our taste: RESTAURANT REVIEW
What’s Drake’s Yoke?
Definition: Trendy Eatery Serving Solidly Scrumptious, Hearty Fare
S
Yard Bird — fried chicken that comes with a cornbread
donut, red chili hot sauce and smashed fried okra. My
companion does not like spicy food and ordered the
chili hot sauce on side which is how it
was served. I chose the blackened redfish
with grilled corn salsa, lemon butter sauce,
mashed sweet potatoes and a quarter-
pound of barbequed sausage just to be as
comprehensive as possible about the menu.
Smashed fried okra, something new to me,
is just what is says. It is not sliced, but a full
sized piece of okra smashed and deep fried,
it was positively delightful. I normally do
not like mashed sweet potatoes but this was
different. It tasted so good I gladly devoured
it all and asked for the recipe. After eating
a massive amount of food, I felt it was my
duty to try a dessert (always willing to go
that extra mile for my readers).
The almond praline pie was “to die for,”
delicious. One piece was large enough for
both of us and we had enough to take a bit
of it home to enjoy later.
Service almost always seems to be a
challenge for Parker County restaurants
and, well, for restaurants anywhere,
actually. Our service was excellent. For this review I paid
extra close attention to not only our table but the table
close to me. I can say that our service was excellent.
Our server was courteous, efficient and personable but
never tried to become part of our conversation and never
hovered. Our food was steamy hot. Our drinks were never
empty. The same can be said for the neighboring tables.
In conclusion, I will be coming to Drake’s Yoke again
and again to enjoy the good food and good vibes it has to
offer.
I strongly encourage you to try it soon.
Weatherford Foodie can be found at weatherfordfoodie.com and on
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Yelp, Urbanspoon, Foursquare and
Pinterest.
Drake’s Yoke Wood & Wine is located in the Shops
at Willow Park at 225 Shops Blvd. #101, Willow Park
76087. They are open seven days per week. Monday thru
Thursday 11:00am until 10:00pm. Friday 11:00am until
11:00pm, Saturday 10:00am until 11:00pm and Sunday
10:00am until 10:00pm.
Call them at 817-598-0844 or find them at www.
Drakesyoke.com or on Facebook atDrakes Yoke.
BY THE WEATHERFORD FOODIE
o many people had asked me about the new restaurant
in Willow Park, that I felt duty-bound to investigate.
Located in The Shops at Willow Park, Drake’s Yoke
Wood & Wine occupies the
entire Eastern end of the retail
center and provides ample
vehicle parking for the large
eating area inside. When
we went, it was their Grand
Opening but, they had been
open for a couple of weeks
prior in order to work out the
kinks that accompany the
opening of any new restaurant.
The burning question is,
“What is Drake’s Yoke?” In
the early 1800s Edwin Drake
invented a way to get oil
from the ground for kerosene
lamps. A derrick was raised
into position and named by
workers as “Drake’s Yoke.”
This design was later used for
the first oil wells.
Once inside the eatery we
approached the hostess desk
and were seated promptly. Crossing the concrete floors,
one of the first things I noticed was the décor is industrial
vintage, lots of iron, antiques and all the lights are Edison
bulbs that have a longer filament for nice mood lighting.
Wine is kept in the kind of rack you might see at vintage
hardware stores holding the different sized nuts, bolts and
washers. I haven’t seen anything like them since Carter/
Ivy Hardware Store on North Main Street in Weatherford
closed. It’s an intriguing touch.
The kitchen is very open to all, very clean and even
has seating overlooking it. It provides something of a show
to accompany dinner.
I was impressed with the set-up, atmosphere, and
efficiency of the kitchen as well as some of the unique
equipment like the open flame wood grill.
My companion and I began our order with fried
shrimp and burnt ends: fried shrimp, brisket burnt ends,
fried green tomato, arugula, goat cheese, caramelized
onion and balsamic reduction. Served on a wooden
platter it looked fantastic and tasted the same. In addition,
we ordered a cup of smoked French onion soup which
was also very tasty. My companion also ordered a blue
cheese wedge salad. We shared most items and were very
pleased with our selections.
For the main course my companion chose the Crispy
101