Smoked, steamed, house-made pastrami and Akaushi burgers lead a craft menu at this new McKinney restaurant

House-made pastrami, Akaushi beef and high-quality Scottish salmon are three of the highlights at a new McKinney restaurant that’s opened at Hub 121, the shopping district under construction at the intersection of Alma Drive and State Highway 121.

Those proteins and more are cooked over live fire on an Argentine grill that’s fueled by mesquite wood.

Where?

Fork & Fire, the second location of the Plano restaurant from chef Jason Graman. That house-made pastrami sounds damn good, but so does Graman’s fresh baked breads, a bar stocked with 50 tequilas and 24 wines on-tap.

To make his pastrami, Graman says he slow-brines brisket, aggressively seasons it, then smokes and steams the meat — very old school. I haven’t tried his pastrami yet, but the method is very old-school legit. I’m putting it on my must-try list.

With Akaushi steaks and burgers, grilled artichokes, Faroe Island salmon and that pastrami on the menu, you might want to put a visit to the new Fire & Fork (or the original at The Boardwalk at Granite Park) on your list, too.

photo: Fork & Fire