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Dallas-Fort Worth, TX


alan7147

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I ended up at:

Emporium Pies:  Picked up a Drunken Nut pie (bourbon pecan w/ a shortbread crust) to take to the tailgate. Was a big hit.

Smoke:  Met friends for lunch on Monday here before the tailgate.  The brisket sandwich was very good - and the cheesy grits/hominy side was very nice. My husband had the cabrito and loved it. Service was great. All 6 of us really enjoyed lunch, and the casual atmosphere was just perfect. The bread and butter pickles were quite tasty.

Missed breakfast the next day - can't even really say we had Brunch, since we didn't get back to the hotel until 1:30 am.  After being up since 4 am Dallas time, we slept late. Instead, we headed to Ft. Worth and had a really nice lunch at the Woodshed.  We started w/ the crispy potatoes and the Brisket stuffed peppers w/ bone broth and cheese. Both were really tasty.  My husband wanted something to dip in the bone broth, ended up using the crispy potatoes that he smashed. I had a plain old pulled pork sandwich, which was pretty good.  He went on to have "Today's animal flesh", which was cabrito once again. Totally different dish than the one at Smoke, and he really enjoyed it.  After lunch we went down to the historic area, wandered around a bit, then had a drink at the White Elephant Saloon.  Pretty dead in the middle of a Tuesday afternoon, but the drinks were exceptionally inexpensive.

Last snack before our flight was at Dallas Love Field (DAL) - sat at the bar at the Sky Canyon.  Husband had the brisket sandwich, I had the brisket tacos.  Were not bad, especially for airport food. The bartended poured a generous Knob Creek for me.

Thanks again to everyone for the advice.  My friends always count on me to pick the restaurants, and I am glad I was able to deliver again.  They are already talking about next year in Glendale, AZ. I won't go there just yet, don't want to jinx anything.

Go Bucks!

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Spent a few days in the Dallas area, and had a few good meals:

--Hunky's: a nice jalapeno cheddar burger, fried mushrooms, and chocolate cake (I was hungry!) were solid if unremarkable. After a long flight on an empty stomach, I had no complaints.

--Lonesome Dove (Fort Worth) was very good, in my experience. The yellow squash soup was nicely spiced and simple, which was appropriate. The duck breast with fowl sausage was very good--the fowl sausage, in particular, was very worthwhile, an interesting blend of (I think) foie gras and duck forcemeat, which was battered and fried. It walked the line (and maybe crossed it) of state fair food, but was delicious. The ancho chocolate cake was completely over the top, with the chocolate-y ancho pepper flavor making the cake a bit <too> chocolate-y, in my view, and not enough on the plate to counterbalance that (a weak vanilla bean ice cream). It's a nice setting, and there is something about Fort Worth that made me feel that I was always about 5 minutes from either seeing a gunfight or a flash mob doing the cowboy boogie.

--Abacus was completely fine. My duck breast appetizer (I like duck, obviously) was nicely counterbalanced with a few sweet potato gnocchi, which weren't perfect from a texture standpoint (not pillowy, perhaps a bit overcooked) but were flavorful. My beef was very nicely grilled, and served simply with roasted fingerling potatoes and a red wine/cherry reduction. No complaints. The pecan pie was overly crusty and underwhelming. That area in Dallas is filled with restaurants, and this one is a long time survivor (I think I heard the chef say that they had been open since 1999), and was absolutely packed on a Saturday night.

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Gemma

I've never been to Napa Valley, and I couldn't define "Napa Valley Cuisine" besides what Christopher Kostow and Michael Chiarello told me on TV, but I imagine Gemma is what happens when Northern California cooking meets North Texas ingredients -- simple, seasonal food made to accompany wine, served by two St. Helena restaurant veterans who made the move to Dallas.

Owners Stephen Rogers (chef) and Allison Yoder (general manager), who both spent seven years working in Napa, have become critical favorites since opening Gemma in late 2013 (with countless crimes against headline puns to prove it), and the restaurant remains one of city's toughest reservations on any open night.

Besides the food though, there's a warmth to the place that is lacking in most new restaurants. It's soundproofed to the point you can have a private conversation. The interior has a sort of handcrafted Pier One look, which is a bright and welcome reprieve from those dark industrial spaces. Service is approachable but also well-trained. The result is a special occasion destination that serves just as well as a neighborhood favorite -- weekly bar meals seems the norm for certain customers, and the restaurant fills up with industry folk during late night (the kitchen serves an abbreviated menu until 1 a.m.).

Pumpernickel bread and fig scone -- While the atmosphere may be unpretentious, deceptively formal service standards remain. I enjoy bread service, especially if it's done well in-house, and this was such a case.

Goat ricotta with fava bean puree and grilled bread ($10.50) -- A summary of what Gemma does best. Caringly made ricotta with a twist of black pepper and faintest swirl of Texas honey, surrounded by a pool of freshly crushed favas. Perfectly grilled bread on the side for spreading. Simple, exacting food that leaves an impression.

Ricotta cavatelli with braised lamb, dandelion greens and shimeji mushrooms ($24.50) -- Two pastas are mainstays on the menu; a cavatelli and a pappardelle. The minor accompaniments change as necessary, and I was glad to get a little bitterness from the braised greens to cut through the lamb. The texture of the cavatelli itself was fine, not great, but overall a good dish.

Assorted ice creams and sorbets ($12.50) -- The rewards of a small restaurant having a dedicated pastry chef. The fruit sorbets were good, the cocoa nib and vanilla ice creams were very good, and the coconut and cardamom ice creams were sublime.

Satisfying and familiar, but with enough finesse to stave off boredom. And top notch service to boot. Recommended.

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I'm heading to a conference near DFW tomorrow, and although I'm a native Texan, it's a pretty big area to cover, so I'm hoping to get some restaurant advice from the experts here. Of course, barbecue is a priority, but I'm open to any dinner suggestions. 

I'll have to rely on uber, so time/distance are a factor. Staying at the DFW Marriott South.

Thanks in advance!

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8 hours ago, reedm said:

I'll have to rely on uber, so time/distance are a factor. Staying at the DFW Marriott South.

That's a tough location to get around DFW from. The Mid-Cities don't have many dining destinations, but Via Real in nearby Irving is above-average, family-run Mexican food with great formal atmosphere. Very comparable to Fonda San Miguel in Austin. It also gets deceptively busy during the week, mostly due to business travelers such as yourself.

Barbecue is Mission: Impossible for conference-goers (unless you can explain a two hour absence for lunch). There may be locals or hotel staff that recommend Hard Eight in Coppell, but it's middling. Your best choice/chance would be Lockhart Smokehouse in the Bishop Arts District of Oak Cliff (Dallas). They are usually open for dinner hour, although from your hotel it's at least 20 miles to get there. If you can manage the trip it's worth sticking around the area, as the walkability and proliferation of small businesses/restaurants make it one of Dallas' best neighborhoods. Grab a drink at Bishop Cider Co. or Ten Bells Tavern after dinner, then make sure to get a slice of pie from the cute and always crowded Emporium Pies

Trinity Groves is about the same distance from your location as Bishop Arts, but it's a lot more trite. It's basically a bunch of generic restaurant concepts packed under one developer's roof. Very popular though, and you could find yourself in worse places to eat. Casa Rubia is a Dallas version of Jaleo, and I do enjoy Off-Site Kitchen for their eclectic burger and fries menu. A half a mile west from Trinity Groves are two of the best taquerias in the city: Tacos Mariachi is run by an exceedingly friendly owner (who remembered me after one visit a month prior) and does excellent, Tijuana-influenced tacos. Stick with the specials and seafood, as their chopped pulpo is some of the best octopus I've had. Trompo is the second aforementioned taqueria, with a focus on Monterrey-style trompo and open-face quesadillas. Their genuine trompo tacos are among the three best tacos in DFW, although they've been selling out by early afternoon ever since Andrew Knowlton gave them a nod in Bon Appetit last month. 

I haven't been to FT33 in a year but they fill the quota for sleek, modernist cuisine in Dallas. Again, located on the west side of Dallas to avoid as much traffic as possible. The cooking has left me a bit cold in the past, and from my experience you should stick with appetizers. Across the highway from FT33 is Sprezza, a summer newcomer with very good Roman small plates and pastas. Julian Barsotti is the owner, and he's one of a handful of Texan chefs doing excellent Italian in a region known for bad Italian. 

I'm going to cross off all of Park Cities, Uptown, Deep Ellum, Lower Greenville and East Dallas from your list -- trying to get through the mix-master construction that runs through Dallas is not recommended. But if you want my opinion on somewhere specific, send me a message. 

Good luck, and let me know if I've led you astray :)

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Will,

Wow. This is one of the many reasons I love this site. Thanks very much!

One follow-up. I think I'm close to a TRE stop. Have you used the light rail, and if so, will it provide access to any of the spots you recommend? I'll be taking a closer look at the rail stops

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2 hours ago, reedm said:

One follow-up. I think I'm close to a TRE stop. Have you used the light rail, and if so, will it provide access to any of the spots you recommend? I'll be taking a closer look at the rail stops

Good point, you are next to a station that takes you right into Dallas. Light rail is mostly dependable in DFW, it's just slower than other versions on the East Coast. The trains physically move slower and the wait times between them is longer if you're used to Metro. But hey, at least you're not driving.

Funnily enough, everywhere I mentioned above is not easily accessible via DART. There are stations somewhat nearby, but you'd still have to ping an Uber. 

In that case, I'd recommend Deep Ellum. You take the TRE to Victory Station (right in front of American Airlines Center), then transfer to the Green Line headed to Buckner. Get off at the Deep Ellum or Baylor Medical Center stop, as both are in the same neighborhood. Once there, Pecan Lodge has the best barbecue in DFW and ranks right up there with Austin and Hill Country's best, but only serves past 3 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. The flagship Cane Rosso is down the street -- they were one of the first places really going for Neapolitan pizza, and have succeeded so well that about a half-dozen more of them are across the Metroplex. My favorite is the Delia, with arugula, roasted cherry tomatoes and an addicting bacon marmalade. Quality at the expansions has never reached the times I've eaten at the original, but it's been awhile since I've swung by the latter.  

Dallas decided it needed a Husk replica, so Filament was born. It's the second restaurant for Matt McCallister (FT33) and has received mostly positive reviews. I haven't had a chance to try it myself, but you can look at a menu and see if it fits your taste. 

I have been to Monkey King Noodle Company, and it's a great, low-key option if you want simple Chinese. They focus entirely on hand-pulled noodles and a few dumplings. The Hot Spicy Beef Noodle Soup is their signature, although you have to really be in the mood to finish a bowl when the summer here lasts from March to September. Don't let that scare you away, however, as they do cold noodle dishes as well. They've converted their former location down the block into a Taiwanese dessert stand that just opened a week ago, which seems interesting.

Luscher's Red Hots is fast casual, opened by Chicago native and seemingly overall cool guy Brian Luscher. I used to wake up at an ungodly Saturday hour to get one of the Chicago dogs he'd serve at the farmer's market before he found a location, and while those are still great (disclaimer: I have no point of reference and have never been to Illinois), I gravitate to the rest of the menu more. The specials are just that: a corn dog that can hang with Fletcher's, tallow fries that take an already excellent french fry and ascend them straight to God's right hand, and a fried smelt basket filled with everything delicious. They also do one of those excessive burgers (Uncle Herky) if you're into that. Definitely get a side of onion rings no matter what you order, as they are by far the best in the city. 

Braindead Brewing has an excellent corner patio with their own taps and food you should only graze on before or after a better meal elsewhere. Black Swan Saloon is an excellent place to get a custom cocktail. On The Lamb, Brick and Bones and On Premise are all recent additions to the area that skew more towards alcohol with some interesting food options; I have no experience with any of the three but they may be worth investigating for you.

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Despite the incredible information and recommendations from Will_5198, my trip was a bit of a bust from a dining perspective. The conference organizer had pre-arranged dinner for the conference presenters, which was a nice gesture, but it meant I ate virtually every meal in the DFW Marriott Airport South. While I admit that I'm selective when it comes to restaurants, I'm OK with generic food if it's prepared well. Unfortunately, nearly everything I ate was horrible. The first night's dinner featured two large pieces of tuna that had died two deaths. I've never seen gray tuna before, but despite my instincts, and much to my regret, I was a good guest and ate a majority of it. :(

The allure of barbecue is strong, so I made time to sneak away for lunch one day. Thanks to Will's advice, I hopped aboard the TRE and headed to Dallas. (Side note; a round trip/day pass is a mere $5). I'd forgotten about an important quirk of some Texas barbecue restaurants; many are open for lunch only, so that limited my options. I chose Mike Anderson's BBQ House, located close to the UT Southwestern Medical Center, and a short walk from the Medical Center TRE station. The restaurant is only open 1030-230 Mon-Sat, so I had to do some planning to make sure I could be there when they were open, and then return to my hotel. 

I'll spare the details, but I chose the $15 BBQ dinner plate, which allowed me to choose three meats and two sides. The brisket was dry, but that's not an uncommon occurrence in my experience. The jalapeno and cheese links were excellent, and the pork ribs were the star of the plate. For sides, I selected the "cheezy corn bake w/poblano and onions", and 3 deviled eggs. The corn casserole wasn't fine dining, but it was tasty. The eggs looked promising, but they lacked seasoning. 

Full of barbecue, I made my way through the enormous medical complex, took a wrong turn, and missed my return train by less than a minute. The bad news was that the next train was not scheduled to depart for 90 minutes. Thanks to uber, I was only slightly delayed, so it was worth the $17 fare. 

Other than that, I had had a fairly horrible "Japanese" buffet lunch at Midori (located close to the hotel) before I headed back to the airport. 

Most importantly, thanks to Will_5198 for proving such thorough recommendations. Very impressive!

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Resident Taqueria

The opening of Resident Taqueria a year ago was the Eater article that wrote itself -- chef spends career working coast-to-coast and building a CV that lists Keller and Jean-Georges as employers, settles down to raise family in Dallas neighborhood as a culinary instructor, then decides to open his own place using fine-dining experience to “elevate” street food. The fact that the chef’s sister-in-law is a Pitchfork-approved indie artist and served tables the first week was the page view cherry on top.

Even above-it-all hypocrites like myself are interested in trendy new spots, though, and after months of visits (the place fills up quickly and often) I’ll join the chorus in praise.

The first thing they nail is the atmosphere. It has the polished utility of a quick-service-franchise, balanced with a friendly neighborhood vibe. It’s dim in the right places, colorful everywhere, and the ever-busy tortilla machine that rolls out fresh masa balls onto the griddle is welcome background chatter. The tortillas are not hand-pressed but are made to order, the standard being flour with a extremely delicate texture (corn available upon request).

Of their eight everyday options, the Braised beef short rib with onion, tomato confit and chipotle crema ($4) is the best of the meat tacos. Really decadent and balanced. Not far behind is the Glazed pork belly with cucumber, slaw and agave ($3) -- both show a kitchen that’s spent a lot of time on how composed and varied a dish with three bites can taste. 

Daily fish tempura with cabbage, radish and lime crema ($3) is your standard white fish taco, albeit a pretty one (thanks to watermelon radish). Slow-cooked mushroom with poblanos, oaxaca cheese and almond salsa ($3) is also fine; a nice option for the vegetarians among us.

As far as (somewhat) traditional choices go, the Resident braised pork shoulder with pineapple, cabbage and guajillo salsa ($3) is well-done but typical in flavor. I like my chorizo tacos heaving with fat, so the drier and coarser House-made chorizo with onion, potato and smoked tomato crema ($3) didn’t make me go crazy. Both are good, but there are comparable versions at other taquerias and can be skipped here.

Caramelized cauliflower with fried kale, pepitas and lemon epazote aioli ($3) is the offering you cannot bypass, however. It is their showstopper, a vegetarian taco that stands favorably with any meat option in the city. The cauliflower is sliced thin and placed on the same griddle that warms the tortillas, then topped with a crunchy balance of pumpkin seeds and kale. Of all the delicious braised meats that can go inside a tortilla, this out-of-nowhere vegetable combination is as delicious as anything else. Simply one of the best tacos in Dallas.

You should also try whatever special they're running that day. I've seen duck carnitas with escabeche, tempura squash blossom, coconut shrimp, sweetbreads, and even San Antonio-style puffy tacos on occasion. 

I’ve always said the best tacos in Dallas are the ones down the street from you -- great options are everywhere, so location and familiarity are important. But the inspired small masterpieces being served at Resident Taqueria are worth a longer drive.

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We've decided to clear out during inauguration weekend and are heading to Dallas to watch the Caps take on the Stars.  My husband has spent lots of time in Texas, but none in Dallas (and I've never been either) - but I'm sure Tex-Mex and BBQ will be high on his list.  Any recommendations for places near American Airlines Arena (I think we're going to stay at the Hyatt House nearby) would be much appreciated - we could Uber/cab to other locations as well.  Thanks!

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On 11/14/2016 at 10:15 AM, bettyjoan said:

Any recommendations for places near American Airlines Arena (I think we're going to stay at the Hyatt House nearby) would be much appreciated - we could Uber/cab to other locations as well.  Thanks!

Despite downtown itself being largely a bore, if you end up in that area there’ll be plenty nearby. 

Fine Dining

Uchi is two blocks away, the third version of Tyson Cole’s Austin original. Cole’s take on Japanese simplicity with Texan accents won him a Beard Award -- grapefruit instead of yuzu, Mexican chiles with bluefin tuna, sautéed foie gras nigiri -- and the Dallas outpost is a collection of his greatest hits. Note that it has been oppressively popular since opening a year ago, as even Sunday nights are often booked through.

Uchi has plenty of sushi, even daily Tsukiji specials, but I’d focus more on the unique composed dishes (don’t forget to order a fried milk for dessert!). The overall consistency of the restaurant is at a lower level than either one of Cole’s restaurants in Austin, but at its best Uchi is still a surreal experience: a restaurant that feels absolutely Japanese and Texan at the same time. 

Above Uchi is Top Knot, which is not fine dining but rather Asian small plates. Cole’s dip into David Chang-style bar food, with the usual overzealous bao, healthy veggies done carnivore-style, fried chicken and excessive desserts. 

Speaking of Beard winners, Dean Fearing and Stephan Pyles are two legends who popularized southwestern food as fine dining, but I can’t give their flagships much of a recommendation. Fearing’s, part of the Ritz-Carlton, should be skipped unless one of the Dallas Mavericks insists on paying for dinner. Even then I can think of better ways to blow $100+ a person. Stopping by for dessert is not the worst idea, though.

Pyles’ closed his eponymous restaurant earlier this year and replaced it with Flora Street Café at the end of summer. I have yet to dine there, but my outlook soured after seeing his new chef de cuisine touting a stage at Grace, then unleashing copycat Curtis Duffy dishes on the fawning, unsuspecting Dallas public. As with most Pyles restaurants Stampede 66 was best at its opening, but still worth a downtown lunch. 

When it comes to breakfast, lunch and dinner, CBD Provisions remains the king of downtown. It’s a Texan-southern-New American mash-up menu, with something for everyone but all of it done well. The pig head carnitas ($75, two-day notice) are a Dallas dining bucket list item. 

“Tex-Mex”

Mexican restaurants are not often “one-size-fits-all” here, despite what their menus indicate. Amid all the standard offerings, there are hidden, unassuming specialties -- likely based on the region of Mexico the owners originated from, and far superior to everything else.

Manny's Uptown Tex-Mex is one such place, although they’ll proudly tell you to order their locally famous brisket tacos ($10.50). As “Tex-Mex” cuisine has become ubiquitous nationwide, brisket in a cheesy griddled taco remains sort of a Dallas specialty. Manny’s beats its competitors thanks to their brisket gravy, which should be drizzled on everything they plate. Plus you get to eat in a cool/garish yellow house.

Avila’s is also worth an Uber. Super cramped, with an ill-suited layout, a true parking lot of death out front and a great chile relleno from the kitchen. Their salsa is one of the hotter varieties I’ve had at a popular restaurant, which makes it that much more addicting.

El Fenix may seem a tempting option, as it is not far from American Airlines Center, but despite the 98-year history the food is barely passable. Next door is Meso Maya, which is much better, yet still lacking a certain destination-worthy draw to it. La Ventana completes the trio on that block (all owned by the same company), and are the best tacos you’ll eat in a two-mile radius: quality ingredients cooked well, not spectacularly.

Barbecue

Firstly, and I cannot stress this enough, but great barbecue is a lunch-only event. Even among places that are open past 3 p.m., do not expect to lavish your tray with anything more than a chopped brisket sandwich or their last remaining sausages. 

Pecan Lodge is within easy striking distance via DART (light rail; buy an all-day pass for $5 and take the station in front of American Airlines Center) and continues to be one of Texas’ best ‘cue restaurants. Which of course, makes it one of the world’s best. Beef ribs and brisket (fatty) are their landmarks, but order all the meats you can and don’t worry about the sides. Waits vary based on weather and day, with weekends being especially bad. But nowhere near the Andrei Rublev-esque commitment that Franklin demands.

Closer and more accessible is The Slow Bone. The name can be blamed on former owner Jack Perkins, who aside from cooking a delicious burger is best known for eating fries off customer’s plates and getting into social media showdowns with egoistical customers. The brisket, ribs and sausage here are all above average, but you really want to save room for the multitude of side dishes. They also do memorable fried chicken. Horrible parking and swarmed by the business lunch crowd, so plan accordingly.   

18th and Vine is close as well, but more of a full restaurant than the aforementioned. Although they serve the Texas trinity, true to their name the cooking leans towards Kansas-City-style. Not sure if flying to Dallas to experience a facsimile of Missouri barbecue is the type of recommendation Don Rockwell readers appreciate, but I vouch for their delicious burnt ends ($13). Thanks, KC. 

Do not by any chance wander into a Dickey’s or Sonny Bryan’s and expect a meal that resembles barbecue.

****

As always, if a specific restaurant comes to mind, let me know and I'll chime in with an opinion (if I have one). 

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FT33

It’s been a few years since I’ve dined at Matt McCallister’s FT33, mainly due to an underwhelming first experience and prices that never seemed to match their value. I’ve kept an eye on their progress, however, and after a few months of menu-browsing I felt compelled to give the place another go.

The restaurant has just recently switched to a prix fixe focus: four courses for $65, which I find much more appealing since you can choose all four courses. You can still order a la carte, but with appetizers at $15-19 and $38 mains, it seems less of a value. I found the portion sizes to be largely the same either way.

Spanish G&T ($12) -- This was fine. A little too floral or vegetal for myself but I was fairly warned by the bartender.

Sourdough, sweet potato focaccia, whipped butter -- Nice diversion but nothing too memorable otherwise.

Beef heart tartare with blue barley, sour carrots, shallot jam and horseradish panade -- What kept me interested in FT33 this whole time were dishes such as this. Raw beef heart is still a pretty risky offering in Dallas, so I respect McCallister for putting it on his menu. I thought the horseradish and fresh parsley were a little strong, making the tartare fade on several bites, but this was overall enjoyable. 

Pork and squab pate en croute with mustard and mushroom salad -- This would’ve never been on the menu a year or two ago, but I love the fact there is still room for traditional techniques here. Pate was excellent, although the raw mushroom salad was my favorite part -- thin sliced and dressed with something vinegary. Great contrast.  

Belle Vie duck breast and cotechino, purple top turnips and hoshigaki in brown butter -- Belle Vie is an independent farm just outside Austin, and credit to them for raising such a delicious duck. It was rendered beautifully and just the right shade of rare (albeit a tad salty). A small round of duck sausage was the best thing on the plate, however. Turnip puree rounded out things nicely, and I’d never had hoshigaki before but I applaud the extra effort to not just tack on a compote.

Buttermilk pie with shortbread crisp, charred grapefruit and candied fennel -- Maggie Huff, FT33’s pastry chef, was not onboard the last time I dined here. She seems talented, having worked with McCallister back at Stephan Pyles, and I enjoyed her take on a classic dessert: the custard filling had been blended into a freeform base, with a buttery crisp on top. Reminiscent but different. Only hitch was the garnish -- this is prime grapefruit season in Texas, but this marks three restaurants in a row where they were more sourer than usual. Odd coincidence.

In summary, a very good meal. Creative, grounded in fundamental flavor, with just a few composition nitpicks that kept it from being a great one. A relative value, as well, considering I’ve wasted as much money buying frozen fish at Pappadeaux. Lastly, the service was trying extremely hard (in a good way) -- I’ve heard about and seen some inconsistencies in the FOH here over time, but everyone was going above and beyond this night.

After several years of tepidness, I’m much more enthusiastic about FT33 now and in the future.

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Goldee's Barbecue

What does being number one mean? Being at the top of any list is a story as much as a ranking, whether you are an 86-year-old female pitmaster who made pork steaks in Lexington a destination meal for global travelers, or an unassuming guy from Bryan who nationalized the craft barbecue scene in an iconic teal trailer in Austin.

Last fall, Texas Monthly published their latest Top 50 list of barbecue restaurants, only their sixth edition in the last quarter-century (1997, 2003, 2008, 2013, 2017, 2021).

Goldee's was ranked the number one barbecue restaurant in the state. They opened in 2020.

The owners -- Lane Milne, Jalen Heard, Jonny White, Nupohn Inthanousay and Dylan Taylor* -- are a group of younger guys who grew up together, graduated high school and ended up working for several acclaimed barbecue spots (mostly in Austin). Then came back to open up their own spot in Kennedale, which is tucked between Fort Worth and Arlington.

(*I first saw Dylan Taylor at La Barbecue several years ago, right after John Lewis left. Then I saw him cutting meat at Truth BBQ a year or two later. I have seen all the other co-owners working at Goldee's but never him, and you don't hear from him at all since their number one ranking. He is sort of a barbecue nomad, for whatever reason, and that might be another story in and of itself.)

While fairly low-key before their anointed king status, there is now a line befitting a restaurant that serves barbecue as good as they do. It is long, but plannable and not insane yet (depending on your definition). Waiting in line, you realize they definitely nailed the location -- although Kennedale is only 20 minutes from JerryWorld, you could easily be in the outskirts of Lockhart or any other small Texas town.

Brisket ($32/pound) is not offered as lean or moist, but a combination of both. It is the showpiece here, as pure an example as you can have in Texas. The bites here reminded me of my first visit to Franklin Barbecue, nearly a decade ago. To search for fault in this brisket is to analyze food past the point of enjoyment.

Pork ribs ($28/pound) took me by surprise -- in the best way. What a bite. What a bark, with the right balance between sweet and peppery. Which I believe can be attributed to a ton of Lawry's (White worked at Franklin for three years and said Aaron used Lawry's every single day, with their "salt and pepper" rub being purely for cameras). Texas-style pork ribs do not usually excite me, but these were exquisite and my favorite part of the meal.

Turkey ($28/pound) is as unctuous as white meat can get. I believe the best part about smoked turkey meat is it makes a divine carrier of barbecue sauce. Goldee's version is a ketchup + mustard blend, and on the sweeter side.

Sausages ($6/link) are coarse-ground, snappy, and comparable to the best sausages from my favorite little yellow trailer in Austin. They keep it simple, with a regular house sausage literally gushing with flavor most days. If you're lucky you might see a Lao version, based on a family recipe by Inthanousay.

I did get a beef rib ($35/pound) on my first-ever visit. Haven't had one in years. But it reminded me of the majesty that is the beef rib, an assortment of all the best barbecue textures and flavors in a pound-and-a-half package. The crustiest bark, that's like eating a full-tray of burnt ends. The completely rendered, fatty section that melts upon contact. The lean bites that are a perfect intermission from all the hedonism. The little odd bits at the end, that eat like smoked jerky. If you have never had a beef rib in your life, you can get one here and cross it off the list forever.

The sides are classic, presented simply but done with the same precision as the meats. Potato salad has the holy trinity of mustard, red onion and celery (well, one of my holy trinities…there are several). Beans are damn good; definitely brisket scraps in there. Coleslaw is shredded and vinegary, with bits of kale and red onion. Kennedale stew is pork hash over rice -- not one I see much, and a little heavy for me as a barbecue side. The airy, sweet white bread that is baked in-house also reminds me of the same bread served at Micklethwait (which makes sense, as Milne cooked there for some time -- in fact, most of the sides remind me of Micklethwait). Banana pudding and bread pudding are not best in class, but well-done and simple delights at the end.

What's cool is they are not beholden to any tradition. Goldee's is theirs, and theirs to change. They use foil to wrap their briskets. They stopped using kosher salt and opt for table salt instead. They don't have mac and cheese and probably never will. They keep changing their recipes, so they could be even better in years to come.

To me, Goldee's at number one means that five friends can get their start in this heavily-saturated barbecue era, learn from the best while making their own path, find an old spot and serve as good as food as anybody in Texas. And if that's not the spirit behind barbecue, what is?

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Zavala's Barbecue

Since moving to Texas over a decade ago, the majority of my favorite barbecue experiences have been special occasions. The occasion being, a planned trip out of your way, solely to eat at an acclaimed barbecue establishment, in which you wait in an hours-long line to order the entire menu in one shot and never finish the entire tray. Crossed off the list, to say you have been here or there and can rate them properly on the internet or among strangers in the next barbecue line you stand in.

And I love all of that.

But Zavala's Barbecue showed me a new type of barbecue experience. The kind where you become a regular, where you're only a 10-minute drive away, where you never really have to wait in a long line, where you have eaten nearly every special and regular menu item a dozen times over.

This personal convenience does not equate to lesser barbecue -- they made the cut on the most recent Texas Monthly top 50 list, for those counting -- and I'm sure there are plenty of customers who do in fact make a special detour to their Grand Prairie address.

To those looking to make it a special occasion, I'd say their very black-peppered brisket has always been good but has come a long way in the past year or so (I prefer their lean over their moist). Not the rarefied air of the very best places across the state, but nothing you wouldn't be happy to see on your butcher paper.

Their pork ribs, however, are one of my favorite versions anywhere. Love a spare rib that has a beautiful crust without being over-glazed or sugared up, while still being tender enough that every bite leaves a clean bone. The best ribs I've ever eaten in Texas have come from City Market, Goldee's and La Barbecue -- Zavala's, on top of their game, can compete with any of those three.

Sausages are all enjoyable, from the spicier pizza pepper (ie crushed red pepper) links to my favorite, the boudin (filled with rice and brisket scraps). Turkey and pulled pork are tasty but can be skipped, like nearly all Texas barbecue spots.

As for the sides, those lean more Mexican: pico de gallo on the side instead of pickles and onions, flour tortillas (not made in-house, regrettably) instead of white bread, cheesy hominy instead of macaroni. One of their signature items is a Sloppy Juan, which is chopped brisket doused in barbecue sauce and wrapped in a large tortilla (taking the place of a regular chopped brisket sandwich). Or just get some of their beef cheek when they have it, top it with pico, their intense salsa verde, and make your own taco that'll be even better.

Shout-out to their potato salad by the way. It's more of a German version, served warm, mayo-heavy and loaded with bacon bits and green onion. I am a potato salad person and this one touches my heart.

So yeah, Zavala's is the home team. From the owners (Joe Zavala and wife Christan, who herself runs a coffee shop up the street called Mas Coffee, serving the same barbecue as breakfast tacos) to every single person I've met working there, they all have been nothing but gracious and hospitable on each visit. I've even run into the pit crew at least three or four times while in line at Goldee's on a Sunday (mutual respect and a long history, as Goldee's did one of their pre-restaurant pop-ups at Zavala's).

I never knew I needed a neighborhood barbecue restaurant. But every barbecue lover should be lucky enough to find one for themselves.

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Ribs and pork steak special. They just added a direct fire pit and should be doing more pork steaks and even whole hog.

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DIY brisket taco.

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Favorite potato salad.

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Spicy coleslaw, pork ribs and beef cheek. Future tacos.

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Steak fajita night special. 

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On 5/11/2023 at 1:48 AM, will_5198 said:

Zavala's Barbecue

Since moving to Texas over a decade ago, the majority of my favorite barbecue experiences have been special occasions. The occasion being, a planned trip out of your way, solely to eat at an acclaimed barbecue establishment, in which you wait in an hours-long line to order the entire menu in one shot and never finish the entire tray. Crossed off the list, to say you have been here or there and can rate them properly on the internet or among strangers in the next barbecue line you stand in.

And I love all of that.

But Zavala's Barbecue showed me a new type of barbecue experience. The kind where you become a regular, where you're only a 10-minute drive away, where you never really have to wait in a long line, where you have eaten nearly every special and regular menu item a dozen times over.

This personal convenience does not equate to lesser barbecue -- they made the cut on the most recent Texas Monthly top 50 list, for those counting -- and I'm sure there are plenty of customers who do in fact make a special detour to their Grand Prairie address.

To those looking to make it a special occasion, I'd say their very black-peppered brisket has always been good but has come a long way in the past year or so (I prefer their lean over their moist). Not the rarefied air of the very best places across the state, but nothing you wouldn't be happy to see on your butcher paper.

Their pork ribs, however, are one of my favorite versions anywhere. Love a spare rib that has a beautiful crust without being over-glazed or sugared up, while still being tender enough that every bite leaves a clean bone. The best ribs I've ever eaten in Texas have come from City Market, Goldee's and La Barbecue -- Zavala's, on top of their game, can compete with any of those three.

Sausages are all enjoyable, from the spicier pizza pepper (ie crushed red pepper) links to my favorite, the boudin (filled with rice and brisket scraps). Turkey and pulled pork are tasty but can be skipped, like nearly all Texas barbecue spots.

As for the sides, those lean more Mexican: pico de gallo on the side instead of pickles and onions, flour tortillas (not made in-house, regrettably) instead of white bread, cheesy hominy instead of macaroni. One of their signature items is a Sloppy Juan, which is chopped brisket doused in barbecue sauce and wrapped in a large tortilla (taking the place of a regular chopped brisket sandwich). Or just get some of their beef cheek when they have it, top it with pico, their intense salsa verde, and make your own taco that'll be even better.

Shout-out to their potato salad by the way. It's more of a German version, served warm, mayo-heavy and loaded with bacon bits and green onion. I am a potato salad person and this one touches my heart.

So yeah, Zavala's is the home team. From the owners (Joe Zavala and wife Christan, who herself runs a coffee shop up the street called Mas Coffee, serving the same barbecue as breakfast tacos) to every single person I've met working there, they all have been nothing but gracious and hospitable on each visit. I've even run into the pit crew at least three or four times while in line at Goldee's on a Sunday (mutual respect and a long history, as Goldee's did one of their pre-restaurant pop-ups at Zavala's).

I never knew I needed a neighborhood barbecue restaurant. But every barbecue lover should be lucky enough to find one for themselves.

 

Ribs and pork steak special. They just added a direct fire pit and should be doing more pork steaks and even whole hog.

 

DIY brisket taco.

 

Favorite potato salad.

 

Spicy coleslaw, pork ribs and beef cheek. Future tacos.

 

Steak fajita night special. 

Wow--what a mouth-watering report. Despite the fact you rekindled my "I sure miss Texas BBQ" thoughts, I enjoyed your comments. There's just no substitute for high quality Texas barbecue. 

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On 5/12/2023 at 3:33 PM, zgast said:

Ditto - I've actually added this to my 'places I must eat in Dallas' for when I'm there in July.  

Sad to report that due to some horrible timing, I managed to miss any open days for the restaurant despite being in Dallas for part or all of six days (4th of July holiday didn't help).  Only got to try Pecan Lodge for barbeque, which was quite good, if not cheap.

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Las Palmas Dallas

The best Tex-Mex restaurant in Dallas? Opened by a pair of brothers who had only run bars and steakhouses before, with a menu designed by a Mexican consulting chef for press release authenticity, my instincts were against it from the start. We have plenty of Tex-Mex* restaurants, most of which fit in the same quality tier, just with different wrapping paper.

*Note: Tex-Mex is a different category altogether from Mexican.

Three years into their run, and Las Palmas is winning me over. The owners were going for a 1990's style aesthetic, and they dialed it in -- stepping into the (overly) dark dining room is like walking through a Stargate back to those times. Which is appreciated, as Tex-Mex dining rooms have trended towards a tepid, Crate and Barrel aesthetic for the last two decades.

Chips and salsa are the standard precursor for how a meal is going to turn, and the fried tortillas here are fresh, non-oily, and accompanied by a pair of balanced salsas (roja, verde) with roasted components.

The watery margaritas are disappointing, at least during happy hour, so stick with a Modelo if you can. An appetizer of brisket flautas ($15) is exactly the kind of Tex-Mex I want; little crispy rolls of shredded beef to be dipped in sour cream, guacamole and salsa.

Carnitas fajitas ($22) is an oxymoron you don't usually see, but braised pork finished on a grill works. Hand-pull tender and many degrees more flavorful than chicken. I prefer it over the "wagyu" beef fajitas, but whatever your choice, you are going to get actual char flavor -- from the meat to the blistered onions and peppers (a first-world annoyance when fajitas veggies are not cooked through; not the case here).

Special mention of the fresh flour and corn tortillas offered on the side; these are *way* better than they needed to be, and would compete nicely against most traditional Mexican restaurants in the city. Rice and beans are both very good versions of the traditional staples.

So to answer the first question -- yeah, I'm leaning that way. I've eaten at most of them in Dallas proper, and right now this is the Tex-Mex restaurant I'd most be inclined to return. Even with it being in Uptown.

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Left: The entrance to Las Palmas. A long time ago this was Stephan Pyles' Baby Routh restaurant, where a young Bobby Flay once worked. Right: Beautiful chips and salsas. 

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Left: Brisket flautas. Middle: Sizzling pork carnitas fajitas, doused in bone marrow butter. Right: Lovable Tex-Mex sides.

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On 8/21/2023 at 5:58 AM, will_5198 said:

Las Palmas Dallas

The best Tex-Mex restaurant in Dallas? Opened by a pair of brothers who had only run bars and steakhouses before, with a menu designed by a Mexican consulting chef for press release authenticity, my instincts were against it from the start. We have plenty of Tex-Mex* restaurants, most of which fit in the same quality tier, just with different wrapping paper.

*Note: Tex-Mex is a different category altogether from Mexican.

Honestly, this was the second worst meal of our trip to Dallas.  I think the majority of the food went back half eaten - and the noise was deafening.  Maybe we just got them on a night they were slammed?

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8 hours ago, zgast said:

Honestly, this was the second worst meal of our trip to Dallas.  I think the majority of the food went back half eaten - and the noise was deafening.  Maybe we just got them on a night they were slammed?

Maybe my timing? The handful of times I have gone were in the late lunch or very early dinner hour because I do not want to be in Uptown after 6 pm. I have never been on a weekend or even around 7 pm on a weeknight because they (and everywhere off McKinney Avenue) are indeed slammed.

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Cry Wolf

To me, a great restaurant has a lifespan that almost always includes a peak. A span of years where it was never quite this good before, and will never be quite as good again. The golden era.

Cry Wolf is in its peak. And I feel like everyone eating there knows that the good old days are happening right now.

That doesn't mean it’s a perfect restaurant. There are only 32 seats, crammed between a banquet and opposing long bar (you can easily see the skeletal remains of the previous occupant, a Subway). It's not the most comfortable dining room during Texas' sixth-month summer, as the fire-burning grill and open kitchen wage war with an aging A/C unit. The menu changes weekly, with great dishes disappearing before they are dialed in and replaced by an item that may be a work in progress.

But all that doesn't really matter to me, because the imperfection of Cry Wolf is what makes it exciting -- chef-owner Ross Demers and his team are cooking what they like from day to day, served affably with no pretense, and they hope you enjoy it as much as they do.

Cured hiramasa with kumquat puree, smashed green figs and serrano ($17) was a reminder why you love crudos; all the familiar sweet-heat-citrus notes dialed up in a unique way. Pan seared Windy Meadows chicken hearts ($15) featured one of my favorite combinations ever -- offal and couscous. A marriage that will never be divorced and made even stronger with good stuffs like capers and caramelized shallots thrown in.

Pastas are always on the menu and always a must. Agnolotti with mushroom sherry cream sauce ($21) was a little salty due to a slightly over-reduced sauce, but the flavors were otherwise on point. More deft and subtle was the butter poached Hawaiian ebi with sauce of head schmaltz ($29), a precious dish you would see at a Michelin-starred restaurant and not be out of place. The sweetest and juiciest shrimp with fried shrimp head crackers to snack on.

As usual for many restaurants, mains were less interesting but hit their marks. Seared Gulf redfish with mussel etouffee and escargot dirty rice ($38) was a standard filet of fish done well, outshined by the impressive dirty rice. I would not usually order steak at this kind of restaurant, but was sold on (The Last Ever) A Bar N Ranch ribeye ($61) because Demers told us his supplier was being bought out by a huge Japanese company and he probably wouldn't get these anymore. It was a delicious quality steak cooked properly, but the glace over the smoky bits of burnt mushroom were really the highlights for me.  

No official dessert program, but black sesame horchata mini paletas were enjoyable parting sweets.

Cry Wolf is in its golden era. And no one knows how long that will remain true -- some restaurants capture this moment and distill it over time, curating the setlist and playing the greatest hits every night. Other restaurants fade to close, voluntarily or involuntarily, and there is no reunion tour.

But all that matters is right now. Because right now this place fucking rules.

-Epilogue-

 The above words were written after a meal in late August. Cry Wolf permanently closed two months later.

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Above: Cry Wolf with a packed house on a Sunday night. Half the seating is facing the open kitchen on a long bar, with the end-most seats next to Chef Demers and the pass. 

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Above: Hiramasa crudo, smashed figs, kumquat puree. Agnolotti. 

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Above: Redfish with charred onion, etouffee, dirty rice and okra. Ribeye, charred maitake, Hungarian banana peppers.

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The open kitchen at Cry Wolf. Not unusual to see many Dallas chefs on their days off eating here.

 

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Uchi Dallas

If you've researched the best dining options in Austin over the last 20 years, I'm sure the name Uchi come has up. Chef-owner Tyson Cole, a white guy doing sushi fusion dishes with Texan ingredients in a small house off South Lamar -- what could be more Austin than that?

I'm not being sardonic; Uchi is actually good. So good it spawned an offshoot, Uchiko, which was just as popular. Then another Uchi in Houston. Then one in Dallas.

The experience at each of them is largely the same, thanks to a core menu of dishes that won Cole a James Beard Award (2011) and a service training program that maximizes hospitality. While not exciting, the consistency is valuable in its own way -- my better half appreciates the familiarity, so the Dallas outpost is part of our special occasion rotation.  

Small plates are the reason to go to Uchi, and they have dialed in the majority of them thanks to literal decades of fine-tuning (also why Uchi is a restaurant with diminishing returns for people like me; 80 percent of the menu is completely static). The hama chili ($23) is one everyone should have at least once; while likely more profound a long time ago, the sashimi of yellowtail with orange supremes, ponzu and chili is the sweet-salt-heat trio that never goes out of style.

Also a big fan of the kinoko nabe ($19.50), a bowl served steaming hot and filled with mushrooms, soft rice, crispy rice and a fresh egg yolk dispersed throughout. Simple deliciousness.

Nigiri can be tasty if at times overwrought or lacking precision; this is more of an elevated sushi factory than artisan counter. Still, get the foie gras nigiri ($13). A single bite of seared foie, brushed with a sweet glaze and cut with the vinegar of the rice is the best thing on the menu. Their daily Toyosu selections look tempting, but your funds are better reserved for another sushi restaurant if you want the purest representations of Japanese fish.

Do not pass on dessert, however. Fried milk ($12.50) is maybe their most well-known dish; a fancy version that I'll assume was inspired by Cantonese cuisine and delivered with accompaniments that will remind you of American breakfast cereal. It works.

I did think the honey toast with cashew praline and honey ice cream ($10.50) eclipsed the fried milk on my last visit, maybe because it was newer, but it is another pricier version of an Asian dessert that makes a perfect finish to the meal.

Service is a highlight at all of the Uchi-related restaurants, and definite credit is due to cultivating an approachable, knowledgeable and generous service model across different cities. Each time we've gone to Uchi we have received at least one unordered dish "as a gift" -- we don't order wine and average a visit less than once a year -- which makes it feel as if the VIP treatment extends to everyone.

Cole's restaurants are extremely scalable and he has taken his time so far. He opened Uchi Denver in 2018, Uchi Miami in 2021, and Uchi Los Angeles just launched at the end of 2023. New York City is planned for 2025. Los Angeles and New York City will be his biggest tests, and if Cole can conquer those, I can envision Uchi spreading further and becoming the millennial's version of Nobu.

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Above: Hama chili is one of their classics. Madai crudo is also another stalwart, on the menu for years.

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Above: Foie gras nigiri with a half glass of dessert wine gifted as a pairing. Walu walu, their escolar dish.

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Above: Wagyu coulotte was extremely precious at its price, but the brussels sprouts chimichurri and miso egg foam were great additions. Banana cake with a little Kahlua, coffee and white chocolate ice cream is a basic but killer dessert.

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Above: Fried milk, which I'm fairly sure started at Uchiko, not Uchi. I remember being at Uchiko over a decade ago and everyone at the sushi bar imploring me to order it. Honey toast with the cashew praline was my favorite new dessert addition.

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