Owners chose Southlake for second location

A customer doesn't have to go inside TruFire Kitchen & Bar to get the pulse of the restaurant. The company motto is proudly displayed outside: "Life happens in the kitchen."

The website elaborates: "The kitchen is the heart of the home and the engine of TruFire. With food and drink the best of conversations are had, celebrations erupt, alliances are struck and laughter can be heard for miles."

Owners Jay Clark and David Kazarian started TruFire in Frisco in 2008, and opened a second location in Southlake this summer.

Both have spent their adult lives in the food industry, primarily with large corporations and chains.

When they started TruFire, they didn't want the focus to be on concept, design, theme or even atmosphere. They wanted to concentrate on the quality of the food, so everything is made from scratch, organic and fresh.

"Even for our specialty cocktails, we use fresh fruits and our own sour," Kazarian said. "I like to joke that at TruFire we make our own antioxidants."

That's about the only time Kazarian laughs when it comes to food quality. It's serious business at TruFire.

"We are very aggressive with our quality," Kazarian said. "Food quality is a living, breathing and moving target. You have to be constantly developing it so we are constantly changing the menu. A dish won't be on the menu unless we absolutely love it."

TruFire serves salads, sandwiches, pizza and pasta.

But these aren't simple dishes. The pizza, for example, is from dough made fresh daily with imported flour.

Kazarian has a ready answer when asked to describe TruFire's offerings.

"We have a progressive American concept specializing in Mediterranean and Italian flavors, with a strong wine and spirits program," Kazarian said. "Our wines are comfortably priced. We offer very generous portions. We do upscale casual in a smaller box."

The owners don't want the quality of their food to get lost in the size of their restaurants. Both locations are less than 4,000 square feet.

"At many places you go to, when the restaurant is half full, it seems empty and lifeless. Our place is always alive and full of energy, no matter how many people are in it," Kazarian said.

"Most of our customers consider TruFire 'their' place," Kazarian said. "That's when you know you are doing things right."

Kazarian promises more restaurants.

"We have a growing desire to bring TruFire other places, but we want to do it in a very deliberate manner," he said.

Even so, he added, "Having said that, we don't want to wait five and a half years to open a third location."

From the TruFire kitchen

• Among the most popular dishes are the Naked Avocado Salad ($8), Latin Fire Pizza ($16) and the Spicy Garlic Noodles ($17).
• Owners David Kazarian and Jay Clark moved to the Dallas area to start TruFire. "We had a dream of going into business together," Kazarian said. "He was living in Denver and I was in Las Vegas, so we were going to move somewhere. We wanted to go a place with an entrepreneur spirit and a good place to raise a family. DFW really fits the bill."

Southlake location

1239 Main St., Southlake Town Square, 817-488-6280, www.trufire.us

TruFire opens daily at 11 a.m. The restaurants close at 9 p.m. Sunday, 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Frisco location

6959 Lebanon Road, Ste. 114, Frisco 214-872-3830