In this economy it is difficult to resolve bailouts and $125 per head dinners and as Craig LaBan found at Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steak House, it’s even harder when the cooking is mediocre.

Del Frisco’s unmistakable DNA as a chain, meanwhile, surfaces all too often in the mass-produced character of its cooking, and the hard sell of its service. We felt the push at the host stand, where they reflexively sent diners on time for their reservation into the bar, when the oily waiter welcomed us with the old “And of course we’ll be drinking sparkling water?” line, and when the sommelier answered my query for a bottle in the $80-to-$100 range with opening suggestions at $125 and $250.

One Bell – Hit or Miss

Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steak House [Philadelphia Inquirer]