Trolling for clicks

Dallas-Fort Worth heavies Fearing's and Woodshed slide into list of 101 Best Restaurants in U.S.

Two lucky lucky restaurants from Dallas-Fort Worth scored a ranking on the latest traffic-trolling "top restaurants" list, this one generated by The Daily Meal, a list-delirious website ostensibly dedicated to topics of food and drink. The "101 Best Restaurants in America" includes Fearing's at the Ritz-Carlton, Dallas at No. 94 and Woodshed Smokehouse in Fort Worth at No. 92.

For DFW, that is all she wrote.

The list's top three slots go to the most trite-and-true restaurants in the country: French Laundry, Gramercy Tavern and Le Bernardin. It goes without saying that the list is dominated by New York and California restaurants, with 28 list-makers from New York and 20 from California.

A list like this can be a wonderful thing, because it gives us a chance to evaluate our weaknesses — which can be basically summed up as, we're not California or New York.

But no tears: A list like this can be a wonderful thing, because it gives us a chance to evaluate our weaknesses — which can be basically summed up as, we're not California or New York. Honestly, we're just grateful for any scraps on the national table. We're thrilled with a showing of two restaurants, because it could have been none at all.

And looking more carefully at the two restaurants that do appear, it doesn't seem questionable in any way, shape or form that both are headed by two of our most well-publicized, highly prominent Food Network regulars: chefs Dean Fearing and Tim Love. They're two of our very best chefs, and they deserve every tout they get.

We even like Woodshed and have taken some heat for our praise from local diners who've not been as enchanted with Love's casual patio hang.

But you do have to wonder how the evaluation went down. A truly qualified list would have required someone from the crack Daily Meal team to come to DFW and eat at Lucia, Tei An, FT33, and all the various and sundry other restaurants that opened in 2012, then deem them less worthy than Fearing's and Woodshed.

Alas: Judging from the list of obscure bloggers and random journalists that make up the "illustrious members of their expert panel," there were no representatives from Dallas. The main Texas contributor appears to be Pat Sharpe of Austin-based Texas Monthly.

Another way that you can tell how legit this list is — and that it has nothing to do with gross, shameless, unbridled trolling for traffic — is the inclusion of Shake Shack, the stupidly overrated New York burger place. As the story reads, "There were winners that will be certain to infuriate detractors and inspire advocates. In its first year on the list, Shake Shack’s claim to the 11th spot (above Jean-Georges, Daniel, Alinea, Chez Panisse, Del Posto and Per Se) will likely anger more than In-N-Out lovers."

Yes! In-N-Out! Anger! Outrage! Click click click.

Honey and thyme-glazed grass-fed lamb chop on parsley root puree with Kennebec potato fries, cheese pierogi on braised lamb choucroute, and fresh shaved black truffles at No. 94 Fearing's.

Lamb chop at Fearing's Restaurant in the Ritz-Carlton, Dallas

Fearing's Restaurant Facebook

Honey and thyme-glazed grass-fed lamb chop on parsley root puree with Kennebec potato fries, cheese pierogi on braised lamb choucroute, and fresh shaved black truffles at No. 94 Fearing's.

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Roundup of Restaurant News

Lots of fun new openings elevate this Dallas restaurant news roundup

Onesan

New sushi at Onesan

February may be the shortest of months, but there's no shortage of dining news around Dallas. There's been a slew of openings, spring menus, and limited-edition bites. There are new cocktails, food trucks, power bowls, French fries, bagels, blizzards, and concretes.

Here's what's happening in Dallas restaurant news right now:

Remote Coffee, a new drive-thru-only coffee shop in East Dallas, is now open at 10999 Garland Rd. It comes from longtime Dallas restaurateur Joel Roland, alongside Mike Donlon and Pablo Garcia. In addition to coffee, frozen drinks, and aguas frescas, they also serve breakfast tacos and baked goods.

Khroma Coffee has opened inside Jem Studios at 3401 Main Street in Deep Ellum. The shop stocks specialties like charcoal and concrete lattes, a variety of teas, and espresso.

La Casita Bakeshop has launched a tiki cocktail pop-up called La Tiki Paisa at their bakeshop inside the flagship Half Price Books on Northwest Highway with a menu of tiki-style tropical drinks like $12 hot buttered rum and $15 mai tai, served after 5 pm daily. There’s also a selection of small plates, such as $16 beef tartare and $17 charred cabbage.

Tei An, the acclaimed Japanese restaurant in Dallas' Arts District, has been acquired by a team that includes Hunter Pond of Vandelay Hospitality Group (Hudson House, Drakes, Jack & Harry's) who says he won't change the restaurant which was opened by chef Teiichi Sakurai in 2008.

Birdcall, the Colorado-based fast-casual chicken chain, has now opened in McKinney at 4702 W. University Dr. This is their second Dallas-area location following the opening of one in Richardson in 2024.

Kava Bar, a bar with the buzzy alcohol alternative that has an earthy flavor, opened in Oak Cliff at 337 Jefferson Blvd. on February 15. It's the third in DFW following locations in Denton and Preston Road.

Panda Express, the Asian restaurant chain, opened two new locations: 9237 Lyndon B. Johnson Fwy. in Dallas, and 767 S. Angel Pkwy. in Lucas. Two new places in the Dallas area to find their world-famous The Original Orange Chicken and Honey Walnut Shrimp.

Salad and Go opened a location at 4401 Lemmon Ave. on February 19. The restaurant has also launched its new "greens for everyone" menu, featuring a green reviver juice, green enchilada chili, and good greens salad for $3-$8.

Kitchen + Kocktails, the Dallas-based restaurant and cocktail bar from attorney and restauranteur Kevin Kelley, is expanding to Boston where it will open in chef Nusret "Salt Bae" Gökçe's former Nusr-Et location in Boston in late 2025.

MoMo's Italian Kitchen in Lake Highlands has launched new cocktails now that they have a full liquor license, including The Queen Margherita, an Italian twist on the classic margarita with tequila and Italicus, a Bergamot liqueur; and MoMo Spritz with sparkling wine, Cappelletti, and orange peel. They have a new chef: Asher Stevens, who previously worked at Urban Bistro for Avner Samuel and developed the gastropub menus at The Cock & Bull pub and The Whistling Pig. They've extended their hours Sunday and Tuesday-Thursday from 5–9 pm, Friday-Saturday from 5 pm–10 pm, and a new lunch Tuesday-Thursday from 11 am-2 pm.

José, the restaurant on Lovers Lane, launched its taco truck and catering services, bringing tacos and margaritas to wherever the party is. The truck can be reserved with one of three different customizable menus, each featuring a variety of tacos from breakfast to signature tacos, priced from $23-52 per person. There’s also the option to add on items, including beverages, appetizers, entrees, sides, and desserts.

Onesan Dim Sum & Sushi, the Park Cities' favorite sushi restaurant, has new menu items from chef Jimmy Duke: Green Dragon roll with shrimp tempura, crab, cucumber, eel, avocado, and eel sauce; Fire Dragon roll with spicy tuna, cucumber, avocado; Tiger Eye roll with smoked salmon, jalapeno, cream cheese, nori, tempura fried soy paper, yuzu habanero sauce, and eel sauce; Volcano Crab roll with avocado, cucumber, cream cheese, baked blue crab tempura flakes, spicy mayo, and eel sauce; Lil’ Sister roll with crab, avocado, shrimp tempura, yellowtail, jalapeno, sriracha, and ponzu; and Samurai roll with crab, avocado, cucumber, and marinated tuna. Onesan has also launched a new "From the Wok" selection featuring Chili Garlic Beef Stir-Fry with soy-marinated Angus beef, toasted Thai chilis, onion, red bell pepper, shiitake mushrooms, and bean sprouts; and Lobster Rice with XO sauce, chili, garlic and shallot. Duke is a native of Japan who previously worked at Nobu and Imoto in Victory Park.

The Apron at Omni PGA Frisco launched a new menu featuring an apple pie chia seed pudding for $11; brisket Benedict for $19; and Croque Madame with smoked ham, Gruyère, creole sauce, and fried eggs on Texas toast for $18. They also have a new Junior Chefs’ menu with dishes like egg-in-a-hole, a sunny-side up egg and applewood-smoked bacon on whole wheat toast, for $10.

Overeasy at the Statler is celebrating St. Patrick's with specials on the $14 Texas Turkey Reuben and $7 White Chocolate Irish Cream Mocha. Available March 1-31.

MilkShake Factory, the neighborhood dessert shop in Grapevine, is rolling out a new permanent menu dessert and limited-time milkshake flavor. They’re offering molten chocolate cups for $6 that come in either peanut butter bananas & cream or strawberries & cream in a cup with whipped cream and melted milk chocolate. A limited-time coconut caramel cookie milkshake is available for $9 through April 20.

Snooze an AM Eatery, the breakfast-brunch chain, has three new lifestyle bowls, catering to different dietary needs. The Keto Breakfast has spinach and shredded carrots dressed with Dijon vinaigrette topped with a Snooze chicken sausage patty, hard-boiled eggs, avocado, and seared tomato; Protein BLT with scrambled eggs, bacon, breakfast sausage crumble, seared tomato, avocado, pickled red onions, and Maldon salt; and Farmer’s Market Veggie with sweet potato, seared tomato, avocado, and hard-boiled eggs. Prices range from $15-$16.

Tous les Jours, the Korean-French bakery has launched a new "cloud bagel," made with rice flour so it's light and fluffy. There's a plain and an everything seasoning bagel option. Available at Carrolton, Colleyville, and Plano locations.

Whiskey Cake has 15 new menu items, including mushroom campanelle, red crab Benedict, and French onion burger. Plus three cocktails: The Cold Fashioned 2.0 (available for brunch only), Spiced Maple Old Fashioned, and Wabbit Smash. Prices start at $17.50 for the French onion burger.

Swizzle, the tiki bar on Greenville Avenue, is hosting Malort Madness, a bracket-style competition featuring Malort, the love-it-or-hate-it liqueur. They're serving 16 Malort infusions designed by Swizzle regulars, in flavors such as Jolly Ranchers, Spam, and jalapeno, to be voted on week by week until they arrive at a final winner on March 31. Malort has become a favorite in the service industry as the go-to shot; Swizzle has featured Malort on their cocktail menu since they opened in 2020.

Black Rock Coffee Bar has new drinks for spring: Toffee Delight, with English toffee, caramel, and hazelnut latte; Honey Haze shaken espresso with espresso, honey, vanilla, ice, and oat milk; and matcha with lavender cold foam. Available March 1-April 30.

Dairy Queen brought back the Mint Oreo Blizzard, featuring cookie pieces with a cool mint topping and DQ’s soft serve. Available through March 31.

Rita’s Frozen Custard has added a new PB & Toffee Concrete. It blends Rita’s Vanilla Frozen Custard with Reese's peanut butter sauce and almond toffee crunch topping. Concrete starts at $6.

WOB Bar & Kitchen is adding a new, limited-time $9 French fry dipping platter with a pile of French Fries and four Slam-Dunk Dips: jalapeño avocado ranch, kicked up ketchup, Sriracha lime aioli, and honey mustard9. They're also offering game day bites, such as pickle fries and cauliflower bites from March 18-April 7.

Wingstop has new, crispier tenders, with a lighter and crispier experience – to be paired with Wingstop’s house made ranch, in a three-piece combo meal for $10.

Carrabba's has a new lemony spring menu inspired by Sorrento, home of Italy’s lemon groves. New dishes include lemon cream asparagus linguine, shrimp scampi, Tuscan-grilled lamb chops, and limoncello bread pudding. Cocktails include springtime sangria and strawberry limoncello martini. Prices start at $10.

Einstein Bros. Bagels has a new country bagels & gravy egg sandwich, featuring a Country Sausage Gourmet Bagel, eggs, bacon, pork sausage, cheddar cheese, and Country Pepper Cream Cheese for $9.

Potbelly has two new menu items: chili mac featuring beef chili with kidney beans, bell peppers, and onions, topped with Potbelly’s three-cheese mac; and banana pudding shake featuring vanilla and banana flavors, finished with a Potbelly shortbread cookie on the straw. Chili mac is $6 for a bowl, banana pudding shake is $5.49.

Logan’s Roadhouse has rolled out a limited-time Cajun-inspired menu featuring blackened shrimp & sausage gumbo, shrimp stacked trout, and beer-battered onion rings.

A.1. Steakhouse from Kraft-Heinz has partnered with Epicurean Butter on a butter that’s now available at H-E-B locations across Dallas-Fort Worth. The A1 Steakhouse butter brings the signature tang of A.1. Steak Sauce to kitchens in a new format. It's available for $4.14.

Sonic Drive-In has a new strawberry mangonada slush featuring a hint of Tajín Clásico chili lime seasoning. Available in medium only for $3, starting March 3 while supplies last.

North Texas Food Bank (NTFB), has partnered with Dallas College to provide food assistance to families in need, ensuring children have access to meals during school break. Open to the public, the mobile food distribution will be held on Wednesday, March 5, at the Dallas College Pleasant Grove Center at 802 Buckner Blvd. in Dallas from 10 am-12 pm or until supplies last. Each participating family will receive approximately 60 pounds of food.

All Y’alls Foods — a popular purveyor of vegan jerky and other animal-free snacks — earned recognition from PETA for signing on to its new “Eat Without Experiments” program that helps shoppers identify food and beverage companies that don’t test on animals. The company has never experimented on animals and is making its commitment public and permanent by joining PETA’s program. All Y’alls Foods is one of many companies—including Ferrero International, Bacardi Limited, Amy’s Kitchen, Heineken, and Unilever—that have signed PETA’s statement of assurance pledging never to test on animals.

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