Romance in DALLAS

[SuthrnFoodie]

I am getting married March 29th and looking for a ROMANTIC restaurant in Dallas to celebrate with my groom. We'll be on a newlywed's budget, so nothing too over the top. ANY suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

[Jaymes]

E-mailed a friend that lives there. She said that she and her husband haven't been out to a "romantic restaurant" in quite a while, but the ones she thought of were:

IL Sorrento on Turtle Creek

Mi Piaci in Addison

And nice but expensive: ($120 & up for two)

The French Room at the Adolphous Hotel

The Mansion on Turtle Creek (probably most famous & best)

The Old Warsaw

She says that Mi Piaci would probably be a good choice.

Too bad we don't have a larger Dallas contingent here on eGullet. You should be coming to Austin. You'd get LOTS of good suggestions!

[threesheets]

I would suggest the Grape on Lower Greenville. It's reasonably priced, and is often described as the most romantic restaurant in Dallas.

[Lyle]

SuthrnFoodie, I think it might be helpful if you described a bit more what you are willing to afford. I agree with Jaymes that The Mansion on TC is probably the best in that list, and my favorite restaurant in Dallas, one of the only ones we splurge on with some regularity (although, come to think of it, in the past two years I think we've only had lunch there).

Do you and your mate have any dietary preferences?

Are you trying to stay relatively close to an area of town?

Would $135 before tax or tip be excessive? What are you expecting to spend?

Sorry for all the questions, but more specification on your part would probably get a more accurate reccomendation, at least from me.

Oh, I should probably mention I've lived in Dallas almost six years, which pretty much comprises the only time in my life I've been able to afford to eat out well on a seme-regular basis.

Edit: Yes the grape does have a very nice, dark room, be it a bit cramped. I suspect you could get out with two having three courses around $80 before drink, tax, tip. These would be three of their top end courses. Also they have recently offered a pre-theater three course dinner for something like $20 a person, and I believe they allowed this until 7:30 P.M. Not sure if they offer this on Saturdays however

Edited February 6, 2003 by Lyle (log)

[lizziee]

threesheets and Lyle,

I will be in Dallas this weekend and as of now the only reservation we have is at The Mansion on TC. From reading GuideLive, it seems that they rate French Room and Nana very highly. Do these two restaurants live up to their reputation? What other fine dining restaurants would you suggest? Romantic is not an issue, but excellent cuisine and fine dining is important.

[Lyle]

Sorry, Lizzie, I remembered on my way home you asked me a question. Nana and the FR both offer fine cuisine of different styles. I cannot say I prefer one over the other, but I can say I prefer the service and general atmosphere (definitely the room) of the FR. This is based on only 2 dinners at the FR and one at Nana, however. The FR also runs many special menus (not certain if they currently are), although not sure if they currently are. Will investigate. Also, if memory serves me, the FR is slightly less expensive. Anyway, in my experience, the FR is a better taste of Dallas.

[threesheets]

You can't go wrong with Nana either though. It's located at the top of the Anatole Hotel and has an unbelievable view of downtown Dallas. They have a great bar and play live jazz on the weekends (not sure about weekdays).

[Lyle]

Threesheets, I agree Brown sends out incredible things. All I wrote down in 2001 for our dinner was what we liked. The crab crusted sea bass with morels was my main, and the lobster, ahi tuna, and avacado salad was my favorite dish. It melted.

Have you dined at Nana recently?

What were some memorable dishes?

[Chefrat]

Its a bit late but i have to mention th Restaurant i work at....Dragonfly

Great food..and even better desserts..hehe

expensive and it is the new deal by Mr. Pyles

[SuthrnFoodie]

Thank you, everyone for your replies and suggestions. I should add that we are actually getting married at Sheppard AFB, in Wichita Falls and planned to drive to Dallas afterward for dinner and spend the night. However, I am a, bit confused with Mapquest who says WF is 148 miles from Dallas, but it takes 3 HOURS to get there? What are your opinions on the truthfulness of that estimation? Also, if we decide it's too far to drive (with out-of-town guests) any suggestions for dining in *gulp* Wichita Falls?

Thanks again everyone!

[Chefrat]

148 miles....yeah..3 hours i dont know...i live in arlington halfway in between Dallas and Fort Worth..you might get some traffic...but i dont think it is 3 hours...and again gotta try Dragonfly!! Uptown Dallas!!

[Jaymes]

Thank you, everyone for your replies and suggestions.  I should add that we are actually getting married at Sheppard AFB, in Wichita Falls and planned to drive to Dallas afterward for dinner and spend the night.  However, I am a, bit confused with Mapquest who says WF is 148 miles from Dallas, but it takes 3 HOURS to get there?  What are your opinions on the truthfulness of that estimation?  Also, if we decide it's too far to drive (with out-of-town guests) any suggestions for dining in *gulp* Wichita Falls? 

Thanks again everyone!

My sister used to live in Wichita Falls.....

For one special anniversary, she managed to talk to the folks at the Wichita Club into allowing her and her husband one evening there.

If you explore all your "driving to Dallas" options, and they don't seem to be working out well, you might go talk to them and see if they'd allow you a one-night membership.

The Wichita Club is at the top of one of the downtown buildings... the only thing that could conceivably pass as having a "view" in Wichita... and the food is considered by most people to be the best in town.

But it sure seems like getting in the car and heading for Dallas, and a nice restaurant and a fancy hotel (and maybe a nice restaurant IN a fancy hotel), would be the ideal option.

[Richard Kilgore]

Foodie - We may have more, and more suitable, ideas with a little more information. Any food preferences? What price range?

Also Dallas is a fairly big place. Are you already booked into a hotel? Its location may have something to do with where you will want to eat, especially if your time is tight coming from WF.

There are a number of potential "romantic" places in Big D, depending on what you consider romantic and what kind of food you are interested in and what you want to spend. The Mansion and The French Room are excellent, but from your initial post, they are more than you want to do.