Tesar triumphant

CultureMap readers declare Spoon Dallas' hottest restaurant of 2012

Spoon comes from bad-boy chef John Tesar, formerly of the Mansion on TurtleCreek and currently a contestant on Top Chef Seattle. The focus is on seafood,with a beachy vibe to match.
Photo by Kevin Marple
True to form for Brooks and Bradley Anderson and chef Nathan Tate, Boulevardierdoes charcuterie, steak frites, marrow bones and a big wine list.
Photo courtesy of Boulevardier
FT33, nicknamed for the VIP chef’s table, is the temple of creative cuisine fromtattooed chef Matt McCallister. Located in the Design District, it has a prettyinterior and pretty plates.
Photo by Kevin Marple
Start takes fast food and tries to make it guilt-free, with grass-fed burgersand cage-free eggs. It’s quickly become the go-to spot for Park Cities moms andtheir kids.
Courtesy photo
Tried and True is chef Nick Badovinus’ reworking of his Neighborhood ServicesTavern concept, with a more relaxed vibe and menu.
Tried and True/Facebook
Stampede 66 is chef Stephan Pyles’ love letter to Texas, with majestic longhornsover the bar and Frito pie on the menu. It forms the third part of a Pylestrilogy, along with the eponymous Stephan Pyles and Samar By Stephan Pyles.
Photo by Brandon Ramsey of Brilliant Pixel Photography

The Dallas-Fort Worth restaurant scene is having an exceptionally hot year, with splashy openings from well known chefs such as Stephan Pyles, John Tesar and Matt McCallister. Knowing how much you love lists, we put it to you in our first poll for 2012: Of all the hot restaurant openings in 2012, which was the hottest?

Voting is closed, the results are in, and it wasn't even close: Spoon, the new seafood spot from Top Chef Tesar nailed it, winning 68 percent of the vote for hottest new restaurant in town.

What was it you liked the best: The seafood-centricity of the menu? The cool design? Or a chance to see Tesar's glasses perched on his forehead?

Runner-up honors go to Boulevardier, which garnered 23 percent of votes.

The poll, which ran from December 6 to 9, also featured FT33, Stampede 66, Start and Tried and True, as well as write-in candidate East Hampton Sandwich Co. The latter received one vote, two if the you count the nomination. But still, we appreciate the moxie.

Meanwhile, get your mouse ready, because we have more polls coming your way.

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Where to Drink

Where to drink in Dallas right now: 5 happy hours for September

Esco Dallas

The best-tasting drinks are blue.

It's time for the September installment of Where to Drink, our monthly column on the best places for cocktails and more. We're looking at our favorite theme — best happy hours — and have found five places taking it seriously in all the far reaches of Dallas: from Frisco to Wylie to downtown Dallas, even to the Park Cities, because they need a drink discount, too.

Here's where to drink in Dallas right now:

Ainsworth
Elevated sports bar at the Shops at Legacy has a weekday happy hour from 11 am-7 pm. And on Fridays, they add two extra hours of joy with an extended happy hour from 11 am-9 pm. Drink specials include $4 drafts, $5 wells, $7 house wines, and $8 signature cocktails. Select appetizers are $5, such as chips & salsa, spinach dip, and mozzerella sticks. The Friday dining deals include $7 flatbreads.

Casa Mia
Frisco Mexican restaurant has a daily happy hour from 4-7 pm with discounts on frozen and rocks margaritas, draft, and bottle beers. Select drinks are $4-$6.50, including house margaritas, exotic flavor margaritas, and domestic and imported beer. There are also deals on bites, including $6.50 tacos and $7.50 nachos and quesadillas.

Esco Dallas
Buzzy tapas restaurant in downtown Dallas from rapper 2Chainz has rotating happy hour specials Tuesday-Friday from 4-7 pm. Tuesdays are $3 well shots and $10 for three tacos. Wednesdays feature $5 wine by the glass, plus rum drinks and shots. Thursdays feature $7 Crown Royal and Dusse drinks. Friday, it's $9 Casamigos drinks.

Ferah Smokehouse
Wylie smokehouse and family-owned concept has a new daily happy hour from 3-6 pm, with an amazing array of items all priced at $4. Here's all the things you can get for $4: mojitos, margaritas, Moscow mules, cosmos, and house cocktails; plus brisket mac & cheese balls, meatballs, creamy elotes, and queso.

Half Shells
Snider Plaza, where Half Shells resides, is under renovation, so the Half Shells is compensating with weekday specials from 3-6 pm, including oysters for $2.50, shrimp nachos for $8, shrimp & crab queso for $8, and a cheeseburger for $10. Drink specials include $6 glasses of house wine, $2 off other glasses of wine, $6 Gold Margarita, and $6 wells. Mondays is happy hour all day.