Photo courtesy: TJ’s Seafood Market
By Steven Doyle
We are out each night taking on the calories, sifting through the good, the bad and the delicious so you don’t have to. This means dozens of doughnuts, hundreds of burgers, plenty of steaks, a whole aquarium of fish, and a few loaves for good measure. All this to be able to report back to you the best of everything edible.
In the past year, since our last big, splashy food edition at The Blitz, we sampled just about everything Dallas has to offer and have a list for you to try out this coming year. This is a no-fail list that will make you smile and your belly shake with joy.
Here are some of our favorite dozen not-so-fancy dishes in Dallas that you might not have thought about, but should definitely try. We recommend one a month, but what the hell, do it all in one long weekend for extra points.
1) THE FRIED CHICKEN AT REMEDY
One of the newest additions to the food scene. A fantastic burger, cool drinks and a plate of fried chicken that is amazing. The chefs first confit the chicken. The pieces are then battered and fried for the most tender and flavor packed chicken experience you will ever encounter.
2) DUCK POUTINE AT BLIND BUTCHER
If unfamiliar, poutine is the unofficial dish of Canada that consists of French fried potatoes, squeaky cheese curds and brown gravy. The Blind Butcher has several versions, the duck does it for us with duck fat fries, cheese curds, duck fat gravy and a duck egg.
3) PHILLY CHEESESTEAK AT THE TRUCK YARD
The Truck Yard offers at least three food trucks each day, but also has a built-in ice cream stand and a Philly Cheesesteak bar. Slices of ribeye are smattered on a grill and covered with onions, peppers, jalapenos, and mushrooms. Order the damned Cheez Whiz! It’s a must!
4) SMOKED FRIED CHICKEN AT CLARK
I guess we like the lowest Greenville area quite a bit. Only available at brunch on Sunday, the smoked then fried chicken at Clark Food and Wine will curl your toes.
5) CHICKEN FRIED STEAK AT ALLGOOD CAFÉ
It is the best chicken fried steak in Dallas. Period. Available all day, and at breakfast with a pair of eggs. Located in Deep Ellum.
6) FRIED PIES AT FEARING’S
There are plenty of iconic dishes at Fearing’s, located in the swank environ at Ritz in Uptown. Certainly Chef Dean’s tortilla soup, and his fried chicken. But Dean once told us that his pastry chef, Jill Bates, will never take off his favorite fried pies.
7) LOBSTER ROLL AT TJ’S SEAFOOD MARKET
Look high, look low. You will not find a better example of a lobster roll in Dallas. A pair of locations waiting to serve.
8) BRISKET STUFFED ONION RING AT IVY TAVERN
This is what State Fair genius is all about. Exactly as it sounds, this dish is house-made brisket plunged into the heart of a large onion ring, battered in Panko, then fried.
9) STICKY BUN AT CROSSROADS DINER
You will not want to pass up breakfast at Crossroads Diner without one of these massive sticky buns. They are as delicious as they are large.
10) CHILI AT STAMPEDE 66
Stephen Pyles has this Texified restaurant wedged between Uptown and Downtown. Here he prepares his own chili, then cans it, then opens it tableside for the very best version of Frito Pie. His legal department renamed the dish Freeto Pie, but you get the idea.
11) GENERAL TSO QUAIL AT FIVE-SIXTY
Revolving restaurants always suck. Good rule of thumb to live by, except when it comes to Five-Sixty at the iconic Hyatt Regency. So many good things to choose from, but the quail always is a winner.
12) MEATLOAF AT STOCK AND BARREL
Bacon-wrapped and grilled, this is not your mother’s meatloaf. Enjoy the slab of meat at one of the premier restaurants in Bishop Arts where everything is pretty damn good.
