Awards Time

Dallas' best restaurant and top chef revealed at 2018 Tastemaker Awards

This photo should give a clue as to who won top chef.

Whistle Britches

For weeks, we've been celebrating the bars, restaurants, and people that make Dallas-Fort Worth a vibrant culinary community, as part of our 2018 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards.

In our special editorial series, we honored nominees in a wide range of categories. A panel of expert judges helped compile the contenders, and the panel selected all of the winners — except for Best New Restaurant. That was determined by you, our readers, in a bracket-style tournament.

On April 19, the winners were revealed at an awards ceremony and tasting event at Sixty Five Hundred, emceed by award-winning television personality and Good Morning Texas co-host Jane McGarry.

These are the 2018 Tastemaker Award winners:

DALLAS

Restaurant of the Year: Town Hearth
Chef Nick Badovinus really gets what Dallas is about, and he brings it to the Design District in an over-the-top manner with this blown-up steakhouse. We’re talking $75 steaks, a raw seafood bar, and 64 glowing chandeliers.

Chef of the Year: Omar Flores, Whistle Britches
Critical acclaim follows Flores wherever he cooks: First at Oak Cliff seafood restaurant Driftwood, then at Casa Rubia, his Spanish tapas restaurant at Trinity Groves, and now at Whistle Britches, his restaurant in North Dallas where his chicken and biscuits are impossible to resist.

Rising Star Chef of the Year: Anastacia Quinones, The Cedars Social
"AQ" is known for her elevated take on modern Mexican food at restaurants such as Alma, Komali, and Kitchen LTO. She’s currently wowing diners at Cedars.

Best New Restaurant: Ferris Wheelers
This over-the-top restaurant in Dallas' Design District features barbecue from chef Doug Pickering, along with craft beer, games, live music, and a 50-foot running Ferris wheel. The brisket queso served with chips is divine.

Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year: Nova
This gastropub in North Oak Cliff is beloved by the locals for its comfortable atmosphere and great food by chef Eric Spigner, with homey dishes like scallops with grits.

Best Biscuits: Crossroads Diner
People rave about Crossroads’ sticky bun, but chef Tom Fleming’s biscuits are winners, too. They’re everything you want from a biscuit: golden-brown on top, buttery and moist inside.

Pastry Chef of the Year: Keith Cedotal, The Joule
Keith Cedotal is a highly inventive chef who’s been at the Joule since 2017, where he does all the desserts for CBD Provisions, Americano, and Mirador.

Bar of the Year: Parliament
Speakeasy from legendary mixologist Eddie "Lucky" Campbell is oft-cited as the best bar in Dallas, for good reason. With a welcoming staff and perfectly mixed drinks, Parliament is hard to beat.

Bartender of the Year: Trevor Landry, Jalisco Norte
Prior to his post at Jalisco Norte, Trevor created cocktail menus for the Front Room and Dakota's Steakhouse. He’s worked at many establishments around Dallas and has won numerous awards. None better than this Tastemakers Award!

Wine Program of the Year: Bullion
Downtown Dallas restaurant from chef Bruno Davaillon has a French theme on the menu, and a wine list by sommelier Andrew Schawel to match. It's a stunning collection with some rare bottles and a big selection of wines by-the-glass.

FORT WORTH

Restaurant of the Year: Piattello Italian Kitchen
Chef Marcus Paslay's restaurant in Fort Worth’s Waterside area serves comfortable Italian fare, including pizza and some of the city's best house-made pastas.

Chef of the Year: Lanny Lancarte, Righteous Foods
Part of the legendary dynasty of Joe T. Garcia's, Lancarte has been a culinary trailblazer for Fort Worth, first with his upscale Lanny's Alta Cocina Mexicana, and then again with Righteous Foods, where he blazed another trail with health-conscious food, juices, and great coffee.

Best New Restaurant: B&B Butchers & Restaurant
Steakhouse from Houston is a meat-lover’s paradise with 22 cuts that include Japanese Wagyu, Texas Wagyu, and pA5 Kobe Beef from Japan — and it’s all now being served at the Shops at Clearfork in Fort Worth.

Bar of the Year: Proper on Magnolia
Lisa Adams' cozy neighborhood bar on Magnolia Avenue serves nicely made cocktails in a casual, upscale environment that’s great for dates and grown-up conversation.

Meat us

Halal BBQ smokehouse warms the coals for winter opening in Richardson

Rendering courtesy of Sire & Sons

Rendering of Sire & Sons.

A new barbecue restaurant blending Southern flavors with global influences is heading to downtown Richardson: Sire & Sons Smokehouse is set to take over the former Jasmine Café space at 107 E. Main St. in December.

The project comes from pitmaster and chef Terrance Hill and entrepreneur Huzaifah Ali. The business partners are two culinary leaders from different backgrounds who share a deep passion for good food.

Hill, a Dallas native, learned the craft of smoking barbecue as a young boy from his father and uncles; they learned from the grandfather Hill never met. The family routinely cooked in their backyard for neighborhood and church events.

Hill formalized his training at culinary schools Le Cordon Bleu and Johnson & Wales before refining his craft over the years at Lockhart Smokehouse in Plano. After opening Blu’s Barbecue in North Dallas, he continued teaching and catering.

Sire & Sons comes from tenured restaurateurs.Photo courtesy of Sire & Sons

Ali grew up in a family of restaurateurs with ties to several Dallas-area establishments, including The Port of Peri Peri in Plano and Irving, as well as Jimmy’s Burger and Grill in Plano, which Ali helps manage.

Hill and Ali first met through a mutual vendor in 2019. That's when they first came up with the idea to launch a halal barbecue joint. Although the pandemic delayed their plans for a few years, their vision remained strong, they say.

“We started talking about opening a halal smokehouse, which wasn’t really a concept heard of in Dallas at the time,” Ali says. “Since then, we’ve done catering and trial pop-ups to test the concept. The response was incredible, so we knew we were onto something good.”

They began the business under the name 225 — referencing the temperature for low-and-slow barbecue — but later rebranded to Sire & Sons, an homage to both their heritages and the men in their families who taught them how to cook, they say.

Their menu is entirely halal, which refers to meat raised and butchered in accordance with harm-minimizing Islamic guidelines. While rooted in Islamic tradition, the conscientiously made meat is increasingly popular among secular and non-Muslim diners. Hill adds that the barbecue on the menu is also traditionally Texan with a distinct Southern influence.

“Our goal is to stay authentic to Texas barbecue and Southern cuisine while adhering strictly to halal methods,” Hill says. “Minus the pork and alcohol, we’re still going to provide some of the best food you’ve ever tasted.”

The lineup will feature brisket, lamb, chicken, turkey, pastrami, and sausages, alongside burgers and nachos. Sides include a five-cheese mac and cheese, potato salad, and West African jollof rice. Warm naan, or flatbread, will replace the sliced white bread traditionally served with barbecue.

Rendering of the interior.Rendering courtesy of Sire & Sons

Working alongside culinary professionals from parts of the world like Morocco and Pakistan has influenced their unique and authentic flavor and spices, the owners say.

For dessert, diners can expect classics with a twist, such as banana pudding made with pound cake instead of traditional vanilla wafers and a peach cobbler dump cake. The barbecue specialists are partnering with local Sonshine Bakery to offer additional sweets, including Ali’s personal favorite, banana bread.

The 3,200-square-foot space will seat about 70 guests. Parting with the traditional rustic barbecue joint look, the interior will feature modern aesthetics paired with warm, natural light and an outdoor patio for extra seating.

Sire & Sons will be open 11 am-8:30 pm Wednesday-Thursday, 11 am-11 pm Friday-Saturday, and 10 am-6 pm Sunday. The smokehouse is developing a Sunday brunch menu, which will debut soon.

barbecue pitmasters richardson meat sausage brisket grill halal bbq