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Surly’s list of Dallas top 25 restaurants


PorscheGuy

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Any categories we're missing? Couple I thought of, mostly because I don't really know of any good ones for many of these, but also not sure there are really enough great options to warrant their own category...
Wings (different than fried chicken and I still haven't found any great ones in Dallas)
Sports Bars (seems like I'm always struggling to find a great place to go watch games)
Indian (I don't eat it, but I know it's popular with some people)
Spanish (there are about 4 -5 total places I think and all seem about the same level...which is good, not great)
Thoughts?

Chicken fried steak.
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4 hours ago, ShaggyBevo RIP said:


Chicken fried steak.

Get on I-30 and drive west about 1.5 hours.  It’s a hard dish to completely fuck up, but also hard to stand out.  I’m good with Babe’s/Bubba’s when I feel the need to scratch that itch.  Eatzi’s chicken fried ribeye, which I haven’t had since Covid, but used to be sold only on Wednesdays, is also on point.

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41 minutes ago, conVINCEd said:

Get on I-30 and drive west about 1.5 hours.  It’s a hard dish to completely fuck up, but also hard to stand out.  I’m good with Babe’s/Bubba’s when I feel the need to scratch that itch.  Eatzi’s chicken fried ribeye, which I haven’t had since Covid, but used to be sold only on Wednesdays, is also on point.

To where?

Bubba's must be some I grew up in the Park Cities nostalgia thing as there is nothing memorable about it. Haven't tried Babe's. Ozona Grill is the best I've tried so far.

Edited by ShaggyBevo RIP
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8 minutes ago, ShaggyBevo RIP said:

To where?

Bubba's must be some I grew up in the Park Cities nostalgia thing as there is nothing memorable about it. Haven't tried Babe's. Ozona Grill is the best I've tried so far.

Babe’s and Bubba’s are basically the same thing.  Owned by the same family.  One does family style sides and the other does not because their rent is higher.

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My buddy just moved over there and. I've been a few times. Solid place and the rooftop is nice at night now that it is cooler 

Definitely nice spot, food was inconsistent at first but that’s most likely due to new restaurant logistics, etc. can’t wait to do an NFL Sunday there.
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4 hours ago, conVINCEd said:

Get on I-30 and drive west about 1.5 hours.  It’s a hard dish to completely fuck up, but also hard to stand out.  I’m good with Babe’s/Bubba’s when I feel the need to scratch that itch.  Eatzi’s chicken fried ribeye, which I haven’t had since Covid, but used to be sold only on Wednesdays, is also on point.

I've tried Eatzi's chicken fried ribeye on multiple occasions because I want it to be outstanding and it's only average.

 

3 hours ago, ShaggyBevo RIP said:

To where?

Bubba's must be some I grew up in the Park Cities nostalgia thing as there is nothing memorable about it. Haven't tried Babe's. Ozona Grill is the best I've tried so far.

Bubba's is definitely nostalgia. I almost feel physically sick after eating there. I mean I like it but I feel like I swallowed a candle after. The rolls are amazeballs though.

Ozona's CFS is really, really good. Celebration does a good job too.

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Any categories we're missing? Couple I thought of, mostly because I don't really know of any good ones for many of these, but also not sure there are really enough great options to warrant their own category...
Wings (different than fried chicken and I still haven't found any great ones in Dallas)
Sports Bars (seems like I'm always struggling to find a great place to go watch games)
Indian (I don't eat it, but I know it's popular with some people)
Spanish (there are about 4 -5 total places I think and all seem about the same level...which is good, not great)
Thoughts?

Added to Sammiches: (IMO)

https://www.ehsandwich.com/

Diners?
Cyndi’s
Everyone raves over Norma’s cafe but I think it’s meh.
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Haha, I'm sure we can get some surly peeps in when we do friends and family preopening etc. 

Would love a chance to take you up on this!

Wife and I have been trying to carve out a weekend to fly to Chicago for a Maple and Ash dinner. Damn overnight sitter issues are killing us now.


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13 minutes ago, PorscheGuy said:


Would love a chance to take you up on this!

Wife and I have been trying to carve out a weekend to fly to Chicago for a Maple and Ash dinner. Damn overnight sitter issues are killing us now.


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Do it!  Perfect day today.  City is on fire.  We hit the patio there last night so we wouldn’t run into everyone and be tempted to go out.  Paid off, feel great and ready to get after it today.  
The holidays it’s cold but also a good time to get a visit in.  Avoid Jan/Feb at all costs.  Ha

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Do it!  Perfect day today.  City is on fire.  We hit the patio there last night so we wouldn’t run into everyone and be tempted to go out.  Paid off, feel great and ready to get after it today.  
The holidays it’s cold but also a good time to get a visit in.  Avoid Jan/Feb at all costs.  Ha

When we work out the sitter issues and pull the trigger I’ll send you a text. I owe you a drink or two if your in town


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On 9/25/2021 at 1:35 AM, C-Man said:

I've tried Eatzi's chicken fried ribeye on multiple occasions because I want it to be outstanding and it's only average.

 

Bubba's is definitely nostalgia. I almost feel physically sick after eating there. I mean I like it but I feel like I swallowed a candle after. The rolls are amazeballs though.

Ozona's CFS is really, really good. Celebration does a good job too.

Matt's has a pretty good CFS as well.  I'm told Prego has good CFS but I won't set foot in that place.  Hard pass.

 

Also I think Goodfriend deserves a nomination in the burger category, as does Wingfield's.

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Okay, here's the latest update following the weekend. Other than CFS, I wasn't really seeing enough chatter/nominations to warrant adding any other categories (i.e tapas, sports bars, etc). If anyone strongly disagrees, we can open those back up.

Overall, our Chinese and Pizza categories are feeling pretty sorry. Is that really the best Dallas has to offer? Maybe those are both so neighborhood specific that they really don't have much to offer citywide?

Also, was hoping to hear from @DFWTexEx...always appreciate/respect his restaurant thoughts.

Anyway, I think that's it from me on the compiling of the list. I'll let @PorscheGuy or someone else take it from here for the scoring or ranking or whatever.

***SPECIFIC CUISINES***

Barbeque

  • Cattleack
  • Terry Black's
  • Pecan Lodge
  • Hutchin’s

Pizza

  • PT Neighborhood Pizzeria
  • Bona
  • Cane Rosso
  • Zoli's
  • Rock City 'Za
  • ZaLat

Burgers

  • Al Biernat's
  • Maple & Motor
  • Hudson House
  • Burger House
  • Haystack
  • Rodeo Goat
  • Knife
  • Ellie's Restaurant & Lounge
  • Goodfriend
  • Wingfield's

Tex-Mex

  • Las Palmas
  • Mesero
  • Banditos
  • Avila’s
  • Rafa’s
  • Muchacho's
  • Herrera's
  • E Bar
  • Eddie's
  • Ojeda’s
  • Mariano’s
  • Lupe Tortilla
  • Matt’s
  • Meso Maya

Italian

  • Monarch
  • The Charles
  • Taverna
  • Lucia
  • Fachini
  • Sprezza
  • Terrilli's
  • Carbone’s

Japanese/Sushi

  • Shinsei
  • Oishii
  • Uchi
  • Yatuka
  • Sushi Sake
  • Genroku
  • Blue Sushi
  • Nobu
  • Tei-An

Tacos

  • El Come Taco
  • Velvet Taco
  • Revolver Taco Lounge
  • La Banqueta

Chinese

  • Royal China
  • Oishii

Sandwiches

  • Jimmy's
  • New York Sub
  • The Great Outdoors
  • Latin Deli
  • East Hampton

Seafood

  • Hudson House
  • TJ's Seafood Market & Grill
  • Rex’s
  • Lover’s Seafood
  • Nate’s
  • S & D Oyster Company
  • Truluck’s
  • Eddie V’s

Other Asian (Thai, Vietnamese, Fusion, etc)

  • Loro
  • Alice
  • Khao Noodle Shop
  • Bangkok
  • Malai Kitchen

Fried Chicken

  • Lucky's
  • Palmer's
  • Celebration
  • Yard Bird

Mediterranean

  • Sachet
  • Paradiso
  • Bistro 31

New American

  • Petra and the Beast
  • R+D Kitchen
  • Fearing’s
  • Neighborhood Services
  • Hillstone

Chicken Fried Steak

  • Ozona Grill
  • Celebration
  • Matt’s

***OVERALL EXPERIENCES***

High End/Big Night Out

  • Monarch
  • Al Biernat's
  • Uchi
  • Town Hearth
  • Lounge Here

Steakhouse

  • Al Biernat's
  • Drake's
  • Town Hearth
  • Pappas Bros.
  • Truluck’s
  • Eddie V’s

Brunch

  • Bistro/Lounge 31
  • Toulouse
  • Nova
  • Boulevardier
  • Meddlesome Moth
  • Rapscallion
  • St. Martin
  • Breadwinners
  • Ozona
  • Yard Bird
  • Mercat Bistro

Outdoor Dining

  • Toulouse
  • Bistro/Lounge 31
  • Taverna
  • Truck Yard
  • Katy Trail Ice House
  • Saint Ann’s

Bistros

  • Parigi
  • Gemma
  • Bistro/Lounge 31
  • Toulouse
     
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anybody been to Carte Blanche yet on lower Greenville?  in the old Mudsmith Coffee spot.  we're going this week.  fantastic reviews.
https://www.yelp.com/biz/carte-blanche-dallas-3
https://www.carteblanchedallas.com/

Curious to hear your take. I went to apothecary couple weeks ago… a little much for my taste. Cocktails were good and all, just the scene itself.

Also wanting to try that new omakase spot
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2 minutes ago, bluto said:

Yep. Just saw they release reservations on first of month at 9am, so get on it tomorrow

Haha yeah I already tried twice. You can get one, but there are a ton of hoops to jump through.

First time I didn't get one, but I thought it was because I really didn't understand the "process" so I figured I could pull it off the next month.

Round two I was only able to secure a really shitty day/time. Something like a Tuesday late in the month at 5:00. Plus I think it required a pretty big deposit that was either non-refundable or only partially refundable or some shit. I didn't even know if I'd be available on that day, let alone want to go on a shitty day at a shitty time. Anyway, I passed. Didn't think I really needed to try it that bad.

Figure it will die down once the initial hype wears off a little bit, and I can get one at some point down the road. Or it won't and I'll be fine not having ever tried it.

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On 9/30/2021 at 7:53 AM, Landomatic said:

Haha yeah I already tried twice. You can get one, but there are a ton of hoops to jump through.

First time I didn't get one, but I thought it was because I really didn't understand the "process" so I figured I could pull it off the next month.

Round two I was only able to secure a really shitty day/time. Something like a Tuesday late in the month at 5:00. Plus I think it required a pretty big deposit that was either non-refundable or only partially refundable or some shit. I didn't even know if I'd be available on that day, let alone want to go on a shitty day at a shitty time. Anyway, I passed. Didn't think I really needed to try it that bad.

Figure it will die down once the initial hype wears off a little bit, and I can get one at some point down the road. Or it won't and I'll be fine not having ever tried it.

That seems like a lot of work to eat sushi.  I’ve only worked that hard for a reservation once in my life.  It was for my honeymoon.  They opened the reservations at noon on the 1st of the month, 3 months in advance.  Set an alarm to wake me up at 4:00 a.m. because of the time difference, F5 like a mother fucker.  Like you, big swing and miss.  We get there and I’m chatting with the smoking hot concierge at the hotel.  I mentioned my failure at obtaining said reservation, and she says she thinks she can get me in.  Our last day there I get a text mid-afternoon letting me know we had a reservation at 9:00 that night.

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40 minutes ago, conVINCEd said:

That seems like a lot of work to eat sushi.  I’ve only worked that hard for a reservation once in my life.  It was for my honeymoon.  They opened the reservations at noon on the 1st of the month, 3 months in advance.  Set an alarm to wake me up at 4:00 a.m. because of the time difference, F5 like a mother fucker.  Like you, big swing and miss.  We get there and I’m chatting with the smoking hot concierge at the hotel.  I mentioned my failure at obtaining said reservation, and she says she thinks she can get me in.  Our last day there I get a text mid-afternoon letting me know we had a reservation at 9:00 that night.

Eh, this round I didn't spend too much energy on it. It opened at 9:00. Happened to remember couple mins before hand, hit refresh a few times until it opened up, clicked on my first choice, already gone, clicked on my second choice, it was available, took it, went to check out and once I hit "yes" to reserve (and authorize my credit card) it said "sorry that time is no longer available" so clicked back to see if my 3rd choice was there and it wasn't. Clicked around to see if there was anything else worth a damn and there was some random Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 5:00 and that was it, but I didn't want it that bad so I clicked off. Whole thing lasted about 2 minutes.

Guessing the hundred dollar handshake won't work here either because I think there are like 6 total seats or some such shit and they have everything really set in advance. So, you'd probably have to luck into someone literally no-showing on the night you showed up trying to get in, which would be an extreme long shot. 

But like you, I don't need it that bad. I'm sure it's good, but I've somehow managed to live this long without it. Honestly, I'm sure it's way more about me wanting something I can't have than me really giving a shit if I get to eat that sushi or not. Funny how that works.

Maybe I can find a smoking hot concierge somewhere in town who can pull some strings for me? Seems like it would be a fun task whether I got the reservation or not.

Edited by Landomatic
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  • 2 weeks later...
Forgot all about this thread. Apparently [mention=2882]PorscheGuy[/mention] did too

Life has a funny way of spoiling my fun. This tread had an epic start for sure. Hell, I might actually be in the office tomorrow to spend more time on this.

I am very short handed and having to spend all my time driving l35 from SA to Dallas helping my installers. If it doesn’t happen tomorrow, it might be a while. Can’t find anyone who wants to work.

Anyways, I do have some ideas to have some fun with this narrowing down the Surly25.


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On 9/29/2021 at 8:24 PM, bluto said:


Curious to hear your take. I went to apothecary couple weeks ago… a little much for my taste. Cocktails were good and all, just the scene itself.

Also wanting to try that new omakase spot

Carte Blanche was good.  it didn't blow me away, like it should have for the price.  it's not a place i'd go back to.

the chef there really wants Michelin stars (not just one).  he has very high expectations.  

i didn't think it was better than Petra & the Beast or Purepecha.  those don't have Michelin stars.

the space is nice.  the plating and presentation were exquisite.  nice wine list.  the pastries are phenomenal.  food was good.  12 courses, so it filled you up.  but a few weeks later, it's not like i still think back to some of the items i ate.  

i wouldn't discourage anybody from going, but i'm also not raving to people about it and trying to convince them to go.

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So I've checked out this thread for kicks to see if there's actually any restaurants still around from my time in Dallas (1999-2003 -- there are a few).  I see Taverna listed in the Italian category more than once.  Really?  I don't have anything against a chain, and I actually think North is pretty solid.  But I've been to the Austin location of Taverna a few times and it's always indistinguishable meh.  Austin has a lot better Italian restaurants than Taverna, and it wouldn't crack the Top 10 for a lot of us.

Has Dallas Italian food fallen in the past several years?  Or is the Dallas location of Taverna all that?  This is coming from a guy who frequented Patrizio in Highland Park Village, and I can't remember many other Italian joints in Dallas back in my days.

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I have sorted the list and we have 104 nominations.  

Reply with your list of your top 25 list. The list does not have to be in order of 1-25 yet, just the 25 that you think should be on the list

I will keep track of the nominations and present a master list to vote from once we have a smaller list.   

FYI, You can copy and paste this into excel to easily sort through and paste back into the browser.

Al Biernat's
Alice
Avila’s
Banditos
Bangkok
Bistro/Lounge 31
Blue Sushi
Bona
Boulevardier
Breadwinners
Burger House
Cane Rosso
Carbone’s
Cattleack
Celebration
Drake's
E Bar
East Hampton
Eddie V’s
El Come Taco
Ellie's Restaurant & Lounge
Fachini
Fearing’s
Gemma
Genroku
Goodfriend
Haystack
Herrera's
Hillstone
Hudson House
Hutchin’s
Jimmy's
Katy Trail Ice House
Khao Noodle Shop
Knife
La Banqueta
Las Palmas
Latin Deli
Loro
Lounge Here
Lover’s Seafood
Lucia
Lucky's
Lupe Tortilla
Malai Kitchen
Maple & Motor
Mariano’s
Matt’s
Meddlesome Moth
Mercat Bistro
Mesero
Meso Maya
Monarch
Muchacho's
Nate’s
Neighborhood Services
New York Sub
Nobu
Nova
Oishii
Ojeda’s
Ozona
Ozona Grill
Palmer's
Pappas Bros.
Paradiso
Parigi
Pecan Lodge
Petra and the Beast
PT Neighborhood Pizzeria
R+D Kitchen
Rafa’s
Rapscallion
Revolver Taco Lounge
Rex’s
Rock City 'Za
Rodeo Goat
Royal China
S & D Oyster Company
Sachet
Saint Ann’s
Shinsei
Sprezza
St. Martin
Sushi Sake
Taverna
Taverna
Tei-An
Terrilli's
Terry Black's
The Charles
The Great Outdoors
TJ's Seafood Market & Grill
Toulouse
Town Hearth
Truck Yard
Truluck’s
Uchi
Velvet Taco
Wingfield's
Yard Bird
Yatuka
ZaLat
Zoli's
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14 hours ago, South Austin said:

So I've checked out this thread for kicks to see if there's actually any restaurants still around from my time in Dallas (1999-2003 -- there are a few).  I see Taverna listed in the Italian category more than once.  Really?  I don't have anything against a chain, and I actually think North is pretty solid.  But I've been to the Austin location of Taverna a few times and it's always indistinguishable meh.  Austin has a lot better Italian restaurants than Taverna, and it wouldn't crack the Top 10 for a lot of us.

Has Dallas Italian food fallen in the past several years?  Or is the Dallas location of Taverna all that?  This is coming from a guy who frequented Patrizio in Highland Park Village, and I can't remember many other Italian joints in Dallas back in my days.

Taverna for me is more about the experience and location than the food. The food is better than meh, but it’s certainly not great.

I also think the 3 main OG Lombardi concepts in Dallas (Taverna, Toulouse, Bistro/Lounge 31) are better than any of their other locations in the “chain”. Lombardi and his investors all live here and visit those places often. I went to the Toulouse in Frisco once and it wasn’t anywhere near as good as the one in Dallas, and it’s only about 20 mins away in Plano.

So to answer your question…yes.

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32 minutes ago, Landomatic said:

Taverna for me is more about the experience and location than the food. The food is better than meh, but it’s certainly not great.

I also think the 3 main OG Lombardi concepts in Dallas (Taverna, Toulouse, Bistro/Lounge 31) are better than any of their other locations in the “chain”. Lombardi and his investors all live here and visit those places often. I went to the Toulouse in Frisco once and it wasn’t anywhere near as good as the one in Dallas, and it’s only about 20 mins away in Plano.

So to answer your question…yes.

Sounds fair.  I can see how the satellites don't fare as well as the original.  But if you're in Austin and want a good Italian meal, hit up some of us for recommendations and steer away from Taverna.

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1 hour ago, South Austin said:

Sounds fair.  I can see how the satellites don't fare as well as the original.  But if you're in Austin and want a good Italian meal, hit up some of us for recommendations and steer away from Taverna.

Yeah no doubt. I’d never eat there out of town. In fact, I’d never eat any of his concepts out of town. Only reason I went to the Plano Toulouse was because a friend wanted to go there. And honestly, in looking back on our list for Italian, Taverna should rank pretty much bottom 3 in my opinion.

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OK I'll play.

Boulevardier
Cane Rosso
E Bar
El Come Taco
Gemma
Jimmy's
Khao Noodle Shop
La Banqueta
Loro
Lounge Here
Lucia
Maple & Motor
Nobu
Oishii
Parigi
Pecan Lodge
Petra and the Beast

Rapscallion

Revolver Taco Lounge
Rodeo Goat
Terry Black's
Toulouse
Yutaka
ZaLat

Ended up with only 24 after removing places I've not visited but would have included based on reputation and input from others.
 

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Here's my pass at it. Not sure how scientific/accurate this is. Tried just narrowing to my favorite 25 from the whole list at first, but that was a little overwhelming. So, then just tried to pick my top 2 in each category (mostly). Bumped those two against each other and this was the final result.

The weird thing about this exercise is that I don't really care about my top 25. I know what those are and why I like them and why I go to them all the time. I'm much more interested in 26 through 104 and trying them out to see why other people like them and potentially having something new to put in the rotation.

Anyway, here you go in alphabetical order...

Al Biernat's
Alice
Banditos
Bistro/Lounge 31
Bona
Cattleack
Drake's
El Come Taco
Gemma
Hudson House
Jimmy's
Las Palmas
Lucky's
Monarch
Oishii
PT Neighborhood Pizzeria
Royal China
Sachet
Shinsei
Taverna
Terry Black's
The Charles
Toulouse
Uchi
Velvet Taco

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  •  
Bistro/Lounge 31
Boulevardier
Breadwinners
Cattleack
Drake's
Eddie V’s
Ellie's Restaurant & Lounge
Fachini
Fearing’s
Hudson House
Knife
Mercat Bistro
Mi Cocina Highland Park
Monarch
Neighborhood Services
Nobu
Pappas Bros.
Pecan Lodge
R+D Kitchen
Saint Ann’s
Tei-An
Terry Black's
The Charles
Truluck’s
Uchi
 
25 in alphabetical order
 
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5 hours ago, PorscheGuy said:
  •  
Bistro/Lounge 31
Boulevardier
Breadwinners
Cattleack
Drake's
Eddie V’s
Ellie's Restaurant & Lounge
Fachini
Fearing’s
Hudson House
Knife
Mercat Bistro
Mi Cocina Highland Park
Monarch
Neighborhood Services
Nobu
Pappas Bros.
Pecan Lodge
R+D Kitchen
Saint Ann’s
Tei-An
Terry Black's
The Charles
Truluck’s
Uchi
 
25 in alphabetical order
 

I agree with most everything on the list that I have actually eaten at.  The only 2 I would drop are Pecan Lodge and Mi Cocina.

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