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(From June 2011) The restaurant in the historic Gage Hotel has reopened after a slight makeover in both decor and menu and a big makeover in name. Diners no longer have to experience the austerity familiar to the cattle barons who made the place famous: Out are the awkward tables and hard seating, in are leather banquettes and upholstered chairs. And there might be a few more cow skulls on the walls. As for the new food items on offer, we found a mixed bag: a rich and delicious seafood “cheesecake” (a quiche, really), fried oysters (not the mountain kind but almost as chewy), and wagyu beef (for those who can afford it). The wine list is better than you’d expect to find out in the desert. Bar.

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(From January 2011)

Landmark Hospitality Group’s takeover of the restaurant in the Galleria Saks store included a welcome redo, and the resulting white-to-beige space, featuring a lighted rose sculpture on one wall, should suit savvy shoppers who crave a break from the chase. For lunch we chose the special, halibut with crab and saffron risotto, along with a salad of greens and cantaloupe, but we found the chicken and wild mushroom crepes in basil-chardonnay sauce even more special. This quiet haven beats nearby fast-food joints, and it’s only a few dollars more. Bar.

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Photograph by Bill Terry

(From October 2011)

This unaffected bistro serves memorable food in a charming historic building. We ate our way through the menu, starting with hot bread sticks (think mini baguettes), followed by barely breaded crab cakes and a bowl of tender mussels simmered in a spicy tomato broth (the better to facilitate the eating of more bread sticks). Entrées range from flawlessly cooked, fork-tender beef filet and tasty grilled snapper to succulent duck breast (though the skin could have been crisper). Beer & Wine.

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(From January 2011) We love the feeling of this room; it’s a bit like dining in someone’s Italian—or maybe Moroccan—villa. The legendary (rightly so) Al’s Salad, with its hearts of palm, slices of avocado, and hunks of shrimp and crab, is always on the menu, thank goodness. Coming in a close second is a salad of grilled prawns, roasted corn, pico de gallo, and cilantro vinaigrette. We were mightily pleased with an entrée of grilled sea scallops and prawns with a moist napping of ginger butter (and intrigued by the addition of coconut rice studded with little cubes of pineapple). Bar.

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(From November 2011)

Open for 30-odd years, this Deep Ellum institution, with its long brick-walled room and probably original pressed tin ceiling, has piled up the accolades. And after wolfing down chicken-fried chicken strips (absolutely nothing like chicken nuggets) with homemade cream gravy, we understand why that dish is a local favorite. And friends swear that the namesake Angry Dog, a grilled beef kosher dog piled high with chili, cheddar, and grilled onions, is pretty close to heaven. Bar. 

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(From March 2011) Downsizing your diet often means tasteless morsels that leave you with a hankering for . . . well, more of anything else. Fortunately this smallish eatery offers reduced portions that are substantial in flavor. In addition to a number of vegetarian options, like steamed edamame, we like the cheerful mains, like the delicately grilled salmon teased with a hint of citrus-cilantro sauce and framed by crisp spears of asparagus. Tucked into a whole wheat wrap, turkey gets cozy with organic greens splashed with a tantalizing house salsa (it banishes the bland). At meal’s end, we like to linger with a cup of hot tea and a slice of the mango cheesecake, dense in flavor, light on calories.

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(From November 2011)

Precise rows of apple trees angle away from the highway, inviting you into a scene straight from Robert Frost. Inside the A-frame is nothing fancy, just mismatched tables and a lunch buffet with items you would enjoy at a homey Sunday dinner. Hearty chunks of white meat and moist dumplings in a savory broth will send you back for seconds of the chicken and dumplings. The beef stew and cornbread are equally filling. The tangy dressing on the pea salad made it our surprising favorite. Finish with a flaky apple turnover or apple puff. Don’t forget a jar of Dutch apple preserves or the apple festival in September.

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(From July 2011)

The food is billed as “casual gourmet,” but the dining room, with its dark woods and high ceilings, is rather elegant. The summer heat inspired us to order a zesty entrée salad of spinach and arugula with chicken, roasted beets, Granny Smith apples, candied walnuts, and a tangy honey citrus vinaigrette; two almond-crusted rounds of goat cheese on the plate added just the right amount of heft. Swirls of raspberry and crème anglaise graced the decadent flourless chocolate cake

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(From June 2011)

After an exhausting day of sketching at the museum (much fun for our youngest as-sociates), we sank into chairs facing gor-geous Chihuly glass flowers and listened to classical music while waiting for our lunch. Flatbread covered with a layer of garlicky pesto and then topped with locally made moz-zarella and sliced tomatoes was surprisingly good. And the small blueberry tart with a shortbread-like crust was just the ticket for dessert. Bar.

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(From June 2011)

It’s no surprise that this small dining room is attached to an antiques store. Smithville has more than a few, a claim to fame rivaled only by the town’s designation as a “film-friendly city” by the Texas Film Commission (remember Hope Floats?). Selections are few, with just one appetizer and the ubiquitous CFS plate, but don’t assume the cooking is provincial. A giant hunk of beef tenderloin, gloriously grilled, bested that at many an urban steakhouse, and a duck breast, though lacking a crisped skin, was rosy-hued within and fully the equal of the delicate demi-glace that came with it. When dessert appeared—a slice of dreamy coconut cream pie cradled in a graham cracker crust and topped with loops of whipped cream—we only vaguely remembered how full we were just minutes before. Beer & wine.

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