[DFW] Visiting M Streets and the Galleria

[bavila]

Hey y'all,

Hubby and I will be in Dallas Jan 23-27. We'll be staying with his grandmother in the M Streets and visiting friends near the Galleria. We've got a 3yo and a 4mo and (therefore) a limited budget. Where's the best flavor value at restaurants in these areas?

Also, for our home meals, I plan on doing some cooking, so where's a good place for produce, etc? We don't need exotics or anything fancy, but fresh and tasty always works. (In the past when we've visited, we've just let Grandma cook for us (loads o tortillas!), but we want to make sure we lay eyes on a few vegetables while we're there, so we'll give Grandma a little break that way.)

Thanks!

[Kevin72]

The Galleria is right off the tollway at 635. If you go a little further north you'll hit a huge number of restaurants, leading up to and including Addison, "restaurant row".

On the other side of 635, just a little west at the intersection of Forest and Preston, there's a Whole Foods.

[Bill Miller]

Go east on Westhiemer to Central Market ---real experience!!

[joiei]

The two 'Central Markets in the Dallas area are worth the trip. I would suggest the one on Coit road in Plano considering your location. There are directions to that store from your general area on the locations link on their site. And check out the Blood Orange soda.

[irodguy]

If you will be staying at the 'M' streets your closest Central Market will be located on Greenville & Lovers Lane. From the M streets just go south on Greenville to Lovers.

You might also think about going to the Farmers Market. The Farmers market is located Downtown off Pearl.

For big taste it really depends on what kind of food you are looking for. If you are adventurous you can go to the Ross Avenue area and find great Mexican food.

You could also go down to Bryan & Fitzhugh, on the NE corner you will find Jimmy's Italian Deli and the SW corner you will find May's Vietnamese and several other good oriental restaurants. I would advise this area for daytime trips more than nighttime.

If you like Chinese you can go North on 75 to Arapahoe turn right and turn right again on Greenville ave. You will find Chinatown on your left side. There are many great Chinese restaurants there.

[Bill Miller]

Hey y'all,

Hubby and I will be in Dallas Jan 23-27.  We'll be staying with his grandmother in the M Streets and visiting friends near the Galleria.  We've got a 3yo and a 4mo and (therefore) a limited budget.  Where's the best flavor value at restaurants in these areas?

Also, for our home meals, I plan on doing some cooking, so where's a good place for produce, etc?  We don't need exotics or anything fancy, but fresh and tasty always works.  (In the past when we've visited, we've just let Grandma cook for us (loads o tortillas!), but we want to make sure we lay eyes on a few vegetables while we're there, so we'll give Grandma a little break that way.)

Thanks!

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I'm sorry--I missed the Dallas part-- the galleria I know is in Houston--you will never find Westhiemer in Dallas!!!!! Do go to a Central Market!

[planojim]

The M Streets are a great area for Dallas food, especially Greenville Ave.

There's a hambuger joint called Snuffers that has the best cheese fries on the planet. Order your burger over cooked as to what you want, as the kitchen tends to under cook them (medium comes out medium rare, medium rare comes out RARE) etc.

http://www.guidelive.com/portal/page?_page...L&item_id=14124

Right across the street from there is a place called Gloria's that has El Salvadoran food. That's pretty good.

http://www.guidelive.com/portal/page?_page...AL&item_id=4818

A couple of miles north of there is Bakers Ribs, if you'd like to try a respectable version of BBQ. http://www.guidelive.com/portal/page?_page...L&item_id=14108

A good breakfast can be had at Cafe Brazil, the corner of University and 75.

http://www.guidelive.com/portal/page?_page...L&item_id=14106

On Mockingbird, near the corner of Grennville Ave is Campisi's, which some consider a Dallas institution. Italian food. Cash only.

http://www.guidelive.com/portal/page?_page...L&item_id=14116

Ali Baba has really good middle eastern food, with a great international market next door. 6 different fetas the last time I was in the market.

http://www.guidelive.com/portal/page?_page...AL&item_id=2474

Mockingbird Station has a great Irish Pub, called Trinity Hall

http://www.guidelive.com/portal/page?_page...AL&item_id=6478

Deifinitely check out the Central Market that was mentioned above at the corner of Lovers and Mockingbird.

There are a lot more great restaurants, like Hectors or Hibiscus, that are near you, but they tend to be a little pricey.

Enjoy your stay

[Grovite]

...a hambuger joint called Snuffers that has the best cheese fries on the planet.

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I'll second that!

Deifinitely check out the Central Market that was mentioned above at the corner of Lovers and Mockingbird.

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Not to be nit-pickey, but it's at the corner of Greenville and Lovers. Mockingbird runs parallel to Lovers.

[Richard Kilgore]

Hi bavila. Any particular types of food you are interested in?

[bavila]

Thanks for all the recs, everyone. I haven't had time to delve into them yet, but I will.

As for types of food, we go for just about anything. That said, we'll lean more toward stuff we can't easily get in Maryland -- Tex-Mex and BBQ. Probably boring to all of you... But we'll have ot balance this out with other flavors. Maybe some nice Thai, etc. I always appreciate knowing where I can get some nice fish and veggies for a lighter meal. And we won't be looking for Louisiana fare cuz we'll also be visiting Lafayette and New Orleans.

Oh, and we'll also be visiting another friend in Richardson if there's anything fabulous there.

[planojim]

ahhh....Barbeque.

I mentioned Bakers Ribs above. The only other place I can think of that's near the M Street is Peggy Sue's BBQ, which is on the other side of 75 from where you'll be, but not far at all. Some people rave about it, I think the Dallas Observer rated it best in Dallas, but from the couple of times I've been there, I wasn't overwhelmed. They do have great fried pies though.

http://www.guidelive.com/portal/page?_page...L&item_id=14024

[joiei]

Richard can tell you how to get to Thairiffic, I ate there once with him. Really good food.

[irodguy]

For good Thai near the M streets try

http://www.guidelive.com/portal/page?_page...AL&item_id=2372

[Richard Kilgore]

Richard can tell you how to get to Thairiffic, I ate there once with him.  Really good food.

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A search of the Texas forum using "Thai-riffic" turns up three pages of threads where it is mentioned. However the most informative may be this link to a Thai-riffic Tasting we had in the summer of 2004. Thai-riffic - hokey name, serious food - continues to be a frequent dining choice for me. Directions to the restaurant (Forrest at Webb's Chappel - not far from the Galleria) are here.

I have eaten my way through most of the menu, but don't miss the Pik Gai Yut (Mom's stuffed chicken wings). The spring rolls are humongously good appetizers, too. The family makes their own curry pastes - none of the pre-made stuff in the container that most restaurants use (and that I use at home), and the green curry is a favorite of many. The soups are wonderful; the Tom Kha Gai is delicious and very popular, but most people overlook the Gang Jued which is a heartier soup I often have. I am also fond of the Yum Neau (similar to the Laab, but I think it is more flavorful). Neu Param is a great beef dish. For seafood, I can recommend the Goong Gratiem (sauteed prawns with garlic, red and green bell pepper, mushrooms, chili paste and black pepper). I like the squid dishes (both hot and cold) but not everyone does. So too with the Pla Jian (deep fried pomphret fish with ground pork, onions, mushroom, ginger and bell pepper). If I plan a day ahead, I call and ask them to get a bit larger pomphret fish for me; for a few dollars more I think it does better because it is meatier and is less likely to overcook.

The Thai Tea is excellent.

Ignore the green tea ice cream, though it's okay...and go straight to the Mango & Sweet Rice for dessert. My favorite.

You can eat until you bust for $15 per (adult) person, tax and tip included. You can eat sensibly for $10 - 12 and have a great time. Pleasant staff and casual, friendly neighborhood atmosphere - sometimes it's like "Cheers" on Thai peppers. Tasteful decor with murals of Thailand on both long walls painted by the daughter, Noy, who also does murals and other interior artwork for homes and other restaurants.

[bavila]

Well, we left Dallas today. Unfortunately, I'd left my list of recs at home in Maryland and didn't have internet accesss while we were there, so I had to try to go from memory.

We hit Baker's Ribs. We were quite happy with the brisket, pulled pork and sausage we ordered. Sides were good enough -- beans, slaw, and potato salad. I really like the pecan cobbler though. Yuuummmmyyy.

Next was the Blue Goose. On our server's suggestion we ordered nachos (just so-so), beef chile rellenos (good), and a pork dish ("alambre" something) with mushrooms and tomatoes (quite flavorful). The tortilla chips were quite good, but the refried pintos were bland.

Last night we went to Gloria's, and got a kick out of the fact that they shared valet (complimentary) parking with Starbucks -- like you need a valet to get coffee. We were very happy with everything at Gloria's, especially since we were able to order our Don Julio margaritas for happy hour price ($8 vs $10). I like that refried black beans were served along with the chips and salsa, and our food was excellent -- chile relleno con queso, beef enchilado, and lechon asado accompanied by yucca, plaintains, beans and rice. The pork rocked, as did the mole(?) sauce on which it laid.

We also visited the farmer's market, which didn't have much local produce since it is January. But prices and quality were good for what they had. We were disappointed that the meat market was not open while we were there, despite signs indicating it should be. This will be more fun to explore in the summer, I'm sure. The local crop Rio grapefruit we picked up were great.

Thanks again, and we'll see you in another year or so!

[joiei]

Thanks for the report, the next time I am down that way, I will have to check out Gloria's and the *bucks with valet parking.