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General
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Printable Guide
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City Guide > North America > Texas > Dallas | |
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Restaurants We have selected 15 restaurants, which we have divided into five categories: Gastronomic, Business, Trendy, Budget and Personal Recommendations. The restaurants are listed alphabetically within these different categories, which serve as guidelines rather than absolute definitions of the establishments. In general, there is a sales tax of 8.25% added to food and drink bills. However, in reality, this tax varies and some restaurants only add the tax to either food or drink. Tipping of between 15 and 20% is expected and in some restaurants this may be added to the bill. The price ranges quoted below are for a three-course meal, including sales tax but excluding tips, unless otherwise stated: $ (up to US$15) $ (US$15 to US$35) $ (US$35 to US$55) $ (over US$55) Gastronomic French Room By some accounts the most expensive dinner in Texas, this bastion of refinement stands as one of the most elaborate dining experiences anywhere. As beautiful as the marble-and-gold-leaf decor is the divine cuisine, urged to modernism by a youthful culinary staff. Lavish dishes might include jumbo lump crab fishcake with a treatment of lemon grass and ginger lobster sauce, and tomato chutney. Attentive service never fails beneath the watchful cherubs gracing the ceiling frescoes. Hotel Adolphus, 1321 Commerce Street Tel: (214) 742 8200. Website: www.hoteladolphus.com Price: $$$$ Jeroboam Filling the lobby of an exquisite 1913 building in the revitalised downtown district, this immensely tasteful salute to classic French fare is pumped up with trendy touches. Chef Chris Pyun graces his urban brasserie with genius such as plump, fried oysters topped with satiny béarnaise and freshly grated horseradish atop a giant chard leaf. The 300-entry wine list is an encyclopedic tour through France, with excellent wine in the US$25-US$30 range. 1501 Main Street Tel: (214) 748 7226. Website: www.jeroboam-ub.com Price: $$-$$$ York Street Owner-chef Sharon Hage runs a jewel box of a restaurant in the East Dallas area near Lakewood, where her exquisite works won her a James Beard Award nomination in 2004. Book well ahead to snag one of 12 tables at which to enjoy a menu that changes daily to accommodate the freshest goods from the farmers’ market, fishmonger and butcher. Treats like fino sherry and warm almonds are the meal’s prelude, and endings come with individual pots of lovely teas. 6047 Lewis Street Tel: (214) 826 0968. Price: $$ Business Abacus The deft touch of executive chef Kent Rathbun and his stunning wine list has earned glorious praise from national press, thanks to such pleasures as lobster and spring onion shooters, John Dory with roasted veggie orzo in charred tomato butter or grilled lamb with jalapeño-coriander oil and blue cheese grits. For an extra treat, guests should try the chef’s selection of nine small courses and luxuriate in the palate pampering and the soothing, sumptuous interiors. 4511 McKinney Avenue Tel: (214) 559 3111. Website: www.abacus-restaurant.com Price: US$$$-$$$$ Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steak House Satiny cuts of prime beef head the list of palate pleasures at this clubby, leather-and-polished wood corner of luxury. Clientele typically includes the expense-account business crowd and the moneyed gentry who enjoy supping on said steaks, as well as luscious crab fishcakes, fresh fish and enormous à la carte side dishes that could be meals in themselves. Lavish evenings end with brandy and a cigar. 5251 Spring Valley Road Tel: (972) 490 9000. Website: www.delfriscos.com/dallas Price: $$$$ Mansion on Turtle Creek Acclaim for sublime service, elegant villa-style setting and food in this hallowed hotel remain sky-high, as executive chef Dean Fearing consistently offers thoughtfully conceived and beautifully executed fare. Warm lobster taco with yellow tomato salsa and jicama salad continues to be a signature, but the barbecue-rubbed pheasant with smoked shrimp gordita deserves attention too. The four-course tasting menu is also highly recommended. 2821 Turtle Creek Boulevard Tel: (214) 559 2100. Website: www.mansiononturtlecreek.com Price: $$$$ Trendy Café Madrid Dallas’ first authentic Spanish restaurant and tapas bar, this casually cool hangout has evolved with sophistication over the years. The lengthy list of tapas ranges from the traditional potato omelette tortilla with a dollop of garlic-parsley aioli or roasted duck breast with sliced, sherry-laced carrots to empanadas filled with shredded tuna steak and green olive. 4501 Travis Street Tel: (214) 528 1731. Price: $-$$ Ciudad Inspired by old Mexico’s cuisine riches, the polished menu fashioned by chef-partner Joanne Bondy delivers gorgeous creations such as a ceviche of octopus, conch, giant shrimp, red bell pepper, coriander with a hint of orange and lime, as well as thick lamb chops crusted in cumin and served with a tomato-fennel salsa. Lovely rooms adorned with murals and Saltillo tile create a lush hacienda setting. 3888 Oak Lawn Avenue Tel: (214) 219 3141. Price: $$$ Steel Fabulous diners draped in carelessly elegant black, glowing candlelight, frosty champagne buckets and celebrity spotting are just a few irresistible elements in this Oak Lawn neighborhood hot spot. A careful melding of Japanese, Chinese, Korean and Southeast Asian cuisines results in a menu blessed with sea bass marinated in miso and sake, seared and served with wasabi dipping sauce or monkfish with chilli, garlic, ginger and spring onions, cooked in a clay pot. The Centrum, 3102 Oak Lawn Avenue Tel: (214) 219 9908. Price: $$$ Budget Bubba’s This small diner, done out in Art Deco style in the fashionable Park Cities’ Snyder Plaza, is ground zero for lovers of pure Southern comfort food. Devotees believe there is no better-fried chicken on Earth, and the homemade rolls and biscuits are dream-worthy. Fried catfish is good too, as is the country-style breakfast. 6617 Hillcrest Avenue Tel: (214) 373 6527. Price: $ Sonny Bryan’s Smokehouse A family business dating from 1910, this hometown favourite has won a James Beard Award for regional classic food. The tiny, no-frills location opened in the 1950s, and serves deeply smoked turkey, ham, pork ribs, sausage, pulled pork, sliced brisket, ranch beans, potato salad and very cold beer. Sonny Bryan's is an old smoke shack, with little in the way of decor other than a few beer signs, which add to the overall charm of the place. 2202 Inwood Road Tel: (214) 357 7120. Price: $ Z Café A sensationally cooling blue and white room conjures up images of billowing sails against the Aegean Sea at this petite eatery on the edge of the Knox-Henderson neighbourhood. Owner Nicholas Zotos’ family recipes for moussaka and baklava are superb, as is the more Texan Z burger, piled with feta, grilled onion and fresh jalapeño slices, all of which go nicely with dry Greek wine. Pecan pancakes shine at breakfast too. 1924 North Henderson Avenue Tel: (214) 821 0991. Price: $ Personal Recommendations Dream Café Health-conscious diners love the giant, whole-wheat tortillas packed with scrambled egg whites, smoked bacon and jack cheese at breakfast, as well as the salad of soba noodles, grilled shrimp and spicy Thai peanut dressing at lunch and dinner. Pasta, vegetarian fare and smoothies have also drawn a devoted following at this serene assemblage of cosy dining spaces and patio seating. 2800 Routh Street Tel: (214) 954 0486. Website: www.thedreamcafe.com Price: $-$$ Gloria’s Festive in an understated manner, this longtime Oak Cliff favourite is in fact a pair of colourful rooms where happy diners feast on sensational Salvadoran and Mexican delights. The tamale is satiny and filled with chicken and potato before steaming inside a banana leaf, and the lush carne asada is tenderised, grilled beef steak with divine black beans. The homemade flour tortillas are unforgettable. 600 West Davis Street Tel: (214) 948 3672. Website: www.gloriasrestaurants.com Price: $-$$ La Duni Latin Cafe It is impossible to ignore the front table laden with lavish sweets. A hefty wedge of Venezuelan chocolate truffle cake is highly recommended, perhaps after savoring the grilled Argentinian-style picanha steak with chimichurri mojo or the Brazilian-style roasted chicken bathed in champagne and juice from green oranges. The divine mint-spiked mojito cocktail is the best in town, while the warm setting and leisurely pace are soothing. 4620 McKinney Avenue Tel: (214) 520 7300. Website: www.laduni.com Price: $$ Taverna Pizzeria and Risotteria Quite possibly the loudest place in town, this busy hangout for the well-heeled denizens of Uptown and the Park Cities neighbourhoods happens to serve the most sublime Italian fare in the city. Related to the longtime favourite Lombardi’s restaurants, Taverna specialties include exquisite seafood risotto, pizza topped with choices like anchovies or eggs, and beef tenderloin carpaccio sings with accompaniments of crispy arugula and Parmesan shavings. Wine choices are smart, just like the casual décor and snappy service. 3210 Armstrong Avenue Tel: (214) 520 9933. Price: $$ |