Fox and Hound English Pub and Grille

By MIKE DANIEL
POLISHED: Wood is good at Fox and Hound English Pub & Grille. Few restaurants at any level can match the plankage inside the newest location of this sports bar chain. Older outposts in Arlington and Far North Dallas don't even compare. Wood covers the bar, the walls, the tables, the posts, the floor, the mirror frames, the blinds and uncountable smaller nooks.
It's not garden-variety, either. Paneling and borders are rich, chocolate to coffee brown-stained hues often found in steakhouses and high-end hotels.
COLOR NOTES: The interior is enhanced with forest-green paint, polished brass railings, copious mirrors and Fox and Hound's signature attraction: impeccably maintained 8- and 9-foot pool tables. Twelve sit at the ready, and a bank of big-screen TVs occupies each pool room.
Other monitors line the upper walls throughout the eatery. More diner-friendly than other locations, this one provides more space between tables. Restrooms aren't tucked by the bar or on the other side of a pool room. This appears to be the Wichita, Kan.-based chain's most opulent, food-centric site yet, at least in this area.
MORE TO EAT: Also encouraging is Fox and Hound's recently expanded menu, though the majority of selections aren't full-size dishes. Additions include seven appetizers, three burgers (including a "Name Your Own"), four sandwiches, two salads and three entree-sized "House Favorites."
Signature items such as fish and chips, baby-back ribs, the stupendous "Black Forest" sandwich and "Grand Champion Wings" remain, of course, and prices are still fair.
HITS: The grub's been as good as the atmosphere in past visits to other Fox and Hound locations. This encounter was no different, save for a couple of stumbles. Tops among our starters were the new Spicy Chicken Billiard Sticks ($6.99), four potato wraps, similar to egg rolls, filled with chicken, black beans, corn, peppers, onions and cheese. The bites were firm, the ingredients hearty. Southwestern tang was unmistakable and finely balanced. Salsa and sour cream came alongside.
We added chicken to grilled quesadillas ($5.49, 50 cents extra with chicken or chili) and were pleased with the decision; it seemed to complete the standard meld of cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses, tomatoes, black beans, bacon and onions.
MISSES: A boule of Newcastle beer cheese soup ($3.59) arrived in a hollowed-out mound of underbaked, pale French bread that both leaked badly and absorbed the thin, smoky soup.
Less time in the warmer would have benefited the "award-winning" barbecue baby-back ribs ($10.99 for a half-rack, $14.99 full). The peppery sauce had lost its gloss, and the meat had turned mushy. The ribs were tender and tasted fine but were under-smoked for our Texas 'cue-tuned tongues. Good midsize fries and too-creamy cole slaw finished the plate.
A white pizza ($7.99) was topped with three cheeses, sliced tomato halves, olive oil, garlic and parsley. It was dominated by the mozzarella, Parmesan and Monterey Jack on top of a chewy, so-so crust. Only those with a pizza fetish should bother.
BAR FOOD: Sandwiches and burgers regularly outshine other menu items here. The Name Your Own Burger ($5.99, with fries) comes with your choice of three add-ons; options are jalapeños, cheese, chili, sautéed onions or peppers, black beans, mushrooms, bacon, and barbecue or wing sauce. We loved Swiss cheese, mushrooms and bacon on ours. The 6-ounce patty was juicy and perfectly sized on a Parmesan-topped toasted bun.
Another new item, the Buffalo chicken sandwich ($6.29) also impressed because lip-smacking sauce infused the thin, crunchy batter instead of being basted on. This made the meal much neater to eat. Use the side of ranch dressing to douse the fire.
Other new items include a 10-piece fried shrimp ba...