Dallas

(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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Photograph by Daniel Vaughn

(From June 2011)

It is indeed a catering business, but Pecan Lodge is also a small restaurant located in the heart of the farmers market, the better to source its produce. We chose a stick-to-the-ribs, decidedly unvegetably plate of mes-quite-smoked brisket and ribs with a side of stellar fried okra. And though there wasn’t much room for dessert, we gave our inner child a treat with the Sweet Lupita: a spec-tacular sculpture of fried tortilla strips drizzled with honey, powdered sugar, crushed pecan, and . . . fairy dust, an edible sparkly topping!

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(From November 2011)

Sitting down to brunch in this sunlit-space, it was hard to picture the same room throbbing with energy on a weekend night, as it’s reputed to do (imagine, if you will, a $50 punch bowl that serves up enough for twelve drinks). Although tempted by chicken and waffles, we loved our spinach and goat cheese omelet. Individual French presses kept us supplied with coffee throughout the meal, which ended with a bread pudding that confounded all preconceived notions; more like a flourless chocolate cake, it came topped with a slug of hot fudge sauce and a scoop of Henry’s chocolate ice cream. Bar.

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(From September 2010) Sunday brunch offers many dishes for the eclectic mix of diners gathered on the pleasant back patio. We chose a satisfying baked salmon filet Florentine, a neat package of pink fish and chopped spinach wrapped in puff pastry, topped with a poached egg, and laced with a dill-sprinkled hollandaise. Along with a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice and a cup of stout coffee, it started our day right. We fin-ished with the three-tiered coconut cake, each layer slathered with piquant lemon curd. Bar.

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(From June 2011) Good morning, sunshine! We love this high-ceilinged room, with the sun streaming through the windows, and we love the break-fast even more. Is there anyone who could re-sist a delectable frittata with roasted red pepper, chorizo, and goat cheese and sides of hash browns and “hippy” bread (i.e., lots of grains)? And nowhere is it written that you can’t have dessert after breakfast, espe-cially in the form of delicate, crispy lemon cannoli.

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(From May 2011) Wanna feel like a Hollywood star? On a fine morning dine alfresco by the long, fountain-bedecked rectangular pool. There are traditional breakfast items, of course, but chef Dean just can’t deny his Southwestern influences. We picked a huevos rancheros breakfast platter with spicy chorizo, sliced avocados, black beans, and red and green salsas to drizzle everywhere; we weren’t hungry until late that afternoon. Service is friendly, despite the posh atmosphere. Bar.

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Photograph by Kevin Hamilton

(From October 2011)

The folks here are geniuses when it comes to innovative tacos. Tacos include the Minnie Pearl (roasted corn, pearl couscous, spinach, goat cheese, and favas), the Swine Bleu (braised pork with blue cheese slaw), the Curry in a Hurry (bok choy and shiitakes in yellow curry), the Hotlanta (waffle-battered chicken, sweet potato, and honey butter)—you get the picture. Be sure and order a coffee from Cultivar, which shares the space with the taco kitchen. 

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(From June 2011) Outside, it looks like a brick home; inside, it’s an English pub, with the obligatory dark interior, darts game, and menu of fish and chips, shepherd’s pie, and bangers. But there’s also a terrific chicken tandoori sandwich, the meat grilled with yogurt and spices, nestled in a soft pita, and bril-liantly slicked with curry mayo. And the fries are among the best in town—crisp, brown, and flecked with tiny bits of parsley. The bourbon-rum sauce paired with the airy bread pudding was subtle, not in-your-face, as is too often the case. Bar.

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(From January 2012)

Chef Anthony Bombaci's creative juices are flowing, and we were wowed by what's coming out of his kitchen. A seven-course tasting menu brought such delights such as a Chilean languostine ceviche with a cilantro sorbet, a decadent wild-mushroom bisque with a flourish of carmelized onion streusel on top, and a show-stopping chocolate cake with peanut butter gelato and curry whipped cream. The city views from this 27th floor room are spectacular, and the service is top-notch. Bar.

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(From December 2010) The location is the same; the chef, Kelly Hightower, is the same; and the decor, a bit lighter in tones, is much the same. But Kavala has become Nova, a self-proclaimed Oak Cliff gastropub. We were happy to find Hightower’s great roasted garlic hummus still on the menu, but the rest of our meal had a few kinks. We would have loved the Blow Torch salmon—skewered fish with slashes of yuzu-miso glaze—if only a bit of crunch had been added to the dish. Angel hair pasta with crab and asparagus tips was dominated by the last ingredient (though still quite tasty), and the marinated New York strip steak, Vietnamese style, was a bit chewy. The wine list is short and quirky. Bar.

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