Dallas

(From December 2010)

Looking like a small, colorful Tower of Pisa were stacked rounds of buffalo mozzarella brushed with pesto, slices of yellow and red heirloom tomatoes, and a sprinkling of tiny sourdough croutons and water-cress. A pyramid of truffle whipped potatoes and baby vegetables came parked beside a hefty hunk of wood-roasted beef tenderloin napped with a velvety red-wine butter. If you’ve never had sage ice cream—who has?—it’s a treat, especially paired with a blackberry crisp, as it is here. Note the sizzling bar scene, where everyone seems to be celebrating some sort of corporate coup. Bar.

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(From May 2012)

Mediterranean comfort food at its finest can be found within this large, square room (with a delightful patio for alfresco dining). The emerald green tabbouleh has a terrific lemony taste. Little clouds of falafel almost levitate off the plate; swipe them through garlicky hummus for extra flavor. Add fried cauliflower, a small cup of lentil soup, and za’atar pie (flatbread studded with oregano, sesame seeds, and olive oil) and you can pat yourself on the back for making healthy choices. We always go for the house-made gelato, but the baklava with pistachios is good too.

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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 December 2010) A steaming cup of chicken vermicelli soup with peas and green onions, accompanied by pillowy pita, set a high bar. But not to worry—the crispy falafel with tahini and a gratin of aubergines (barely recog-nizable as eggplant) sautéed with olive oil, garlic, and pomegranate molasses left us impressed and happily full. Kanafeh, shredded phyllo atop sweetened cheese and pistachios, made an interesting alter-native to baklava. BYOB.

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Photograph by Ivan Pugh

(From August 2011)

We have British friends who can’t get enough of the exotic, to them, offerings at this place. Gumbo is a great way to begin; put your money on the alligator-and-crawfish version. Then there’s the alligator-and-chicken jambalaya, with its tasso ham, tomatoes, bell peppers, and onion, all meant to be washed down with homemade root beer. The best of all possible worlds comes last: We love pecans, we love sweet potatoes—so what could be more heavenly than a pie combining both. Live music Fri & Sat. Beer & wine. 

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(From June 2011) Goodbye, Cuba Libre. Hello, Alma. Chef Mi-chael Brown (formerly with Red O, in Los An-geles, whose menu was designed by Mexican food guru Rick Bayless) has hit the ground running with fare that eschews Tex-Mex for interior specialties. That’s why you’ll find attention paid to salads, like the ensalada del chef, Boston lettuce and avocado in a light cilantro vinaigrette. Meats are a strong point, especially the cochinita pibil: pork shank marinated with achiote and orange juice and slow-baked to perfection. The lamb shank—rubbed with pasilla chile—melds beau-tifully with the light char from the grill. Although extremely underdone chicken in a lackluster Oaxacan mole needed a makeover, we forgot all about it upon the arrival of the goat cheese cheesecake with a bright, aro-matic hoja santa sauce. 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 August 2011)

Lobster et Fromage sounded not only uptown but irresistible, so we ordered fresh-squeezed orange juice and read our paper until the platter arrived. The gigantic omelet came brimming with cream cheese, garlic-sautéed Maine lobster, and diced tomatoes, all topped with Brie and a champagne cream sauce. To boot, there were diced potatoes and a crisp English muffin. That fine breakfast pretty much guaranteed a future return to this bright, sunny Louisiana import. 

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(From March 2011)

This place, with its clean lines, stylized art, and accomodating servers, is always a pleasure. So too was our meal of summer rolls with peanut sauce, followed by crispy red snapper topped with basil sauce, baby corn, and slivers of red bell pepper; an orb of jasmine rice flecked with black sesame seeds came alongside. Green tea ice cream with sticky rice and a splash of coconut coulis was a refreshing dessert; coming in second was a classic cheesecake with mango sauce and fresh raspberries. Bar.

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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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