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Surly’s list of Dallas top 25 restaurants

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C-Man

C-Man 27210

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as did D Magazine.  my wife has been.  she loved it.  i haven't tried it yet but am looking forward to going.
D-magazine-cover-december-2021-395x530.jpg

Talked to a good buddy about Meridian tonight. His wife works for Lincoln Properties and had a big hand in marketing for the whole Village deal. They went to Meridian pretty early on and was not impressed. I’ve heard nothing but raves from everybody else, so I’m sure he’s wrong. The picanha pic I’ve seen online looks absolutely divine.
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tantric superman

tantric superman 4667

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I thought the Saturday tasting menu production at Petra and the Beast was great.  That being said, I'm thinking the best way to check out the place if you haven't been is to BYOB on non-Saturday a la carte days - grab a charcuterie board and whatever strikes your fancy on the menu. 

Which is not to say you would go wrong with the Sat. tasting menu for a solid date nite or special occasion.

I'd also recommend it to anyone who just wants to get in better touch with their eating habits.  Six courses + a snack is not lots of food, and there were times when I just wanted a piece of bread to sop up some of the sauce, and unconsciously fill my belly.  I intentionally went for a long swim before hand to get myself good and hungry, and my little one (it was a birthday gift) and I looked at each other during the 4th course and said -- this is interesting -- I'm not hungry but I'm not full.   It made lots of sense because you really do concentrate on each serving. 

By the last course, however, I felt satisfied and not hungry, although I didn't have the bloated feel I sometimes get at places with big portions and lots of fillers.

The stuff is all very "surprising" -- what the hell is that flavor with some really cool textures - which is what you would expect given the reviews of this place and the price point.

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Landomatic

Landomatic 3813

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11 hours ago, Llewelyn Moss said:

Anybody who gets to eat there more frequently than I do tell me what happened to Pecan Lodge? I haven’t eaten there in a couple years but when I was going through Dallas I always tried to hit up some brisket. Now it dropped out of Top 50 and seems to draw a less than enthusiastic response here. 

Quality and consistency has slipped over the last few years. Probably due to growth and complacency. Happens to a lot of places, not just BBQ

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C-Man

C-Man 27210

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On 12/19/2021 at 9:43 PM, Llewelyn Moss said:

Anybody who gets to eat there more frequently than I do tell me what happened to Pecan Lodge? I haven’t eaten there in a couple years but when I was going through Dallas I always tried to hit up some brisket. Now it dropped out of Top 50 and seems to draw a less than enthusiastic response here. 

 

On 12/20/2021 at 9:10 AM, Landomatic said:

Quality and consistency has slipped over the last few years. Probably due to growth and complacency. Happens to a lot of places, not just BBQ

This. I think as it expanded into night-time hours several years ago is when it started to slip. Once I found Cattleack, the only thing PL had as an advantage was proximity to my downtown office for lunch and could eat there for dinner and on most days other than Cattleack's still limited hours. It was over for PL when Terry Black's opened up the street.

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VRHorn

VRHorn 718

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17 hours ago, C-Man said:

I think I'll start a separate thread but feel it's appropriate to drop this here. Feels like there is strong representation from non-traditional cuisines.

https://www.dallasobserver.com/guide/top-100-dallas-restaurants?fbclid=IwAR0fhcFJVIAuyDBb56WYFCnpDA8tlRfJjhjfp3Gr59J-vcXJnurLNzykDF0

That was a really weird read. As you mentioned in the other thread, Monarch isn't on the list (I don't think Meridian was either) and the Lucia blurb mentions Macellio, which closed a long time ago and obviously Lucia is there now. It sounded old, but then a place like Roots was included (Roots is great, btw) so I didn't know what to make of it. The good news is the list is causing us to finally hit Loro, so that's a win.

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victory88

victory88 5663

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4 hours ago, VRHorn said:

That was a really weird read. As you mentioned in the other thread, Monarch isn't on the list (I don't think Meridian was either) and the Lucia blurb mentions Macellio, which closed a long time ago and obviously Lucia is there now. It sounded old, but then a place like Roots was included (Roots is great, btw) so I didn't know what to make of it. The good news is the list is causing us to finally hit Loro, so that's a win.

The Loro in Dallas is Meh.  I got their fried chicken sandwich and it was possibly the worst hot chicken sandwich I've ever eaten.  I liked the Austin location.  Maybe the Dallas one is still working out their cooks and training them but I live 2 blocks from them and I'll probably never eat there again.

I normally will hit up E bar across, which is meh as well.  After eating at enchiladas y mas in Austin a million times, it's hard for me to find a decent Tex-Mex spot in Dallas.

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C-Man

C-Man 27210

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12 hours ago, VRHorn said:

That was a really weird read. As you mentioned in the other thread, Monarch isn't on the list (I don't think Meridian was either) and the Lucia blurb mentions Macellio, which closed a long time ago and obviously Lucia is there now. It sounded old, but then a place like Roots was included (Roots is great, btw) so I didn't know what to make of it. The good news is the list is causing us to finally hit Loro, so that's a win.

I just checked because I thought Meridian was included and it's on there.

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bluto

bluto 4915

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16 hours ago, victory88 said:

The Loro in Dallas is Meh.  I got their fried chicken sandwich and it was possibly the worst hot chicken sandwich I've ever eaten.  I liked the Austin location.  Maybe the Dallas one is still working out their cooks and training them but I live 2 blocks from them and I'll probably never eat there again.

I normally will hit up E bar across, which is meh as well.  After eating at enchiladas y mas in Austin a million times, it's hard for me to find a decent Tex-Mex spot in Dallas.

Avilas has been my replacement, and Habanero was my go to in Austin for reference. Taken a dozen ppl to avilas and all have given a thumbs up. 

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C-Man

C-Man 27210

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On 12/29/2021 at 8:20 AM, bluto said:

Avilas has been my replacement, and Habanero was my go to in Austin for reference. Taken a dozen ppl to avilas and all have given a thumbs up. 

Avila's is great, probably my favorite. I also enjoy Rafa's. Mariano's La Hacienda is also surprisingly good.

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victory88

victory88 5663

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On 12/29/2021 at 8:20 AM, bluto said:

Avilas has been my replacement, and Habanero was my go to in Austin for reference. Taken a dozen ppl to avilas and all have given a thumbs up. 

Eating here right now.  Solid Rec!  Thoroughly enjoyed my meal and this will be my go to Tex-Mex spot in Dallas.

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C-Man

C-Man 27210

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FIL is a general dentist and several of his foodie patients give him gift cards to restaurants quite a bit. It's how I wound up at FT33 for the first time. He and my MIL looked the menu and figured it wasn't for them so they gave the card to my wife and I to use. Well, he was given a GC to Sister, the new restaurant from Chaz of The Charles fame. It's opened in the old Grape location. I didn't even realize it had opened yet but I am looking forward to going. Anybody been yet?

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DDD Dad

DDD Dad 14332

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FIL is a general dentist and several of his foodie patients give him gift cards to restaurants quite a bit. It's how I wound up at FT33 for the first time. He and my MIL looked the menu and figured it wasn't for them so they gave the card to my wife and I to use. Well, he was given a GC to Sister, the new restaurant from Chaz of The Charles fame. It's opened in the old Grape location. I didn't even realize it had opened yet but I am looking forward to going. Anybody been yet?

Have not personally been but friends have. They loved it.
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Landomatic

Landomatic 3813

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7 hours ago, C-Man said:

FIL is a general dentist and several of his foodie patients give him gift cards to restaurants quite a bit. It's how I wound up at FT33 for the first time. He and my MIL looked the menu and figured it wasn't for them so they gave the card to my wife and I to use. Well, he was given a GC to Sister, the new restaurant from Chaz of The Charles fame. It's opened in the old Grape location. I didn't even realize it had opened yet but I am looking forward to going. Anybody been yet?

It’s great! Literally a more casual version of The Charles. I think y’all will love it.

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bluto

bluto 4915

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15 hours ago, victory88 said:

Eating here right now.  Solid Rec!  Thoroughly enjoyed my meal and this will be my go to Tex-Mex spot in Dallas.

Good stuff, there’s been sparse crowds the last few times I went, gotta keep em alive there! 

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C-Man

C-Man 27210

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15 minutes ago, bluto said:

Good stuff, there’s been sparse crowds the last few times I went, gotta keep em alive there! 

The last I heard was that the family that has owned Avila's forever would like to retire and nobody in the family wants to run it. I don't know if that means it's for sale or will shutter. I'm pretty sure it was for sale at one time, if it still isn't.

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Jackson P. Neighbors

Jackson P. Neighbors 136

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On 12/28/2021 at 4:06 PM, conVINCEd said:

Or Ojeda’s on Maple.

Family went there several times a month, decades ago and for a long time. They had an old school cigarette machine in the entryway and I remember every time mom stuffing a dollar and half or so of quarters into it for a pack of Winston Reds.

Mama Ojeda and two of the daughters came to my dad's funeral because they saw the obit in the paper totally by coincidence and recognized him. He was a smooth man.

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DFWTexEx

DFWTexEx 276

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Sorry I am late to this party.  I don't really know how to come up with a top 25.  I'll have to think about it and use your guide, but where do experiences fit in?  For instance, two of the best dining experiences I have had in Dallas were the tasting menus at Revolver Taco (Purapecha and then La Resistencia).  Those would be at the top of my list but I don't know the category.    Same thing with Zen Sushi in Bishop Arts.  For day-to-day Sushi, it's fine and we enjoy it but it is not spectacular, but we did the omakase there once.  We had to give a few days' advance notice.  Michele ordered fish just for us from the best market in Tokyo and created an amazing, unforgettable meal.  I don't know how that fits into a top 25 list.  

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Landomatic

Landomatic 3813

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16 hours ago, DFWTexEx said:

Sorry I am late to this party.  I don't really know how to come up with a top 25.  I'll have to think about it and use your guide, but where do experiences fit in?  For instance, two of the best dining experiences I have had in Dallas were the tasting menus at Revolver Taco (Purapecha and then La Resistencia).  Those would be at the top of my list but I don't know the category.    Same thing with Zen Sushi in Bishop Arts.  For day-to-day Sushi, it's fine and we enjoy it but it is not spectacular, but we did the omakase there once.  We had to give a few days' advance notice.  Michele ordered fish just for us from the best market in Tokyo and created an amazing, unforgettable meal.  I don't know how that fits into a top 25 list.  

I don't know, but this little project kind of went off the rails. I think the original plan was to have everyone weigh in, then tabulate the votes and develop a master surly dallas top 25 list...but that never really got finished (shocking with us, I know). Pretty sure my list has already changed fairly significantly since my first submission too.

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Jive Turkey

Jive Turkey 12594

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On 10/31/2021 at 9:05 AM, bluto said:

This has kinda turned into catch all thread so w/e.

National Anthem this weekend, cool lively spot, great food and service. Not crazy overpriced. We Went heavy seafood for the night Shrimps, fried oysters, and halibut. All of it was finish last bite good.

we went last night.  it was great.  menu is similar to all of Nick's other joints.  no real surprises.  everything was tasty.

but it's the space that is the real star.  such a cool restaurant in a great old building.  place was packed.  

i was shocked by how much that area of downtown has changed: the East Quarter.  they are branding it hard.  lots of new and refurbished buildings. since i stopped going into the office in March 2020, i haven't been downtown much, and certainly not in that part of downtown, so i was pleasantly surprised at all the work that has been done.  that area has the potential to be really nice.  and a sweet connector between the CBD and Deep Ellum.

we'll definitely go back to eat there again.

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C-Man

C-Man 27210

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1 hour ago, Jive Turkey said:

we went last night.  it was great.  menu is similar to all of Nick's other joints.  no real surprises.  everything was tasty.

but it's the space that is the real star.  such a cool restaurant in a great old building.  place was packed.  

i was shocked by how much that area of downtown has changed: the East Quarter.  they are branding it hard.  lots of new and refurbished buildings. since i stopped going into the office in March 2020, i haven't been downtown much, and certainly not in that part of downtown, so i was pleasantly surprised at all the work that has been done.  that area has the potential to be really nice.  and a sweet connector between the CBD and Deep Ellum.

we'll definitely go back to eat there again.

Same. We still haven't returned to the office but I've been in a handful of times for meetings. Downtown is a still a shell of its former self.

I've liked all of Nick's places, will need to check this one out. (Might be a good spot to grab dinner the night of the Jeff Tweedy show at the Majestic on 3/5.)

Edited by C-Man
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Jive Turkey

Jive Turkey 12594

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James Beard nominations are out.  Several nominees from DFW (Dallas and the 'burbs):

Here are all of the 2022 restaurant and chef award semifinalists from D-FW:

Best New Restaurant:

Roots Southern Table, Farmers Branch

Best Chef Texas:

Tiffany Derry, Roots Southern Table

Matt McCallister, Homewood

Misti Norris, Petra & the Beast

Anastacia Quiñones-Pittman, José

Regino Rojas, Revolver Taco Lounge

Koji Yoshida, EBESU Robata & Sushi, Plano

Outstanding Baker:

Maricsa Trejo, La Casita Bakeshop, Richardson

Outstanding Bar Program:

Las Almas Rotas

Outstanding Wine Program:

Sachet

Outstanding Hospitality:

José

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Landomatic

Landomatic 3813

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8 hours ago, Jive Turkey said:

James Beard nominations are out.  Several nominees from DFW (Dallas and the 'burbs):

Here are all of the 2022 restaurant and chef award semifinalists from D-FW:

Best New Restaurant:

Roots Southern Table, Farmers Branch

Best Chef Texas:

Tiffany Derry, Roots Southern Table

Matt McCallister, Homewood

Misti Norris, Petra & the Beast

Anastacia Quiñones-Pittman, José

Regino Rojas, Revolver Taco Lounge

Koji Yoshida, EBESU Robata & Sushi, Plano

Outstanding Baker:

Maricsa Trejo, La Casita Bakeshop, Richardson

Outstanding Bar Program:

Las Almas Rotas

Outstanding Wine Program:

Sachet

Outstanding Hospitality:

José

Obligatory...

giphy.gif?cid=790b7611b5bf3ec9185e9944d4

 

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Landomatic

Landomatic 3813

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1 hour ago, conVINCEd said:

That bakery in Richardson may be the most unlikely location for a James Beard nominee ever.  That shopping center is an absolute shithole.  I’ll also try it this weekend.

Well, while you're in the burbs, might as well swing through The Branch and check out Best New Restaurant and Best Chef nominee...

roots_southern_kitchen_wolfgang_exterior

 

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C-Man

C-Man 27210

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The wife and I finally tried out Meridian last night after visiting her mother in the hospital following a knee replacement. We snagged an 8:45 reservation, probably due to half the city being in Colorado skiing for Spring Break. Really cool finish-out IMO. Because we ate late -- and I helped a buddy eat a dozen wings while watching college basketball earlier in the afternoon/evening, I knew I didn't really need (or want) to eat a large entree. I was intrigued by the fish main but passed.

We ended up ordering the bread (fantastic), which came with an herbed butter, EVOO/balsamic and lardo. Really, really good start. Then we ordered two of the "beach cheese" from the appetizer menu, which is basically Brazilian street cheese drizzled with hot honey and brought out on a grate over herbs in a bowl. It's kind of like that brick cheese you find at CM or Eatzi's that you're supposed to grill. I liked it. Wife was meh. Then we had the calabrese sausage, which was not what I expected at all. It had a very strong cased chorizo vibe and was served with shallots, black beans and sweet citrus (was tangerine or something -- I'll have to look it up). I liked it but would've liked a smaller portion. For our "main" we got the mushroom pasta dish, which again was good -- I just didn't want that much of it. It was very, very mushroom forward. As a side, we got the charred snap peas that came out with some soft Brazilian cheese at the bottom. We liked these too.

My house Old Fashioned was terrific. Overall, we enjoyed the space and I thought the food was good. I'd like to try the picanha at some point but I didn't want that much red meat at that time of the day -- it was pushing 10 at that point -- and I think it's $62. Picanha is not an expensive cut of meat.

So in summation, I liked the place quite a bit. I don't think it's #1 in Dallas by any stretch of the imagination. Granted, I think it would better with maybe another couple or two so we can get more but it did not blow me away. Bill was $175 for the two of us including tip and booze (Old Fashion and two glasses of wine -- wife no longer drinks). 

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Zepol87

Zepol87 9185

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On 2/6/2022 at 1:56 PM, Jive Turkey said:

we went last night.  it was great.  menu is similar to all of Nick's other joints.  no real surprises.  everything was tasty.

but it's the space that is the real star.  such a cool restaurant in a great old building.  place was packed.  

i was shocked by how much that area of downtown has changed: the East Quarter.  they are branding it hard.  lots of new and refurbished buildings. since i stopped going into the office in March 2020, i haven't been downtown much, and certainly not in that part of downtown, so i was pleasantly surprised at all the work that has been done.  that area has the potential to be really nice.  and a sweet connector between the CBD and Deep Ellum.

we'll definitely go back to eat there again.

Glad to hear another good experience. I have a work dinner coming up in a few weeks and we want to have it there. Also hitting Petra and the beast up next month, been a couple of years since I've been. 

I completely agree on the east quarter area, a nice change for sure.

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Skipper

Skipper 6133

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On 4/4/2022 at 9:54 AM, TurkeyChew said:

Have leadership offsite meetings where everyone is flying into downtown Dallas this week-- will be eating Nick & Sam's and Monarch's and one other TBD.

Try out Las Palmas if still looking for something.  I think that would play well with folks from out of town and compliment those 2 with something a little more chill but still damn good.

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DDD Dad

DDD Dad 14332

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Posted (edited)
On 4/22/2022 at 6:12 PM, Zepol87 said:

Went to gorji earlier this week for my bday dinner it was fucking amazing. Thanks for that rec, my first time ever going. My cousin also got me in at Petra and the Beast this weekend. So ready 

Went tonight to your cousin’s new temporary spot at the ATT center downtown (Stepchild at Attalie). Was very good. Now I need to try to get in at the OG Petra. 

Edited by DDD Dad
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