Downtown News
Steakhouse with celeb chef and wow factor debuts in downtown Dallas
There's a new steak and sushi restaurant with some nightlife on the side, opening in downtown Dallas. Called Lit Kitchen & Lounge, it's at 609 N. Harwood St., in the northeast corner of the Central Business District where it promises to bring a fast-paced combination of restaurant and lounge, with steak, sushi, and fusion-inspired foods.
It also features a celebrity chef in Jimmy Tessier, a graduate of Johnson & Wales University and protégé of chef Emeril Lagasse — they're both natives of Fall River, Massachusetts, go New England — who has worked in San Diego and Las Vegas, where he helped open restaurants such as Emeril's New Orleans Fish House and Delmonico Steakhouse.
Tessier also worked with chef Carla Pellegrino of Top Chef fame and Chef Sammy DeMarco of Travel Channel’s Chow Masters, and appeared on Food Network's Chopped in 2012.
Tessier, who moved to Dallas from San Diego to launch Lit, calls it a "steakhouse with swag."
"From my experience in Las Vegas, I learned 'the casino approach,' where you offer great food and give people a reason to stay," he says. "We'll have some good high-end steaks and seafood and sushi, incorporating French, Italian, and Japanese dishes, and then you can stick around for the party."
The menu includes creative starters such as chicken parmesan lollipops, aroncini balls with smoked mozzarella, and miso black cod in lettuce cups.
"We'll have great sushi and nothing but Prime for steaks, plus the Japanese fusion food that has been my specialty for the past few years," he says.
The restaurant occupies an odd though cool little nook that used to be a venue called the 609 Harwood Jazz Club, which closed in 2016.
He says they've put a lot of effort into the decor and design, with a luxe red and gold color scheme, cascading waterfalls, two massive fish tanks, and a lounge featuring a "meet and greet" vibe, with plush couches and ottomans.
"It's a supper club feel but with a wow factor," he says.
