In what is easily the least surprising dining news of the day, chef Blythe Beck has won the latest round at Kitchen LTO, the rotating restaurant concept at Trinity Groves, handily beating the poor, unfortunate three other candidates who didn't have a shot in hell of competing with her well-known reputation.
Beck will partner with photographer Salma Gottfriend, who won the artist competition for this, the fourth round of Kitchen LTO. They'll open the first week of October for lunch, dinner and Saturday/Sunday brunch.
But Beck fans won't have to wait: Specials from her menu, described as upscale Southern, could begin to appear as soon as September 19. "This way, the staff will have a chance to practice, and the current guests will have a chance to preview what is to come," says LTO founder Casie Caldwell.
Beck's previous appointments in Dallas include the Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek, Hector's on Henderson and Central 214 in Hotel Palomar, where she was executive chef. While working at Central 214, she filmed the Oxygen Network reality show The Naughty Kitchen With Chef Blythe Beck. She'll also appear in an episode of Beat Bobby Flay this fall.
For the past year and a half, Beck has been in Arkansas, where she was a consultant for MovieLounge, an upscale, multiuse entertainment complex. But she was on the original Kitchen LTO committee, working with Caldwell.
"I've missed Dallas, so this was a good way to not only return to Dallas but also get cooking again," Beck says.
Her menu has not been finalized, but she knows it will include some of her signature dishes. "I'll be doing some of my favorites, like my shrimp and grits, chicken-fried rib-eye, deviled eggs — the stuff that has come with me wherever I go. But we'll be doing some new stuff too.
"This is my favorite time of the year to cook. I love the foods of fall, like braised meats."
Fried items too. "My love of butter has not gone anywhere," she says.
Former Central 214 chef Blythe Beck gets her shot at Kitchen LTO in Trinity Groves.
