by Katie Minchew
Bar & Book. I’m going to get right down to business. Bar & Book has some good food! And they have some… inventive food–I will give them that much for sure. The most inventive item on the list was our first to test: Fat Elvis Fries. Oh yes, Elvis fries. Wondering what they are? Sweet potato fries covered in peanut butter sauce, chopped peppered bacon, and dried banana chips. It was not my favorite dish of the night, but I was so intrigued that I kept on munching, trying to sift out the different flavors that I couldn’t quite believe they combined in one dish. Elvis must have had a more adventurous pallet than mine.
After doing a lap around the awesome new 3 million dollar building, my dinner companion and I found a comfy little table looking down on the spacious bar, eager to accept the dozens of dishes being passed by the smiling waitresses.
Bite-sized Better than the Fair Corn Dogs made us smile and remember the State Fair of Texas that we visited only months ago, and the Chicken Tenders were just the right amount of crispy. But nothing beat the Boom Boom Shrimp. Just a little crisp with the absolutely addictive Boom Boom sauce. We ate the entire basket, secretly wishing for more. When we had everything, we saw a passing tray of the Simply Perfect Burgers being served to our neighboring table. We tracked down the server and begged them to bring out just one more tray. The juicy burger blew. our. minds.
According to Tony Zemmama, Food and Beverage Operations Manager for Remington Park Racing and Casino who recently moved to Dallas specifically to make the opening of the new building spectacular, there was “a lot of love” put into every dish. They aimed for the perfect combinations of spices while incorporating fresh ingredients and bold flavors, and it worked!
But what would the horse races be without a little booze? Bar & Book has an impressive 60 bottles of beer in the bar and 12 on draft, as well as an assortment of liquors. If you’re feeling adventurous be sure to try the Great Divide Denver Pale Ale or Tire Bite Golden Ale.
With entertainment by Sonny Burgess and words of thanks from Randy Galloway, the official opening night of the Bar & Book at Lone Star Park was a big hit! By the way, If anyone wants to visit Bar & Book with me, I would love an explanation of how to read the racing program (and how to gamble). I’m at a loss.
Katie was an invited guest.
