Frenchie Brings Brasserie Dining to Preston Center


The team behind Knox Bistro and Georgie has opened a new restaurant in Preston Center Plaza. Frenchie, a casual French brasserie from Travis Street Hospitality, is now serving lunch and dinner, with breakfast to follow in the coming weeks.

This is the first concept from Stephan Courseau and Daniele Garcia outside of their usual Knox-Henderson neighborhood. The new location occupies the former Corner Bakery space at 8420 Preston Center Plaza and includes a 4,000-square-foot dining room, an indoor-outdoor bar, and a 1,200-square-foot covered patio. Seating is available for 150 guests.

Chef Bruno Davaillon, who also oversees the kitchens at Georgie and Le PasSage, has created a menu rooted in classic French comfort food. Dishes include poulet rôti, beef tartare, pâte au pistou, salade Parisienne, and croque monsieur. Lighter fare such as crepes, quiche, and rillettes is available throughout the day. The bar serves a selection of wines, many from small French producers, as well as cocktails. One specialty is a bottled freezer martini created for the restaurant by Travis Street Hospitality’s Executive Mixologist, Mario Martinez.

Although the service and design are more relaxed than the group’s previous restaurants, the aesthetic remains firmly within the French bistro tradition. Interior details include pewter bar tops, patinaed mirrors, brass lighting fixtures, and rattan chairs.

Courseau described Frenchie as “an American French restaurant made by French guys who are now in the American mainstream.” The concept, he said, reflects a more personal version of French dining, shaped by years of working in Texas and raising families in Dallas.

Frenchie is the sixth restaurant from Travis Street Hospitality, following Le Bilboquet, Knox Bistro, Georgie, The Georgie Butcher Shop, and most recently, Le PasSage and Rose Café. Frenchie is the group’s first without formal white-tablecloth service and is intended as a neighborhood restaurant that serves a variety of guests throughout the day.