Must eat in Dallas

[percyn]

I will be at a conference in Dallas in early November would appreciate some recommendations on "must visit" places and restaurants. I definately want to add some TX BBQ as well as fine dining to the list of places.

Any recommendations?

[ladyyoung98]

hey if u want the best bbq in teaxas...(as far as im concerend) the place u r looking for isnt even in dallas but its up the road from dallas.

Just go up I 35 E head towards Denton and somewhere around the teasley lane or the loop 288 exit u will see a sign that says Rudy's ...even if u go nowhere else....Rudy's is a must see place and the prices are very reasonable... and if u r going north up I 35 E...it will be on the drivers side of the road..so u will have to go under the freeway and backtrack some once u get off at the proper exit....if u want to call them for exact directions on how to get there from dallas....their number is 940-484-7839 and the address is 520 S Interstate 35 E Denton

Edited October 23, 2004 by ladyyoung98 (log)

[irodguy]

I would have to qualify that "best eats" all depends on what part of the country you are from and what types of foods your are exposed to.

Dallas has the full spectrum of foods, from top grade Steak Houses to most every ethnic food you can think of.

I always fall back on favorites like Aurora, the Mansion at Turtle Creek, Mi Piaci, Ferrari's, Bob's Steak House and although I have not been there yet word has it Lola.

Now if you don't have ethnic foods available to you I would through in Seoul Garden for class Korean table BBQ over hot coals.

For classic down home Dallas I would still recommend Celebration on Lovers near Love Field. They have been serving down home Texas Chicken Fried Steak and such since I was a child.

[percyn]

I guess I would like to focus my gastronomic experience during my trip for things Dallas (or Texas) is famous for...(to my Texas-naive mind, that would be chili, BBQ, good steak, etc). Not to say that I am against any other great cusine, but I can get in the NorthEast or trips abroad.

I will be staying at the Wyndham Anatole Hotel, if that location has any good foodie spots nearby, that would be great.

ladyyoung98, thanks for the info, I will try to make that trip to Rudy's.

Thanks

P

[Richard Kilgore]

Dallas isn't the best place in Texas for barbeque, but very good ones include Peggy Sue's (near SMU) and Sonny Bryan's (best known).

There are a number of excellent steak houses, but it sounds like you are more interested in a Texas-writ-large experience, in which case I would suggest the steakhouse at the Stockyards Hotel in Ft.Worth.

At the high end, I would recommend The Mansion at Turtle creek as a major culinary experience that Dallas is known for. There are others that are as good or better, but sounds like you have excluded four star restaurants unless they are stereotypically identifiable. Is that correct?

You have not mentioned Tex-Mex or Mex-Tex, in which we are rich. No interest or didn't know to ask?

[percyn]

Dallas isn't the best place in Texas for barbeque, but very good ones include Peggy Sue's (near SMU) and Sonny Bryan's (best known).

There are a number of excellent steak houses, but it sounds like you are more interested in a Texas-writ-large experience, in which case I would suggest the steakhouse at the Stockyards Hotel in Ft.Worth.

At the high end, I would recommend The Mansion at Turtle creek as a major culinary experience that Dallas is known for. There are others that are as good or better, but sounds like you have excluded four star restaurants unless they are stereotypically identifiable. Is that correct?

You have not mentioned Tex-Mex or Mex-Tex, in which we are rich. No interest or didn't know to ask?

←

Richard,

How could I have missed Tex-Mex cuisine (must have been my haste in typing )? Of-course, I would welcome any Tex-Mex suggestions as well. I love spicy food and am up for anything that does not have more than a handful of habaneros .

My intention is not to stereotype or exclude any culinary/gastronomic experience worth investigating, however, with limited time on my hands, I thought I would focus on restaurants offering regional cuisine rather than the typical 4 star restaurants, that serve the usual dishes, which I can indulge in closer to home or on trips to Europe. I am looking for those unique restaurants that provide an experience, or cuisine which I am unlikely to find outside of Dallas/Texas.

I appreciate the info and please feel free to continue recommending restaurants serving regional cusine (4 star or not) which are within 30-40 min driving distance.

[Richard Kilgore]

Most of the Ft.Worth restaurant's are within about 45 minutes of where you will be, more during rush hour, of course. Lanny's Alta Cocina located inside Joe T. Garcia's, which is a well-known Ft.Worth Tx-Mex restaurant. So you can go for fine dining at Lanny's (if you are lucky and they happen to have a single table open, reservations required) or Tex-Mex at Joe T.'s.

Herrera's (Tex-Mex) on Maple avenue will be close to your hotel.

Monica's Aca y Alla, for upscale Mexican. Some think it is one of the best in Texas.

You may want to do a search in this forum for Tex-Mex, Mexican, and Dallas. Those three will turn up many reviews and discussions of restaurants in the area that you may find interesting.

Feel free to ask more questions here, and let us know where you end up going.

[percyn]

OK,

Take back what I said about fine dining while in Dallas....

I see that the hotel I will be staying at has a restaurant called Nana (http://www.nanarestaurant.com/main.htm), which seems to have some decent dishes on the menu. Has anyone tried this?

Thanks

P

Edited November 4, 2004 by percyn (log)

[Richard Kilgore]

If you will do a Texas forum search on Nana, you will get this thread and nine others.

Has anyone been recently?

[percyn]

OK,

Just got back from my trip today and since I had forgotten to pack the cable for my digital cable, I could not transfer the images and thus post while on the road

Day 1:

Went to West End and walked around a bit, checking out the landscape and going some strategic planning . This was a Saturday night and the great weather and charged, touristy atmosphere brought flashbacks of a mini version of Bourbon street (of New Orleans fame). I immediately ruled out TGIF and the Palm steakhouse, as I could visit these at other times, in various locales. Sushi at Atomic sushi sounded tempting, but not distinctive (or clique) enough, so I decided to jump right to the BBQ. For some reason Sonny Bryon's (which is the most well known) was so empty that I thought it was closed. So I went next door to Tony Roma's, who had a patio full of people enjoying BBQ.

Tony Roma's claims to be best known for their ribs, and the ribs were good, but I wanted to try a bit of everything, so I ordered a platter which had ribs, chicken and smoked sausage, with sides of coleslaw and merlot mushrooms (came with bread and corn muffins/bread too). The Corona I ordered went perfectly with this.

Now, before I begin to describe this meal, let me say that I am not a BBQ purist and things not wrapped in butcher paper with a plain slice of white bread are still BBQ to me. The meat from Tony Roma's was delicious...all of it. The skin on the chicken was so nice and crispy that it reminded me of Peking duck (and the way it is air dried for that special effect). The sausage snapped when you took a bite and the ribs were tender and slid right of the bone (not hanging loose though). The BBQ sauce (extra served on the side) had a nice peppery kick to it (seemed to be vinegar based).

The sides were stars in their own right. The coleslaw was great...not watery or overdressed at all and you could feel the crunch from every shred of lettuce. The corn muffins/bread (not pictured) were warm and flaky.

This was a very delicious and satisfying meal and it left no room for dessert. In my personal (albeit not very extensive experience), this was one of the best BBQ meals I have had. As my later post will suggest, I prefer Tony Roma's BBQ over Sunny Bryon's. Unfortunately, I could not make it to Peggy Sue's but hope to have a chance to try it someday.

This BBQ was so good that I wanted to see if they could vacuum pack some for me and I would take it as extra baggage with me (or better yet eat it on the airplane just to start an uproar against the cheapness of airlines who don't server or sell meals onboard anymore).

Will post my experience at Sony Bryon's tomorrow.

Cheers

P

[percyn]

Day 2: Sonny Bryan's

On my 2nd night in Dallas, I went down to the West End area again. Although this is considered a bit of a touristy spot, I decided to try some of the other restaurants in the area, particularly Sonny Byron's (wanted to compare the taste to Tony Roma's, while that experience was still fresh in my mind). Unfortunately, the area was almost dead...quite contrary to the night before. It was a Sunday and many restaurants were closed, which puzzled me a bit, since this was a tourist area and I am sure they would do well on Sundays....after all the TGIF was open and doing well

Sonny Byran's seemed to be quite busy (opposed to Saturday, when it was almost dead). The patio seating was full (I got the last table), but there were still quite a few seats open inside, which is understandable, since it was around 70 F degrees at 9pm. The first thing I noticed when I sat down was the "bucket of condiments" (bottle of tobasco, paper napkins, honey, etc). Waited for about 10-15 min before someone came to take my drink order. I order a beer and waited another 10-15 min before somone came with placed a beer bottle on the table with a thunck. Finally ! I thought to myself, as I was getting impatient....as I picked up the bottle of corona on the dim lit patio, it felt warm...not room temp warm, but luke-warm as in someone had heated it...the corona also seemed to have a deep amber color. It was at that instant that I realized that this was BBQ sauce, served in a corona bottle....luckily I recoginized it for what it was and avoided taking a big gulp of it

So when the waitress finally arrived to take my dinner order some 30 min later, I was even more hungry than when I went into the restaurant. Again, I wish these BBQ places had a tasting menu, so that one could try a bit of everything. The closest thing on the menu was the "Family style, all you can eat dinner", where one could order any choice of 3 meats at a time and get a choice of 3 sides along with their "famous onion rings".

I ordered sides of fried okra, coleslaw and bbq beans and selected ribs, brisket and bbq chicken for my first set of 3 meats (BTW, the meat is served on a 1/2 plate, so it is not a lot, though collectively, it was a lot of food).

I was anxiously awaiting the food as I had heard so much about this restaurant...an institution since 1910 !! When the food came out, it all looked good. The onion rings were huge, oversized rings. I decided to try the onion rings while they were hot, but alas, they were limp and the onion tasted watery. It seemed like they only thing that would impress anyone was the size of the rings. So I tried some of the other sides. The fried okra was great...hot, crispy out crust with a soft okra center...very nice texture. The cloeslaw and bbq beans were good, but not great.

Next, I decided to dig into the meat...tried a rib first....these were not baby back ribs (which you can order for $1 more, the menu indicated) and I would compare them to bbq ribs I make on my propane grill. Not that special...

The chicken, I thought would be done to perfection...after all, they have been making it for over 95 years !! But alas, the chicken was dry and tastless...even a healthy slobering of sauce from the corona bottle did not help much

The brisket however was fabulous !! Finally, they can make something good here

I decided that the chicken might have been a fluke, so let me try another white meat .. turkey. Unfortunately this was even drier than the chicken and I barley ate any and ordered a plate of brisket and ribs.

So, even though I have only been here once, and don't claim to be a BBQ expert, my vote goes hands down to Tony Roma's over Sonny Bryan's.

Both places were reasonable priced, but it you prefer quantity over quality, go to Sonny Bryan's, otherwise, Tony Roma's it is.

Cheers

P

[percyn]

Day 3 - Cadillac Bar (Tex Mex)

On my 3rd night in Dallas (it was a Monday), I decided to go to the famous Deep Ellum area, popular for its music and food.

Unfortunately, I was not aware that 95% of the places were closed on Sunday and Mondays. This place was deserted and looked like the run down warehouse district it once was. I was very careful as I walked down the dark streets, staying on high alert and mentally rehearsing moves from 14 yrs of martial arts training (I should mention, that overall Dallas seemed very safe and like a friendly city, but something about Deep Ellum that night was not rubbing me the right way). I would not recommend making the trip to Deep Ellum, other than Thurs - Sat.

I was determined to find Monica's Aca y Alla, just it case it was open, so I kept walking up and down the 2 parallel streets, until I found it. Alas, it was closed, as I had feared. After about another 5 - 10 min of walking, I was able to find a cab (which usually are quite abundant in Dallas - like NYC, but they stop ) to take me back to, where else.... West End !!

Having done the BBQ thing for 2 nights in a row, I was really in the mood for some Tex Mex. So I headed to the only (Tex?) Mexican restaurant I had seen in the area...Cadillac Bar. They had advertised in the local pubs as having the next best Mexican food, north of the border (but I guess that is so cliché, that I did not believe it at first).

It was getting a bit late, say 9:30pm or so. There were a few patrons, again, all on the patio...hey, I like this trend !!

I ordered a Corona (being 50% confident that I would not to get BBQ sauce in a corona bottle here). The staff seemed really friendly and attentive. They immediately brought over my beer, restaurant made chips and really really good salsa, which was so fresh, I think it was made via mortar and pesto. The menu said that they also make their Guacamole fresh everyday, so I requested a small sample, which was provided immediately and was very good.

Many things on the menu looked tempting and I decided to order the Tampiquena - a marinated fajita (flank or skirt?) steak, served with the usual sides. When the dish arrived, it was huge!

The portion of steak for the price exceeded my expectation and the taste was just great (especially when dipped in the side of smoked jalapeño sauce). Now, I have never eaten just the fajita steak without the tortilla, but it seemed like a good "Atkins-friendly" meal. Everything was fresh and delicious, but I could not eat it all and only nibbled on the sides, which finishing the steak.

By now I was quite full, but the quality and freshness of the dishes made we wonder what untold treasures await my taste buds via their flan (I have a sweet tooth and love flan)

The flan was very good with candied pecans sprinkled on top (a Texas garnish I assume, as TX is known for pecans) and some bananas on the side. This was a good dish, but not one that surpassed by expectations.

Overall, the service was good, food excellent and very fresh (everyone on the surrounding tables seemed to be enjoying their food and complimenting the wait staff - but then again, what do us tourists know ).

While Monica's Aca y Alla is still on my list of restaurants I would like to visit on a return trip, I would definitely visit Cadillac Bar as well.

Cheers

P

Edited November 14, 2004 by percyn (log)

[Richard Kilgore]

Thanks for posting about your food adventures in the West End District in such detail and with photos, percyn.

I think that most people here would agree that Sonny Bryans in the West End is not the same as it was in the original ramshackle shack on Inwood Blvd. I hope on the next trip you have the opportunity to explore some of the truly outstanding Tex-Mex and Mex-Tex eateries, as well as barbeque at Peggy Sue's. Not to mention Monica's and some of the outstanding fine dining restaurants Dallas and Ft.Worth have to offer.

Let us know the next time you visit.

[percyn]

Thanks for posting about your food adventures in the West End District in such detail and with photos, percyn.

....

Let us know the next time you visit.

←

I am hoping to share my experience with others who are planning to visit Dallas and enjoy this great city.

I hope to revisit and try other places too. Well, I have one more post left (I stayed for one extra night)...saved the best for last. Dinner at Nana. I need a fair amount of uninterrupted time for this post, so I will try to get to it within the next few days.

Cheers

Percy

[percyn]

This was a Wednesday and my last day in Dallas. I left like there was so much yet to be explored from a culinary standpoint and had already made dinner reservations at Nana, a renown 5-star restaurant located in the hotel I stayed at, the Wyndham Anatole. The conference I was there for went a little past noon, after which I immediately went to the hotel, dropped off the conference stuff, grabbed my camera and headed out the door.

First stop.. Buck's Prime (a few blocks from the hotel, which claimed to have the best mesquite burgers and the air smelled like it). It was about 1pm and this place was packed with lunchtime locals from the surrounding businesses. There were soo many things that I would have liked to try, but had to settle for one. So I went for the chili-cheese burger. This was a pretty big (1/2 lb) burger, cooked to perfection and topped with amazingly good chili. The chili had a great meaty and smoky flavor by itself and when paired with the mesquite grilled burger, this was greasy heaven.

I was quite full and decided to walk around a bit near the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, the infamous place were JFK was shot. I would highly recommend a tour of this museum, even if this was before your time, as it gives you a glimpse into history. You can see the actual location of where Oswald shot Kennedy from (it is enclosed in glass though).

OK, back to the food. After spending a few hours at the museum and shopping, I stumbled on a cigar/tobacconist store near the museum. I went in to grab a cigar for my enjoyment after the dinner I was planning at Nana, but the atmosphere and owner of this place were so friendly, I decided to rest my barking dogs (feet) and enjoy a short Bolivar robusto. I wish I remembered the name of this place, but it is located between Dealey Plaza (near the 6th floor museum) and West End.

I started walking back towards Tony Roma's located in the West End to take home some bottles of BBQ sauce, since unfortunately they do not vacuum pack their ribs or brisket.

On the way over, I saw that the Chipolte, which I really wanted to visit, but was closed during evening hours was open. I had heard of this place, but never been to one as they do not have one within a 50 mile radius.

I ordered a Burrito with Carnitas (Niman free-range pork) and Barbacoa (spicy shredded pork). It was delicious - tasted fresh, very flavorful and the roasted corn salsa was great.

By now, it was 4pm and I the main purpose of my walking turned from transportation to a means of digestion. I made my way back to the hotel and changed by 7pm reservations to 9pm (the more time I had to make room in my tummy, the better). I started to think about this show I had seen where tasting professionals from the cheesecake factory traveled the world in search of additions to their menu, but warned the public that it was not as glamorous as it appears. I was no where near their extreme, but I was starting to see what they meant

After a few more hours exercise (packing) and digesting, the clock was nearing the 9pm mark, so I took a quick shower and started to head over to Nana Restaurant, located on the 27th floor of the Tower at the Wyndham Anatole.

The decor is good and I was promptly seated to my table, which unfortunately did not have a view of the famed Nana painting, but had a great view of the city's skyline. I had visited the Nana website and while there were many dishes that sounded intriguing, I decided to try the tasting menu with wine pairing to get a taste of the full spectrum of the kitchen's capabilities.

While I would have loved to try the 7 course tasting menu, my full stomach made me settle for the 4 course menu. The wait staff were very attentive and their service throughout dinner rivaled that of any fine restaurant in NYC, Paris, London, etc.

First Course: Smoked Salmon with roasted beets and horseradish cream.

Paried Wine : Willakenzie Estate Pinot Gris 2002, Oregon

This seems like a pretty simple dish, but the beets, horseradish cream and what seemed to be goat cheese paired very well with this amazingly viscous and flavorful Pinot Gris (unlike any other Pinot Gris I had tried).

Second Course: Mesquite Grilled Texas Quail with Parsnip puree, sherry braised shallots and red wine butter.

Paried Wine : Saintsburry Reserve Pinot Noir 1999, Carneros

The quail was nice and tender, but not as smokey as I had expected it to be. The parsnip puree was delicious and very easy to make, so I have added this to my repitour and might make this as a side for Thanksgiving

Third Course : Black Trumpet Dusted Venison Tenderloin with Pumpkin Risotto and Wild Huckleberry Glaze.

Paried Wine : Victor Hugo Zinfandel 2001, Paso Robles

While the pumpkin risotto lacked a bit of seasoning for my taste, the venison was the star of the show. The venison was rare to med-rare and the trumpet mushroom dusting gave it a good earthy taste. The wild huckleberry sauce was a good tart accompaniment for the venison.

Dessert : Moscato Soaked Almond Cake with Roasted Figs with mascarpone and port syrup

Paried Wine : Montevina Aleatico 1998, Amador County

Now, I love almond and marzipan and this almond cake was like eating an entire slice of marzipan, without all that sugar - it was perfect. The wine was incredible as well...hints of honey, nuts, caramel, etc. As good as the wine paring was for dessert, I had to pair it one of my favorite dessert drinks - coffee

This ended my 2 hr or so dinner at Nana, which taught me a lesson - do not discount fine dining in cities more well known for regional cuisines. Executive chef David McMillan was kind enough to sign my tasting menu, which I will add to my collection.

Overall, I enjoyed my visit to Dallas and plan to return. The weather, food and people seem very nice and I still have a list of restaurants I wish to try, which include:

Peggy Sue

Pacific Cafe

Yo! Steakhouse

Monica's Aca y Alla

etc

Cheers

Percy

P.S: Hope these posts inspire you to try these great places in Dallas, TX .