"It's the touch, not the recipe," Chef Andreas Kotsifos tells me. "People are going crazy for my French onion soup and my lobster bisque." He's already given out the recipe, but he's not concerned. Why should he be?
It's the day before Chef Kotsifos' newest restaurant officially opens in Allen, Texas. Called Andreas Prime Steaks & Seafood, the long-awaited restaurant is a welcomed addition to the North Texas dining scene, serving up primo cuts and catches — we had the scallops and the steak, and both were delicious. Plus, chef bakes all the bread, and it’s perfect for dipping. But, yes, back to soup.
"People try to make my recipes themselves," Chef Kotsifos continues, as more diners shuffle in and schmooze. "But then they tell me their bisque turned out different — and they ask me why. The reason is the touch."
Chef Kotsifos certainly has had the touch: He's the former executive chef at The Palm and has over forty years of culinary experience, working in Athens, Barcelona, Rome and Paris to Manhattan, Pennsylvania, Florida and Dallas. His latest venture evokes Paris.
Andreas Prime Steaks & Seafood is not your typical Texas steakhouse. This, chef tells me, is a French steakhouse. "The way I do steaks is still how I do steaks, but everything else — all the other dishes — is inspired by my time in France."
Inside, the restaurant is regal, yet cozy. A long cushion stretches down the center of the dining room, giving a communal feel, but Andreas Prime Steaks and Seafood is still intimate. You can come here, enjoy a fabulous meal with some great drinks and, yet, enjoy conversation with your date. It's such a wonderful place to be.
"We didn't want to do just another steakhouse," says Heather Kotsifos, the restaurant's marketing director and Chef Kotsifos' wife. "We took our time getting all the details right." You can tell.
Peacocks, for example, populate the restaurant, whether as stuffed critters or decorative motifs on walls and windows. This is no accident. "We're inspired by Art Nouveau," says Chef Kotsifos. Taking its initial cues from Japanese art, Art Nouveau accented French visual culture between the 1880s and the start of World War I. Floral and nature motifs dominated, and the peacock became the artistic movement's unofficial mascot. A glamorous bird for a glamorous time.
"The peacock is an Art Nouveau staple," says Chef Kotsifos. "That's why we picked it."
This attention to detail — this thought behind the decisions — comes through. But is this the touch? What, exactly, is the touch? "I really cannot explain it," says Chef Kotsifos. "I put my heart into everything. I cook with love." That, he says, is the touch. Whatever it is, Chef Kotsifos still has it.
Andreas Prime Steaks & Seafood today, July 21. For reservations, check the official site.