National magazine Southern Living recently declared its picks for the 100 best restaurants in the South, and four Dallas spots made the list. But they aren't the ones we usually expect to see on a nationwide best-restaurant roundup.
The four that caught the publication's attention: CBD Provisions, Casa Rubia, San Salvaje and Fearing's. Based on that, you can probably tell this list comprises the new as well as the tried-and-true.
In fact, the list begins with the 10 best new restaurants in the South, and CBD Provisions lands at No. 6, followed San Salvaje at No. 8.
At CBD — which is also in the running for Bon Appetit's best new restaurants of 2014 — SL recommends the Berkshire pig head carnitas:
It arrives at the table — snout, ears, and all — crisp and fatty atop a wooden plank. For anyone who loves a proper pig pickin', this is your tableside porcine dream. Wrap the rich and smoky meat in fresh tortillas, pile on crunchy bits of skin, and top with radishes and roasted tomatillo salsa. Plan to come with friends — this dish is meant to be shared.
SL praises San Salvaje for chef Stephan Pyles' "creative riffs" of traditional Latin dishes. "San Salvaje showcases chef Pyles' current obsession with Central and South American flavors, with perfect measures of ingenuity and restraint," the article reads. The dish of choice is the fried whole snapper with pickled green beans and mango-habañero mojo, a fish split and stuffed with "a spiky fistful" of tempura-battered green beans.
Casa Rubia, noted for its boquerones — "a simple preparation of anchovies, pipérade, quail egg and olive oil" — also was a surprising semifinalist in the 2014 James Beard Awards. Texas Monthly likes it too, naming it to the list best new restaurants in the state, alongside CBD Provisions.
Fearing's is the old-timer in this bunch but deserving nonetheless. The write-up is short and sweet, as if Dean Fearing needs no introduction: "Order Dean's tortilla soup and Dr Pepper braised short ribs."
Southern Living praised Stephan Pyles' "creative riffs" on traditional Latin dishes at San Salvaje.
