Dining: Bordeaux's

Upscale Bordeaux's in Kyle starts something good

By Dale Rice
American-Statesman Restaurant Critic
Web posted: March 2, 2005

Photos by Shelley Wood for AA-S The mesquite smoked pork loin chop is moist and tender, with a honey-barbecue sauce. The entree embodies the sophistication Bordeaux's brings to the table. Owners Kasey and Larsen Wilkes thought that Kyle needed an upscale restaurant. Bordeaux's 108 Center St., Kyle (512) 268-3463 Hours: 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays, 5 to 10 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays Credit cards: Visa, MasterCard Wheelchair access: Accessible Wine: 10 by the glass ($4.25-$8), 25 by the bottle ($22-$75) Rating: March 3, 2005 Review: • Bordeaux's • Marakesh

Bordeaux's, a new upscale restaurant in the heart of Kyle, is not a classical French restaurant. The eatery, however, does feature a number of Cajun items and plans on expanding the Continental influence in the future, so owners Larsen and Kasey Wilkes chose the name to combine those ideas.

Larsen Wilkes -- a self-taught chef who began busing tables at the County Line and then worked his way through a variety of other kitchens -- and his wife opened the restaurant in December after concluding that Kyle, where they've lived for three years, needed a fine-dining establishment. With sous chef Thomas Blassengame working with Wilkes, the two are making nearly everything on the menu from scratch.

One of those original dishes is the Cajun crawfish bites ($7.95), a house specialty, which featured small chunks of tail meat that were battered, deep-fried and served with a cocktail sauce. From a frying standpoint, they were well done, with a crisp exterior and no oily residue. From a taste standpoint, the batter and cocktail sauce tended to overwhelm the delicate crawfish.

In the fried portobello mushroom ($7.50), four long slices of mushroom also had been battered and fried. In this case, though, the result was similar to a Japanese tempura, with a light, crisp surface that covered the still-firm mushroom. It was served with a chipotle ranch sauce for dipping.

The butternut squash soup, one of the choices that came with the entrée, was outstanding. Wilkes developed the recipe a couple of years ago for the smooth and creamy soup that was finished with cream, white wine and cayenne pepper.

The iceberg lettuce wedge, another choice with the main course, was covered with a sweet, garlic-buttermilk-pecan dressing and garnished with chopped tomato and crisp bits of bacon.

An entree, the shrimp scampi ($14.50), broiled and served in a deep sauce of melted butter, white wine, garlic and tarragon, were a bit overcooked, leaving them just short of tough. They were served with a side of onion rings -- one of four options with the entrees and one of the few things not made in-house.

The pork loin chop ($15.25), in contrast, was one of the best I've had in the area. Mesquite smoked, which gave it a light, smoky flavor, the thick chop was moist and tender. It was served with a honey-barbecue sauce that had more of a sophisticated edge than its name implies and a side of garlic mashed potatoes that were lumpy, just the way I prefer them.

Desserts provided a lovely finish to the meal. The dulce de leche cheesecake ($4.75), from the Cheesecake Factory, was artfully presented, with swirled sauces on the plate and a dollop of whipped cream on top with a sliced, fanned strawberry and mint leaf.

The made-in-house chocolate sheet cake ($4.50) was covered with a layer of amaretto-chocolate frosting that was coated with shaved white and dark chocolates and drizzled with a chocolate-bourbon sauce. It was topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream that had been garnished with mint leaves and a square slice of kiwi fruit.

Service at Bordeaux's was friendly and attentive, with enough servers to handle a near-capacity crowd. Our waitress, however, assured us that all items -- including the cheesecake and onion rings -- were made at the restaurant, an indication she was not particularly knowledgeable about the food.

The restaurant has a comfortable ambience, with one long stone wall surviving from the 1800s. Although the place is carpeted, which cuts down on the noise, it was extremely loud on a recent weeknight when it had all but one table filled.

That shows the residents of Kyle are happy to have Bordeaux's in their midst. The restaurant is off to a good start, and I expect it to get even better. It won't be long before the local folks are vying with outsiders for a table there.