Mike McRae opened McRae’s American Bistro in August 2023 in his hometown of Dallas.  He has been in the hospitality business for 50 years and he wanted to create a welcoming place for folks to dine, drink and relax and he found the perfect spot close to where he grew up.  Inside you’ll find a long bar opposite tables and bench seating.  Another room off the end was slightly elevated but filled with happy people.  The walls were covered with an eclectic  mix of memorabilia, the lights (many chandeliers) are dampened and music was in the background.  It was a small menu and no specials were offered but there was a full bar and limited wine list.  They are open daily for dinner and add brunch on Sat and Sun.  It’s the type of establishment needed in the area – a place where you can get good food and drink at a reasonable price but don’t need to wear “all the jewelry you own”.  The bill came in on old Golden Book, which brought me right back to my childhood.  I very much enjoyed our first visit and look forward to trying more on the menu.  Hope you will give it a try to when you’re in Dallas.

Set-Up

Food

They offer one burger, The Bacon Burger which comes with applewood smoked bacon, Wisconsin cheddar, lettuce, tomato, red onion, pickle and your choice of mayo, mustard or bbq sauce on a brioche bun.  All sandwiches come with matchstick fries.  The burger was cooked to order and the beef had good flavor.  The bun was soft and fresh.  The bacon had good flavor but was not crisp and the lettuce was shredded.  It was a good overall result.  The fries were nicely crisp on the outside and came with ketchup.

The Vintage Reuben contained thin sliced corned beef, house-made sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, Russian sauce and is served on seeded Jewish rye.  The nicely toasted bread was stuffed with tender tasty corned beef and really nice sauerkraut.  The dressing was well-matched.  My only change would be to better spread the ingredients within the bread, but I could manage that with my fork.  The side pickles were a spicy-sweet variety that I liked a lot.  It also came with the nice fries.