Many steak lovers in Dallas know restaurateur Dee Lincoln as the co-founder of high-end restaurant Del Frisco's. Some even call her the "steakhouse queen." So after launching a more casual steak and burgers place that suffered an identity crisis, Lincoln says she's going back to her roots: luxury dining.
"What I know for a fact is the consumer cannot be confused," she says.
Her Dee Lincoln Steak Bars, originally called Dee Lincoln Steak and Burger Bar, have closed. (The Uptown Dallas spot shuttered in March 2015. Its Plano counterpart closed more recently, reports Escape Hatch Dallas. Other steak bars were expected to open on Oak Lawn Avenue and in Fort Worth, but those plans were then scrapped.)
The move away from more casual dining makes sense, given Lincoln's background. No longer affiliated with Del Frisco's, Lincoln now operates Dee Lincoln's Tasting Room & Bubble Bar on the suite level of AT&T Stadium as well as a private-events-only venue by a similar name in Uptown Dallas.
"People will pay $30 for a glass of Champagne and $50 for a glass of wine" -- at a football stadium, no less, Lincoln says. That's her niche.
Dee Lincoln Steak Bar was a burger place and a steak place, which Lincoln says was probably confusing to the consumer. In a two-star review of the Plano restaurant, Dallas Morning News restaurant critic Leslie Brenner found some menu items there "likeable." But it's safe to say it wasn't a touchdown for Lincoln, not in the way the Bubble Bar at the home of the Dallas Cowboys has been.
What's next for Dallas restaurateur Dee Lincoln? "I do have some things baking," she hinted. But she wouldn't tell.
When asked if beef would be part of Lincoln's next quest, given her royal status with steak, she said yes: "I would say there's beef in my future."
Fine dining, too.
