Pubs galore
Where to eat in Dallas right now: 10 hot restaurants for November
Grain restaurant at the Park Cities Hilton is embracing the sliders trend aswell as bamboo toothpicks.Grain/Facebook
Henry's Tavern has a pretty convincing wall of taps.Courtesy photo
Matt McCallister's FT33 is on the short list for what's hot in November.Photo courtesy of FT33
Goghee has new digs with a sit-down option at LBJ and Inwood.Photo courtesy of Goghee
You have the attention span of a flea. You've done the bone marrow at Boulevardier and you're bored with lobster rolls. Restless, hungry, you need to know what's next. We bring you the 10 hot restaurants in Dallas right now.
Stampede 66
Latest entry from celebu-chef Stephan Pyles is Texana all the way, from the longhorns over the bar to the grits on the menu. Decor is stunning, and the menu has plenty of talkers, including a "Freeto pie," served in a custom-designed can, in which even the corn chips are house-made.
FT33
Have you heard of this little old place in the Design District? Starring chef Matt McCallister? With soon-to-be-famous pastry chef Josh Valentine and sommelier Ryan Tedder? They are doing very carefully constructed plate presentations and desserts made with liquid nitrogen. Everybody's going there.
Seasons 52
If you like to count calories — and who doesn't — NorthPark has its own branch of Seasons 52, the Darden concept where every dish on the menu is under 475 calories and you'd never even know it. There is a huge commitment to wine, with a corporate sommelier and a big-big list of wines by the glass. This is the second in the area; the first opened in Plano in 2010.
Henry's Tavern
For its second branch, this bar and grill from Portland, Oregon, could have chosen any city in any state in the world, and it chose Plano, Texas — specifically the Shops at Legacy. It's a massive space, with safe fare like burgers and fish and chips, plus a nod to the craft beer trend, with 100 taps that include seasonal brews.
British Beverage Co.
Hey, it's another place with fish and chips. Located by the Quadrangle, the "BBC" has a pronounced British theme with mussels, Scotch eggs (hard-boiled quail egg and sausage rolled in bread crumbs and fried) and shepherd's pie. The booze lineup is promising, with 45 wines and champagnes available by the glass and 50 beers on tap.
Cook Hall
New restaurant-bar taking over the old Craft space in W Dallas Victory Hotel just opened with a gastropub theme: more casual food such as meatballs, tacos and sandwiches. But do they have fish and chips? Led by 2011 James Beard Foundation Award winner Belinda Chang, the bar program is significant, with daily cocktail specials and vintage beer taps.
Goghee
This Korean BBQ mom-and-pop reopened last month at Inwood Road and LBJ Freeway, in a new permanent space with actual sit-down seating. Time for thee to go get your tacos and "Gimchee" fries — covered with crazy fermented pickled cabbage.
Grain
Renovated restaurant at the Hilton Dallas Park Cities has "cowboy-chic decor" — tooled leather, antlers, roping details, leather strapping and hides — plus steaks and Gulf seafood on the menu. Sounds like a good opportunity to compare and contrast to Stampede 66.
Nick & Sam's Grill
This Nick & Sam's Grill is the second of its kind, another spin-off of Nick & Sam's, following the one in Uptown. This would ordinarily not merit special attention if it were not for the fact that the first Nick & Sam's Grill remains wildly popular. So if you don't like noise and crowds, you're not likely to find them in this space, which used to be the old Ristorante Nicola. Also, it's near Preston Center, which is emerging as the new center of the Dallas restaurant universe.
Ellen's Southern Kitchen
New restaurant in the West End is open all day and night, has a full bar, and serves breakfast all the time. It just opened, and things are still a little rough around the edges. But the super-nice staff tries hard, and West End needs a place like this.
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Salmon at Bar LouieCourtesy photo