TikTok News

TikTok critic Keith Lee surprise-visits fancy Dallas steakhouse

Keith Lee

TikTok

A social media phenomenon has weighed in on a surprisingly fancy downtown Dallas restaurant: It was TikTok favorite Keith Lee, whose online restaurant critiques generate millions of views, and his latest venture was a visit to steakhouse Wicked Butcher.

Wicked Butcher is a fine-dining steakhouse from hospitality group DRG Concepts that debuted in Fort Worth’s Sinclair Hotel in 2020 with a menu of steaks, seafood, and wine. The Dallas location was originally known as Dallas ChopHouse, but closed during the pandemic. It reopened as a Wicked Butcher spinoff in early 2024.

According to a spokesperson for the restaurant, Lee visited on December 29, and gave no warning he was coming. He wasn't invited or compensated for the review; he just showed up as a guest and ordered food to go.

But he seems to have been recognized, since a general manager approached him and asked for his feedback on the food. The spokesperson, however, states that they ask for feedback from all their guests regardless of status.

A steakhouse is a little more highbrow than some of the small, independent spots Lee has favored in the past. In a four-minute TikTok video, he shares what he ordered, along with his ratings and comments.

Items he ordered along with his notes include:

Green Curry Salmon. "It's seasoned really well, it's not super spicy, but it does have a little kick," Lee says. "The rice has the perfect texture, too." 8.6 out of 10.
Steak Frites. He gave the fries and steak separate ratings. He liked the parmesan cheese on the fries, but wished they were more salted. The steak was medium rare. Said it was “very well-seasoned and extremely tender” and that it was “cooked perfectly.” Fries 7.5 out of 10; steak 8 out of 10.
Salmon tartare and rice crackers. Commented that the cracker is "seasoned perfectly, in my opinion," with a chili lime seasoning. 9 out of 10
Bread was described as “pillowy, layered, and flaky.” 7.5 out of 10.
Blackberry basil lemonade. He enjoyed it so much that he ordered two. “Another blackberry mint lemonade, please!” 9 out of 10.

He gave customer service a rating of 9 out of 10, remarking that customer service in downtown Dallas is usually good.

The total bill was $142.89.

“One thing I do love about the Dallas food scene— we’ve been here about a month, a month and a half— they do got some nice fine dining restaurants,” Lee says in the video.

Lee recently relocated to Texas from Las Vegas in November, after visiting Dallas on a number of house-hunting trips as well as roundups of Dallas-area restaurants. Wicked Butcher is not the only DFW-area restaurant he's explored; he recently visited Hutchins BBQ.

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Greek News

Savvy chef team to open Elia Greek Tavern in Dallas' Bishop Arts

Weight Watchers

Branzino with olives and tomatoes

A new restaurant is coming to a revered Oak Cliff location: Called Elia Greek Tavern, it will open this summer in Bishop Arts at 205 N. Bishop Ave., better known as the former home of Nora Restaurant and Bar.

Elia is from highly prolific chef Habip Kargin and his partner Hayko Sherenian, who also own Selda Mediterranean, the growing Turkish restaurant concept which now has four locations in Dallas — including The Mayor's House by Selda, also in Bishop Arts — as well as a location in San Antonio.

When Nora closed in May, they saw an opportunity to offer something new to the neighborhood.

"We wanted to bring an authentic Mediterranean/Greek seafood restaurant to Bishop Arts and also bring another attraction to the area," Sherenian says.

Elia will be a fusion, combining Turkish and Greek cuisine, especially seafood such as baked Greek branzino, dorado, swordfish, and snapper, as well as Greek classics like chicken and lamb.

They'll also do classic Greek dishes like tzatziki and caviar dips, calamari, and saganaki — a pan-fried Greek cheese. Prices will be reasonable for a nice place, from $20-$40 per person.

As is their habit, they're bringing in chefs with expertise: Abdullah "Apo" Acik and Yusuf Alasulu, two chefs from Cyprus, an island south of Greece, to head the culinary team.

The restaurant will be open late nights until 2 am and feature a full bar with wine, beer, and cocktails, as well as a weekday happy hour from 3-6 pm.

The inside of the restaurant is also being renovated with a classic Greek vibe incorporating lots of the color blue.

"It will be upscale but cozy and relaxed at the same time," Sherenian says. "We want the customer to feel as if they just had a meal at a small family restaurant in Greece."

Kargin opened his first restaurant in Mersin, Turkey, before moving to the U.S. He founded Pera, a Mediterranean concept, in 2012 and later opened the original Selda on Belt Line Road in 2020. Sherenian became a partner when they expanded with a location in Frisco, which opened in May.

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