(From May 2012)

One is tempted to sigh, “At last.” This Western-themed hotel restaurant has finally rounded up some really high-class grub. Ambitious starters deliver, from steak tartare to chorizo-spiked shrimp grits. We were particularly taken by a pork chop cut a little more than an inch thick, accompanied by an even tastier sauté of fingerling potatoes with pancetta and baby spinach. The kitchen even nailed the fig compote. A dessert of chile-flavored chocolate mousse on a layer of chocolate torte wasn’t big enough to share—not that we would have. 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 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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(From April 2012)

Fortunate to live where some winter days invite alfresco dining, we recently brunched in Sunday sunshine at this longtime favorite, kept up-to-date with fresh touches to its always-tasty standards. Example: a platter of deeply roasted vegetables (eggplant, fennel, peppers, onion, and squash) served on a bed of saffron-scented grains. Short ribs and butternut squash hash, topped with poached eggs, made a perfect breakfast skillet, but we wished for more lemon-butter sauce on our otherwise fine shrimp and cheese grits. Bar.

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