Chef Reilly Brown, a Culinary Institute of America graduate with experience at a Michelin-starred restaurant, has taken over as executive chef at Frenchie in Dallas's Park Cities. He is revamping the dinner menu to feature clean flavors and classic French techniques using seasonal ingredients. Brown shared insights into his career and the local dining scene in a recent interview.
Reilly Brown, originally from Michigan and a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, brings a strong background to his new role at Frenchie. He spent five years at the Michelin one-star PRESS Restaurant in St. Helena, Napa Valley, before relocating to Dallas. There, he contributed to Georgie, where he worked alongside chef RJ Yoakum to secure Michelin Guide recommendations in 2024 and 2025. Frenchie, another Travis Street Hospitality venue, offers a more casual atmosphere focused on approachable French comfort food. Lunch options include country pate, Nicoise salad, steak frites, and quiche Lorraine.
As executive chef, Brown is updating the dinner menu to emphasize seasonal ingredients and traditional methods. Highlights include grapefruit Hiramasa served over a citrus emulsion with finger limes, a Winter Castelfranco salad featuring duck confit, candied walnuts, pickled pear, blue cheese, fresh herbs, shallot vinaigrette, and shaved Brussels sprouts. Other dishes are whole branzino, pork chop, braised wagyu short rib, and the Burger Au Poivre with gruyere cheese and black peppercorn aioli.
In an interview, Brown discussed various aspects of the industry. He named Saint Valentine as a late-night dining choice and criticized the trend of aesthetics overshadowing cooking quality in Dallas restaurants. On the Michelin Guide's impact in Texas, he noted it attracts talent to the city, educates diners about lesser-known spots, and prompts reflection on what constitutes a great restaurant. Brown highlighted challenges like rising product, living, and labor costs, which complicate balancing menu prices for employees and guests. He praised the porter team as the restaurant's backbone and expressed enthusiasm for underutilized items like chicken wings. Among Dallas favorites, he listed Meridian, Georgie, Loro, Quarter Acre, and Mot Hai Ba. Brown also recommended pastry chef Dyan Ng of Travis Street Hospitality for her humility and skill.
A notable mishap from his time in California involved accidentally overcooking $4,000 worth of dry-aged Flannery ribeyes in a malfunctioning oven set to 100 degrees Celsius instead of 55.