I don’t understand why Ed Bailey has to spend so much money on every restaurant he opens, but it’s certainly something he’s not afraid to do. He opened four expensive locations of Bailey’s Prime Plus, and they have all closed. Now he is concentrating on his other brand, Patrizio, which features an American/Italian menu with a significantly lower price point. I was stunned to spot the mammoth 8,900-square-foot restaurant perched on a hill overlooking Southlake Town Square. Driving up to the parking lot, we felt like we were headed to a ride at Disneyland. We didn’t feel much different once we entered. It was mobbed, and the wait was an hour at 5:45 PM on a Friday. Even though we had kids in the group, we decided to wait it out in the bar. It was a mistake. Service was nonexistent. Once we were seated in the dining room, the experience changed. Servers showed up instantly. Food orders were taken and delivered promptly. The food was much better than anyone expected. The kids, and several adults, enjoyed the quattro formaggi pizza. Our vegetarian praised the layers of mushrooms, spinach, ricotta cheese, and tomato sauce in the lasagna. My finicky brother-in-law cleaned every morsel of breaded chicken parmigiana from his plate. (He was also impressed by the $14.97 price tag.) We drank wine and sipped a postprandial Sambuca. The bill for 10 came to $142.84. It was a great deal, but I can only wonder how Bailey is going to recoup his $5 million investment in a 260-seat restaurant at those prices.
For more information about Patrizio, visit our online restaurant guide.
