Central Track Contributor
Kel's Kitchen Cooks With Love.
Kel's Kitchen Food:
5337 Forest Lane
North Dallas
Service: 4 out of 4 biscuits
Ambiance: 2.5 out of 4 Biscuits
Every time I mention Kel's Kitchen to people, I get the same response.
“Where the hell is that?” they ask.
Let me tell you: It's the most delicious, down-home, artery-clogging eatery in town, and it's located behind a car wash at Forest and the Tollway, near an antique mall.
Confused? Don't be. Try to find it. You won't regret it. The food is cheap, the service is great and you'll feel like you visited your grandmother's for dinner. Except this food is actually good.
Kel's serves up typical diner fare and home-cooked meals. The specialties range from breakfast to chicken fried steak and chicken fried chicken — and, really, any type of other steak that isn't served in a steakhouse. Ham steak, hamburger steak, smothered steak — you name it, Kel's has it. And their gravy is awesome.
During a recent visit, I re-tried the chicken fried steak. For an $8.25 dish, you in return receive your main course, three side items, a choice of brown or cream gravy and biscuits and cornbread. Side items include anything from a variety of beans to potatoes to mac and cheese. The only less-than-desirable offering in the bunch is the salad. Everything else was cooked with love and grease, and totally worth the fat content. Meanwhile, the chicken fried steak itself was huge. Really, you get so much food for the price, you can't possibly eat it all.
The service staff is pretty awesome, too. The staff is a crew of women who have each worked here for years. And, better yet, they seem to very much enjoy their jobs. They treat you like their kid, and they take care of you very quickly. It's the perfect diner experience.
And, hey, if you really want to eat healthy, you can try here. There are enough such items on the menu. You're best served if you indulge, though. Life is too short not to gorge yourself on some fine old southern hospitality.
