California-based Top Round made its Texas debut at Toyota Music Factory today. Should you go?


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Los Angeles-based Top Round, which touts itself as offering a “chef-driven approach to fast food,” quietly opened its first Texas location today at Toyota Music Factory in Las Colinas. Their “grand opening” is slated for Thursday, February 1.

Founding chef and co-owner Steven Fretz developed the concept in 2013 and is taking its counter service, hand-cut curly fries, frozen custards, roast beef sandwiches and fried chicken sandwiches beyond L.A. Dallas, San Francisco and Louisville are on the horizon.

Top Round slowly roasts its whole beef top rounds for “up to 10 hours.” I don’t know when you last roasted beef in your oven, but ten hours is an awfully long time unless “slow-roast” means cooking it like a brisket at 225 degrees. But top round is rather lean, unlike prime brisket, so maybe that’s where my sandwich got its pot-roasty flavor.

I liked their fried chicken sandwich a whole lot more, with its super crispy buttermilk batter and pickle-brine marinated chicken breast tucked inside.

Those hand-cut curly fries? Mine were topped with a homemade cheese sauce that the counter guy said would drive him into rehab if he ate any more. He’s crazy. They’re not even in the ballpark of rehab-worthy.

That’s okay. Top Round has a solid following in L.A. After a few beers and a show at the Toyota Music Factory, Top Round will likely develop a loyal following here, too.

310 Las Colinas Blvd., Irving