Texas roots are on display at BarnLight Eatery, a restaurant focusing on Southern-style gourmet cooking.

Sixth-generation Texan Philip Doyal opened the restaurant with his wife, Christina Doyal, in April 2014.

BarnLight Eatery is the couple’s first restaurant, although Philip, the executive chef, has a long history in the food business, including a 10-year stint as the executive chef at San Antonio Country Club. Christina is a longtime pastry chef.

“All I’ve done for the last 30 years is food,” Philip said. “It’s all I know. That’s part of the reason of opening the restaurant—I’ve enjoyed the other side of it, but being a chef is more about just the kitchen. [BarnLight Eatery] is an opportunity to branch out and keep learning.”

Philip and Christina moved to Frisco from the San Antonio area to be closer to Christina’s family in Southlake and they spent a year and a half looking for a location for the restaurant.

“What we immediately noticed when we moved up here is that the area is inundated with fast-food,” Philip said.

They settled on the growing area of northeast Frisco, which draws diners from Frisco and McKinney.

The decor of the restaurant, much like the food, is based on the concept of family.

The photos on the walls are from Doyal family homesteads throughout the past six generations.

“We went back to the concept of family and food,” Philip said. “Food used to be an occasional thing that when my parents and grandparents got together, it would be this huge spread of food. They had gardens, raised cattle, raised their own food. So we tried to tie the food back to the tradition of the way it used to be—you don’t have TVs blaring everywhere, not a bunch of bright colors. We wanted something subdued and relaxed to where you can actually sit and talk to your family.”

Philip said the menu is filled with food “people like to eat that you don’t necessarily take the time to make at home. We’re trying to provide that niche with a little culinary flair to it.”

Many customers enjoy the zinfandel pot roast ($14.99), which includes zinfandel sauce and buttermilk whipped potatoes.

Philip’s menu favorites are the pork & slaw, which includes barbecue, pickled onions, cabbage slaw and chipotle cream ($9.99) and the crab cakes appetizer ($14.99).

BarnLight Eatery also has a full bar with offerings including craft beer, wine and specialty cocktails.