retail and restaurants in the plaza," Campbell said.Sundance Square is a 35-block retail, office, residential and entertainment district on the north end of downtown.In May, it broke ground on three office buildings that will have ground-level shops and restaurants as part of the development of Sundance Plaza. One building will also have six penthouse condos. The buildings will have about 221,000 square feet of office space and 41,500 square feet for shops and restaurants.The Commerce will be five stories, facing Commerce Street between Third and Fourth. It's scheduled to open by the end of 2013."We have enjoyed great success already in Fort Worth with our Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steak House on Main Street," said CEO Mark Mednansky. "We hope our friends in Fort Worth embrace Del Frisco's Grille, too."Del Frisco's Grille is also in Washington, D.C., Dallas, Atlanta and Phoenix, with sites planned for Santa Monica, Calif., Houston and Boston next year, the company said. Del Frisco Restaurant Group also owns Sullivan's Steakhouse.Sandra Baker, 817-390-7727Twitter: @SandraBakerFWSTHave more to add? News tip? Tell us
