Frenchie Recalibrates Under Chef Reilly Brown in Preston Center
opened in Preston Center last year with a clear ambition: to be a true neighborhood French brasserie in Dallas, a place for coffee in the morning, steak frites at night, and the reassuring rhythm of dishes that rarely change. From the Travis Street Hospitality group behind Georgie and Le Bilboquet, it arrived with croissants, crepes, gougères, quiche Lorraine, escargots, and a fork and knife burger au poivre. The room, trimmed in pewter bar tops, rattan chairs, brass sconces, and rounded booths, still suggests a polished but approachable Parisian template translated for North Dallas.
It was never designed to be rarefied dining. It was meant to be a bistro. And that distinction matters.
This season, Frenchie entered a new chapter with Executive Chef Reilly Brown stepping into the role. Brown comes from Press in St. Helena in Napa Valley, where he spent five years as sous chef in a Michelin-starred environment that prized technical discipline and composure. He later served as executive sous chef at Georgie, contributing to that restaurant’s recognition in the Michelin Guide Texas. His background suggests precision. Frenchie, by contrast, depends on ease.
The interplay between those two identities is evident across the menu. The brasserie standards remain intact.
The newer crudo selections reveal where Brown’s Napa training surfaces. The hiramasa, dressed in grapefruit, citrus emulsion and finger lime, is bright and clean. The bluefin tuna, finished with tomato soy glaze, daikon radish and chili oil, carries layered umami balanced by freshness and heat.
Maim dishes follow a similar pattern. Scallops paired with melted leeks and brown butter emulsion offer gentle sweetness, edged by subtle smokiness from urfa pepper.
In Preston Center, a French brasserie must be accessible. It must turn tables at lunch, welcome shoppers at dinner, and maintain prices that encourage return visits. Execution matters, but so does approachability. The restaurant is walking a tightrope between affordability and aspiration, between the polish of Napa Valley training and the expectations of a neighborhood bistro.
Dallas lacks ambitious kitchens. Frenchie’s path also appears measured. Under Reilly Brown, it’s neither dramatically transformed nor entirely unchanged. It is adjusting, refining, and testing how far it can stretch while remaining recognizably a bistro. Whether that balance ultimately sharpens into something distinctive will depend on how confidently the kitchen chooses to lean into its strengths rather than hedge them.
Frenchie
8420 Preston Center Plaza, Dallas, TX