Dallas

(From March 2009) The childhood admonition to clean your plate is easy to obey here, what with a traditional Caesar salad saved from same old, same old by sesame-tinged lavash croutons, a lick-the-bowl-good crab-and-corn chowder, and linguine bathed in a lemon-garlic sauce and topped with roasted red snapper and (as if that’s not enough) shrimp and crab. Vaulted ceilings and a busy bar add up to a convivial (if sometimes frantically noisy) atmosphere. Bar.

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(From November 2008) No doubt Google maps has boosted the success of this spot, hidden on a side street in Uptown. Polished oak floors and antique brick are accented with colorful contemporary art, and the menu has personal-ity. A baby spinach salad brims with pecans and slices of orange and Granny Smith apple, all bound together with buttermilk–blue cheese dressing, while a toasty baguette sports warm beef tenderloin with Burgundy mayo and a blanket of Brie and caramelized onions. Bar.

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(From December 2009) Just as you were grousing that “prime” isn’t what it used to be, along comes lavish Bailey’s Prime Plus (this is the flagship; a Cedar Hill edition opened earlier). The dark paneling of steakhouses of yore has been feminized, with lighter colors and touches of gold. But the menu, courtesy of chef Izzy Voirin (formerly of Nick and Sam’s), embraces tradition. The focus is USDA Prime steaks from Allen Brothers, most wet-aged, with a daily-changing dry-aged option available. Our petite filet (accessorized with a king crab cake) was beautifully charred on the exterior, velvety on the inside. A lightly crusted sea bass filet basked in a tequila–red chile cream sauce, while a bubbling side of mac and cheese came with huge chunks of lobster. Bar (with a 600-label wine cellar).

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(From September 2008) This cheery cottage discourages morning grumpiness. Freshly squeezed orange juice and our own personal carafe of coffee got us started right. And the Rich Uncle—a giant croissant topped with scrambled eggs, diced chicken, broccoli, mushrooms, cream cheese, and hollandaise—along with roasted potatoes and fresh fruit, left us tanked up until late afternoon.

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(From May 2009) Bedazzled by the thronelike chairs and gauzy gold curtains, we wrestled our attention to the menu and started with a perfectly seared sea scallop perched atop spinach and speck, studded with pine nuts, and sauced with brown butter. It only whetted our appetite for chef David Bull’s outstanding branzino, the fish unadorned and set off by creamy olive oil polenta, red pepper rouille, and fava beans. The long room is subdivided, making it feel a bit more intimate, but it’s still like eating on stage. Bar.

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(From December 2009) Light floods the narrow room of this repurposed garage, where creativity suffuses the cooking: A spinach salad with bacon, tomatoes, and blue cheese vinaigrette had an unexpected scattering of “passed out drunken cherries,” which had apparently had a soaking in Maker’s Mark. The kitchen’s take on chicken and dumplings was also interesting; the three dumplings looked like fat matzo balls, and the clear broth was crammed with slivers of chicken, diced carrots, celery, and onions—certainly not our grandmother’s version but tasty nonetheless. Bar.

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(From September 2008) Casual in the extreme, this pub on a busy corner hums with activity. For a recent brunch, our friendly waitress actually sat down at our table and recommended eggs Benedict with spinach, fresh fruit, and potatoes; she was right-on. A tasty second choice for our table was the French toast. Oddly enough, no desserts are served at brunch—go figure. The outside porch makes for great people-watching. Bar.

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(From October 2008) “Swanky” may be an old-fashioned word, but it perfectly describes this new jewel in the Joule, a downtown boutique hotel. A top-notch appetizer combined ruby beets with a goat cheese gâteau scattered with toasted hazelnuts. Even more impressive were the sea scallops in a lemon confit dotted with cauliflower-artichoke pesto. Rather than coffee, we opted for the espresso mocha tart with a paper-thin dark chocolate crust. Bar.

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(From April 2009) The decor is pretty and girly. The food is just as the name suggests: heavenly. Corn chowder, thick and creamy, warmed us up on a cold day. We followed it with a trio of goodies that left us quite satisfied: chicken salad with dried cranberries and pecans, old-fashioned broccoli salad with raisins (a childhood favorite of ours), and cold pasta salad. A German chocolate cupcake four inches high and wrapped in dark brown butcher paper (we couldn’t resist the packaging) had the added bonus of being moist and not too sweet.

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(From October 2008) Well, we knew progress would catch up with this tiny hamburger joint; it now offers five candy bars for dessert rather than the solitary Snickers bar formerly on the menu. But we stick with tradition. Everyone knows that it’s all about the burgers anyway, and the ambrosial crispy onion rings. Try the chicken-fried-steak burger—it’s over the top. Beer.

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