EATING AROUND THE RAW TRUTH ABOUT SUSHI

Sushi on McKinney<BR>

★★★ It has taken me a while to get with the sushi program. After an unfortunate first encounter with less than perfectly fresh sushi, I spent years wondering aloud why human beings would want to eat raw fish and vinegar-flavored rice, a combination better suited for their cats’ dinner than their own.

Then, some time back, I began to see the light at Hat-suhana, which is a midtown Manhattan mecca for sushilovers in this hemisphere. Candor compels me to admit that I required several Scotch and sodas before I could face the raw fish at hand. I had to admit there was something to this stuff, and these days I can eat sushi even while sober.

But while I was in the process of reluctantly coming around, nearly everyone else around me was scarfing down the stuff. And these days, sushi has caught on with Dallasites the way if did a few years back on the East and West coasts.

However, until the opening of Sushi on McKinney, locals who wanted to stoke up with shinko maki or kohada had only one choice for atmosphere: although there were a number of Japanese restaurants around, they all had similarly quiet and subdued atmospheres. Sushi on McKinney breaks that extremely familiar mold in a major way.

It bills itself as a “friendly postmodern sushi bar.” This translates to a high-tech art deco look, loud rock music, a slide show with Salvador Dali paintings, and a singles-bar atmosphere at the sushi bar, where you watch the chefs working out on the product. I don’t think sushi requires a hushed atmosphere for ingestion. but neither do I consider the music of Judas Priest to be suitable accompaniment for dinner.

Sushi maniacs don’t need my help in deciding which denizens of the sea to order. But I can suggest a few starting points for neophytes. The California roll, which involves rice, avocado, cucumber, and crab, is reassuringly non-squishy. Tuna and salmon are other firm-textured alternatives. What you want to avoid are such gelatinous-some would say slimy-choices as sea urchin or sea eel.

All in all, the sushi, which on my visits was as fresh as it gets in Dallas, is a better bet here than the cooked offerings. Chicken teriyaki, for instance, had been given an overdose of soy sauce, and to add insult to injury, included lots of fatty chicken skin.

For dessert, you can have a fruit plate or vanilla or green tea ice cream, but you’ll probably want to perambulate on over to nearby Andree’s Cookies & Cream instead. 4500 McKinney. 521-0969. Lunch Mon-Fri 11:30-2; dinner Sun-Thur 5:30-10:30, Fri & Sat 5:30-11. All credit cards. Moderate.

RECOMMENDED RESTAURANTS



Restaurants are rated with stars: ★(fair), ★★(good), ★★★(very good), ★★★★(excellent). ★★★★★(su-perlative)-tor 1ood quality alone. Service and atmosphere are commented on in reviews, but are not considered tor star ratings.



Credit cards are: AE/American Express, MC/Master-Card, V/Visa, DC/Diners Club. CB/Carte Blanche. “All credit cards” means that all five are accepted.



Restaurant visits are anonymous, and all expenses are paid by D. Inclusion in this listing has nothing to do with paid advertising.



Please send comments and recommendations to Liz Logan, 0 Magazine, 3988 N. Central Expwy., Suite 1200. Dallas, Texas 75204.



AMERICAN



BEAU NASH ★★★★ When Beau Nash opened in January, many restaurant-goers who were hoping for a new, improved version of the Mansion on Turtle Creek were initially disappointed. But as the months have gone by. Beau Nash has come into its own identity, and its virtues seem more and more apparent. For one thing, it keeps late hours-at least by Dallas standards-and does so every night For another, it’s a lively, entertaining hangout. And last but not least, the menu has been astutely adjusted, although not com-pletely overhauled Happily, the smoked salmon pizza-the perfect partner to champagne-and the Sonoma baby lamb with pesto sauce survived. The addition of inventive main-course salads at lunchtime-like a Thai-inspired shrimp and calamari combo-was welcome Oddly enough, although these dishes are of manageable size, the appetizer salads are still immense things that defy the efforts of mere mortals to finish them. Crescent Court Hotel. 400 Crescent Court, Maple at McKinney. 871-3240 Breakfast daily 6.30-10:30: Lunch Mon-Sat 11 30-2.30, dinner daily 6-11:30: Sun brunch 11 -2 30. All credit cards. Expensive.



D REVISITS

BLOM’S ★★★★★ This time around at Blom’s, the service was as flawless as ever, and the food-always quite good in the past – was of five-star quality The five-course, fixed-price (S38) “Taste of Bloms” menu of the day was especially impressive: hill country venison with Cornice pear and Wisconsin blue cheese: cream of cauliflower soup; Gulf rock shrimp stir-fried with snow peas, ginger, and truffles, an assortment of sorbets, fillet of lamb in pastry with tomato salsa and goat cheese; and a summer pudding with a strawberry sauce. This is not to slight the a la carte offerings: duck and chicken liver “parfait” served with hot brioche, a green salad with blood orange and hazelnuts, and breast of pheasant with sweet and sour sauce and cranberries were all perfectly prepared. Westin Hotel. Galleria. 13340 Dallas Pkwy 851-2882. Sun-Thur 6:30-10 pm, Fri & Sat 6-10. Jackets and ties required. All credit cards. Expensive.



CITY CAFE ★★★★★ City Cafe gives urban civilization a good name The setting is urbane in a clean-lined, low-key way. At night both the lighting and the recorded classical music are subdued, which makes the place romantic, but not too obviously romantic In fact, the nighttime is definitely the right time for City Cafe: although lunch can be very good, it never rises to the heights of dinner Both the lunch and the dinner menus change weekly (on Wednesdays) Pick hits from past menus include fresh tomato soup, bacon-wrapped oysters brochette. pan-fried Idaho brook trout, blue-berry crumble, and coconut cream tart The all -American wine list is well-chosen and reasonably priced, and the availability of thirteen wines by the glass is a bonus. 5757 W Lovers Lane (just west of Dallas N Tollway) 351-2233 Lunch Mon-Fri 11:30-2 30: dinner Mon-Sat 6-10:30. Closed Sun. MC. V, AE. Moderate.



DAKOTA’S ★★★★ Dakota’s new lunch and dinner menus modified by new chef Lisa Smith, include more salads and light dishes than did their predecessors. However, the emphasis is still on things Southwestern and mesquite-grilled. To judge from two exemplary items from the dinner menu-grilled lamb chops stuffed with herbed Texas goat cheese with Zinfandel sauce and grilled beet tenderloin fillet with mushroom caps-this is all to the good. Also unchanged, of course, is the slick, heavy-on-the-marble decor. Trivia note Dakota’s takes its name from the eight million pounds of Dakota Mahogany granite used throughout the restaurant and in Lincolr Plaza. 600 N Akard. 740-4001 Lunch Mon-Fri 11 -3; dinner Sun-Thur 5-11. Fri & Sat 5-11 30, Sun brunch 11-2:30. All credit cards. Lunch moderate: dinner expensive.



THE MANSION ON TURTLE CREEK ★★★★★ The Mansion has no competition in its melding of Dallas’s historic past and gastronomic future. In the golden glow of the restored, circa 1925 Shepard King mansion, Dean Fearing turns out cutting-edge New American Cuisine with a Southwestern accent Current standouts: country-fried Texas quail with peanul pasta and creamy garlic sauce; Louisiana crab cakes with a sauce of smoked chilies, lobster, and blood orange; and grilled swordfish with That noodles and mango, cucumber, melon, and lime sauce. Although it is difficult to resist the signature créme brulée with raspberry sauce, the pastry chefs artistry makes more adven-turouschoices well worth ordering. 2821 Turtle Creek Blvd. 526-2121. Main dining room-jackets and ties required. Lunch Mon-Fri ncon-2:30: brunch Sal noon-2:30. Sun 11-2:30; dinner Sun-Thur 6-10:30. Fri & Sat 6-11: supper Mon-Thur 10:30 pm-midnight. Fri & Sat 11 pm-midnight. Promenade Room -breakfast daily 7-10:30; Lunch Mon-Fri 11j .30-2. Sat & Sun noon-2; tea Mon-Fri 3-5 30. All credit cards Expensive.



MOLINE BAR & GRILL ★ ★ ★ ★ This West End bar/restaurant is a shuttered, dimly lit retreat from the literal and metaphoric heat of downtown Dallas. Here is an establishment that caters to warring temperaments: those inclined toward lollygagging will find its relaxed tenor conducive to lingering, while their Type A companions can cut deals on the tabletop telephones. Chef Mike Dunn has designed the evolving daily menu with an emphasis on Southwestern grilled fare. All in all, MB & G is one hell of a hangout for the discerningly hungry and thirsty. 302 N Market (entrance on Pacific). 747-6430. Lunch Mon-Fri 11:30-2; dinner Mon-Thur5:30-10, Fri & Sat 5-11. All credit cards. Expensive.



D REVISITS

901: AN AMERICAN RESTAURANT ★★★★ When 901 opened, I checked it out and was singularly unimpressed Months passed, a friend dragged me back, and I was impressed by the improved fare Service was still overly intrusive and familiar for my taste, but the food was nearly flawless. Crab cakes were on the soupy side, but an appetizer of pan-fried medallions of rabbit with a spicy tomato sauce was the best treatment of bunny I’ve ever tasted. Prime rib was very nice indeed, but it was surpassed by the pasta of the day-linguine with shrimp and veal in a tomato sauce. And for dessert, although there are technically other choices, the only choice, at least as far as I’m concerned, is the Key lime pie. Forget all the sleazy, green-hued imitators of your past. This is the real thing. InterFirst Plaza, 901 Main. 747-9010. Lunch Mon-Fri 11 -3; dinner Mon-Thur 5-10:30. Fri & Sat 5-11. All credit cards, personal checks accepted. Moderate.



PARIGI ★ ★ ★ ★ Saturday brunch at Parigi is one of the most civilized ways imaginable to begin the weekend. (Sunday brunch, unfortunately, is not an option because Parigi isn’t open then.) In slick, post-modern surroundings, one can gather one’s forces for the usual winding-up-the-week round of shopping, errand-running, and socializing Fresh-squeezed juice, espresso, mega-muffins, and peerless variations of scrambled eggs (with bacon and cream cheese, For instance) are the culinary attraction. Lunch and dinner, like brunch, feature a changing menu, but the cold sliced beef tenderloin is a lunchtime constant that is always a good idea. 3311 Oak Lawn. 521-0295. Lunch Tue-Fri 11:30-2 30; dinner Tue-Thur 6:30-10:30. Fri & Sat 6.30-11; Sal brunch 10:30-3. Closed Sun & Mon. All credit cards. Expensive.

PLAZA CAFE ★★★★ Mansion alumni Wayne Broadwell (up front) and Avner Samuel (in the kitchen) have opened what promises to be an oasis for the design community in an area previously bereft of top-quality food. (Ironically, however, the place is not aesthetically breathtaking.) For lunch, the goat cheese pizza, grilled breast of chicken with basil vinaigrette, and créme brulée are all winners. 1444 Oak Lawn. 742-4433. Lunch Mon-Fri 11 30-2 30; dinner Mon-Fri 6-10. Sat 6-11; Happy hour Mon-Fri 5 pm-7 pm MC. V, AE Moderate to expensive.



ROUTH STREET CAFE ★★★★★ Routh Street Cafe’s formula for national gastronomic fame Stephan Pyles’s New Southwestern Cuisine, a sleek, Tonny Foy-designed setting; and snappy, congenial service The five-course, fixed-price menu ($42, with surcharges for certain items) is printed daily, but certain items-such as cornmeal catfish with smoked pepper/mint marigold sauce, lobster enchilada with red pepper créme fraiche, lamb with pecan and garlic sauce, berry buckle with cinnamon ice cream, and apple-walnut spice cake- have become near-fixtures When food-obsessed travelers come to town, this is the reservation they want. This means prime-time reservations should be made well in advance. 3005 Routh at Cedar Springs.871-7161. Tue-Sat 6-10:30 pm Closed Sun& Mon. Reservations. All credit cards. Expensive.



WEST END OASIS ★★★★ The new menu at West End Oasis is good news It retains such pick hits from its predecessor as the fish soup with fresh |alapeno, sweet potatoes, and coconut milk, and the red snapper railed in cracked peppercorns and roasted in corn husks, and it adds startlingly original choices like pasta Oasis (homemade linguine tossed with sun-dried tomatoes, capers, and New Mexico chilies) and Gulf shrimp stir-fried in sesame oil with mounds of diced green and red onions. This is still the best-looking restaurant in town, with its granite waterfall, contemporary South-wesiern an. and handsome woody setting in the restored Texas Moline Building. 302 N Market (entrance on Pacific). 698-9775. Lunch Mon-Fri 11.30-2; dinner Mon-Thur 6-10, Fri & Sat 6-11. All credit cards. Very expensive.



BAKERIES



LA MADELEINE ★★★ These are trying times, and from time to time one needs a judicious combination of caffeine and carbohydrates to make it through the afternoon. La Madeleine’s strong coffee and raspberry beignets (or. alternatively, almond croissants} do the job for me. There are also more wholesome alternatives along the lines of soups, salads, and sandwiches – as well as the top-quality breads that are the true raison d’être of the place The rustic setting at both locations is pleasant, and the service seems noticeably less surly and disorganized than in years past. 3072 Mockingbird, 696-6960. 3906 Lemmon, 521-0182. Daily 7 am-9 pm. No credit cards; personal checks accepted. Inexpensive.



MASSIMO DA MlLANO ★★★★ If there’s a bad item available at this attractive Italian bakery/café, I’ve yet to discover it despite exhaustive research. Although the changing pizza, pasta, and salad offerings are always alluring, more often than not I find myself opting for the focaccia sandwich, round flat bread filled with ham, cheese, leaf lettuce, and tomato slices. For dessert, there are any number of pastries to choose from, but nothing suits a cup of espresso better than the little amaretti. moist, almond-flavored cookies. These days, service for the cafeteria-style service line ranges from disorganized to efficient, which is an improvement over days past, when disjointed to chaotic were the applicable adjectives. 5519 W Lovers Lane. 351-1426 Sun-Thur 9 am-10 pm, Fri & Sat 9 am-11 pm. MC. V Inexpensive.



BARBECUE



ANDERSON’S ★★ Decorated in the finest Western/schlock tradition, Anderson’s is what food in Texas used to be all about: plenty of choices of smoked meat, with a few token vegetables provided to ward off scurvy. The cue-especially the ribs-is as it should be, and the butler beans and baked potatoes are a credit to their genre. 5410 Harry Hines Blvd 630-0735. Mon-Fri 11 am-7:45 pm. Sat 11 am-3 pm. Wo credit cards, personal checks accepted Inexpensive.



SONNY BRYAN’S ★ ★ ★ Some things never change, and thank goodness Sonny Bryan’s still seems to be one of them. The barbecue is unequaled in Dallas-smoky ribs with the slightest crunch of char, beef slices with a smooth texture and a rich flavor Aside from the vinegar-sparked sauce (served in dispensers kept hot on a warming plate) and fine onion rings, the rest of the food isn’t notable, but the roadhouse atmosphere is You order standing up in the middle of a crowd, and sit on school desks if you can find one amid the litter. 2202 Inwood 357-7120 Mon-Fri 10 am-5 pm, Sat 10am-3 pm, Sun 11 am-2 pm. No credit cards, personal checks accepted, inexpensive.



BURGERS



D REVISITS

SNUFFER’S ★★★ Since the advent of the VCR, you no longer hear much about what used to be the classic Lower Greenville date: a movie at the Granada followed by a burger at Snuffer’s However, Snuffer’s doesn’t seem to be suffering it’s nearly always packed with patrons who either go to SMU or look as if they ought to. The menu is small and well-prepared, with emphasis on salads, nachos, burgers, and the like The immense basket of fries is a trademark I wouldn’t have believed it was possible to finish an order of the plain fries, much less those with cheese, but I have witnessed this feat. 3526 Greenville. 826-6850 Mon-Sat 11 am-2 am. Sun 11.30 am-2 am. All credit cards. Inexpensive



CAJUN



ARCADIA BAR ★ ★ ★ ★ First things first: the Arcadia Bar has nothing to do with the Arcadia Theater, which is across the street The Arcadia Bar is a no-frills hangout (The music is mostly recorded though there is some-limes a pianist.) The menu is small, mostly Cajun. and all deftly executed. From a perky green salad to perfect fried oysters to New Orleans-quality dirty rice, the food is first-rate. And that’s why we include Arcadia Bar in our list of recommended restaurants even though it’s a bar. Whatever it’s called, a bar with food this good deserves as much culinary credit as a restaurant. 2114 Greenville Ave. 821 -1300. Daily 5 pm-2 am MC. V.AE. Inexpensive.



CAFE MARGAUX ★★★★★ The blackened-everything brigade- those trend-surfing restaurateurs who don’t know their elbows from their étouffées-have made many local diners deeply suspicious of all Cajun food served outside a fifty-mile radius of New Orleans Happily. Cafe Margaux is another matter altogether. A recent lunch here measured up to Louisiana’s finest: house-made rolls, green salad, crawfish étouffée, oysters Bienville, trout with crab-meat stuffing, and bread pudding were all flawless Good news for regulars accustomed to waiting in line for the twelve tables: expansion has brought the number of tables to twenty, and a well-considered selection of American wine is now available. 4424 Lovers Lane. 739-0886. Sun-Thur 6-10, Fri & Sat 6-11. MC, V, AE Moderate.



CHINESE



CATHY’S WOK ★★ While what emerges from Cathy’s Wok won’t knock your socks off and is not worth the haul to the North land it you live in Dallas, it is a worthwhile alternative if you are a resident of Piano. From the informative menu (dishes are described in detail, complete with calorie count), we tried decent wonton soup, an egg roll that was heavy on the cabbage, peppery chicken (with plenty of green pepper in a savory brown sauce), and shredded pork with garlic sauce (with lots of julienned carrots in an overly sweet sauce) Even when the food here isn’t perfect, the ingredients are fresh (and mercifully MSG-free). and the prices are right ($3 95 for lunch. $4.95 for dinner). You can eat on the premises, which, with its trellis motif and while bent-wood chairs, resembles a yogurt shop more than a Chinese restaurant, or drive through and pick up your order. 4010 W 15th. Piano. 964-0406. Mon 11 am-8:30 pm. Tue-Sat 11 am-9:30 pm. Closed Sun. No credit cards, personal checks accepted. Inexpensive.



CHINA PALACE ★★★ Here is a restaurant to remember the next time they’re turning on the house lights at the Starck Club and it dawns upon members of your party that you haven’t eaten in days. Do not. under any circumstances, miss the fried dumplings, which are as good as tried dumplings get on this or any other continent. After the dumplings, however, things get a little dicier on my last visit, the shredded pork with bean curd was worthwhile, the Hunan prawns were rendered unappealing by a sweet, characterless sauce, and the spring rolls were merely edible. The setting is pleasingly odd (the red and green color scheme lends a year-round Christmas atmosphere), and service is accommodating, as demonstrated by the proprietors willingness to change the radio station from an egregious purveyor of “beautiful music” to something more soulful. 400 N Greenville, Richardson, 669-1636 Sun-Thur 11:30 am-3 am. Fri & Sat 11 30 am-5 am. MC, V, DC Moderate.



CRYSTAL PAGODA ★★★★ One of the oddest facts of dining in Dallas is that although there are more Chinese restaurants around than any other kind, we don’t have a single one that approaches the greatness of, say. New York’s Siu Lam Kung. Crystal Pagoda doesn’t match that standard, but it’s as good as Chinese food gets in Dallas-which is quite good The shredded beef Szechwan-style and the moo shu pork are two specially good choices here. The service and setting are both extremely pleasant. 4516 McKinney. 526-3355. Mon-Thur 11:30 am-W:30 pm. Fri 11:30 am-11 pm. Sat noon-11 pm, Sun noon-10:30 pm MC V, AE. Moderate.



D REVISITS

DYNASTY ★★★★ This relatively formal Chinese restaurant, despite its unlikely location ad|acent to a motel, is among the best in the area-admittedly, a backhanded compliment given Dallas’s dearth of truly great Chinese food On a recent visit, decent shrimp rolls and spring rolls were followed by indecently good rainbow chicken (julienned chicken, snow peas, red pepper, and Mung bean sprouts) and the equally praiseworthy, it oddly named, silver gourd savoury (shrimp, green peppers, straw mushrooms, and water chestnuts). Orange beet was too fatty, as it tends to be in Chinese restaurants all over town Garden Inn. 4101 Belt Line, Addison. 385-7888. Sun-Thur 11:30 am-10.30 pm, Fri & Sat 11:30 am-11 30 pm. All credit cards. Moderate.

FORBIDDEN CITY ★ ★ Late Saturday night in Addison, and after two false starts-one restaurant with an hour-long wait for a table at 10 p.m. and another with a wedding in progress-my unwilling companion (who is skeptical of any venture north of Mockingbird anyway) and I were in the zone of dangerous hunger and getting testier by the moment. It was, therefore, with a sense of relief and thankfulness that we found Forbidden City open (until 3 a.m. on weekends) and uncrowded. Egg rolls were nothing special, and an order of orange beef was unacceptably tough, but the uninformatively named chef’s chicken was remarkably good: innocent-looking shredded chicken stir-fried in an incendiary sesame sauce and served on a bed of bean sprouts. 5290 Belt Line. 960-2999 Mon-Thur 11 am-10 30 pm. Fri & Sat 11 am-3 am. Sun noon-10:30 pm. All credit cards. Moderate.



HAN-CHU ★★★ Han-Chu is a great restaurant for an illicit affair: the place is dark as a cave even at high noon. By Chinese-restaurant standards, it’s even sophisticated-looking: the color scheme is eggplant and burgundy, the waiters are in black lie, and there are roses on the tables. On my most recent visit, I found the shredded pork with ginger sauce to be memorable, thanks to a zippy flavor and an appealing texture imparted by the presence of black mushrooms and bamboo shoots. The princess chicken, on the other hand, was an altogether forgettable aggregation of cubed chicken, celery, and water chestnuts. Caruth Plaza, 9100 N Central Expwy at Park Lane. Suite 191. 691-0900. Sun-Thur 11:30 am-10:30 pm, Fn & Sat 11:30 am-11:30 pm All credit cards. Moderate.



D REVISITS

JASMINE ★★★ Jasmine’s setting sets it apart from standard-issue Chinese restaurants it’s plush to the point of featuring a white baby grand piano. For reasons unknown, the menu featured some tractured French, but its offerings don’t suffer as a result Shrimp rolls arrived encased in black seaweed wrappers-not bad, mind you, but still, the stuff did take some getting used to Happily, however, there were no untoward surprises involved in the top-notch treatments of moo shu pork and beef Mimosa (sautéed in an orange-flavored red pepper sauce). 4002 Belt Line 991-6867 Lunch Mon-Fri 11-230, dinner Mon-Thur 5-10, Fri 5-11:30. Sat 11:30 am-11:30 pm, Sun 11:30 am-10 pm. All credit cards. Moderate.



TONG’S HOUSE ★ ★ ★ We all have our quirky quests in life, and that of my best friend is to find dan-dan noodles that are worth a damn in Dallas Provoked by reports that Tong’s House serves first-rate dan-dan, we scoured Promenade Center for Tong’s easily missed entrance The news on the dan-dan front was disappointing while this version of thin noodles with sesame-peanul sauce was better than most, it still didn’t live up to Chinatown’s finest. Still, an exceptionally tender, flavorful version of orange beef Szechwan style was worth the search. Tong’s definitely belongs on the must-try list for ethnic-food fiends who delight in discovering restaurants that are authentic enough to frighten their more timid friends While Tong’s doesn’t look quite seedy enough lor their purposes, it does have a certain down-at-the-heels charm, and the presence on the menu of such appetizers as pig’s stomach with bean soup, cold cattle stomach, jellyfish, and beef tendons in hot sauce should make this a required North Dallas stop on the adventurous-eating trail. 1910 Promenade Center, Richardson- 231-8858. Tue-Sat 11 am-9.30 pm. Sun 11 am-9 pm. Closed Mon. All credit cards. Moderate.



UUCLE TAI’S HUNAN YUAN ★ ★ ★ ★ Uncle Tai’s is the highest of high-end Chinese options in town. For prices consistently higher than any other Chinese restaurant in town, the customer gels such off-the-beaten-path dishes as sautéed sliced pheasant, frog’s legs with gingko nuts, and sliced duck with young ginger roots. The quality of ingredients is very high, although the level of saltiness continues to be problemati. Gallena, 13350 Dallas Pkwy. Suite 3370. 934-9998. Mon-Thur 11 am-10 pm, Fri&Sat 11 am-10:30 pm. Sun noon-10 pm. Jackets required for dinner All credit cards. Expensive.



DELI



BAGELSTEIN’S ★★ Just as some albums are one-tune wonders, so are some eating establishments one-item wonders. It is. of course, possible that some customers come to Bagelstein’s for something other than the bagels and accompaniments, Although Bagelstein’s has a lengthy menu of breakfast and deli options, the chewy, fresh bagels are the point of the place, and they are as good as you can get west of Chicago. The only decision therefore, is what kind of bagel -plain, egg. pumpernickel, garlic, onion, salt, raisin, poppy seed, or sesame seed – and which variety of cream cheese -plain, vegetable, strawberry, chive, herb and spice, lox, or cinnamon raisin. Northwood Hills Shopping Center, 8104 Spring Valley 234-3787. Mon 6 am-3 pm. Tue-Sun 6 am-9 pm. All credit cards. Inexpensive.



KUBY’S ★ ★ After recovering from the shock of seeing the elegant spareness of Ceret (the restaurant that previously occupied the space) turned into a Bavarian bad dream, I rallied to enjoy Wiener schnitzel and potato salad at Kuby’s new location downtown in the Brewery There are innumerable sandwich and sausage options, but whatever else you order, potato pancakes and apple strudel are in order as accompaniments. To |Udge from the lunchtime crowds, the new Kuby’s promises to join the old one (which has been around since 1961) as a local institution. 703 McKinney in the Brewery 954-0004. Mon-Thur 11-11. Fri 11 am2 am Closed Sun. MC, V. AE. Inexpensive to moderate.



FRENCH/CONTINENTAL



CHEZ GERARD ★★★ Now that Calluaud has laid down its life to become a parking lot for the Hard Rock Cafe, it’s a safe bet that former Calluaud regulars will be joining the already healthy crowds at Chez Gerard (which is also a Guy and Marline Calluaud operation). The highlights of my most recent dinner checkup visit were topflight treatments of sautéed lamb chop with parsley and garlic and floating island (poached meringue floating atop vanilla custard). Shrimp rémoulade, cassoulet (a stew of white beans and sausage that Francophiles adore and the less reverent refer to as the Gallic version o1 beans and weenies), and créme caramel were less distinguished, but still well within Chez Gerard’s range of dependable quality. The simple, casual decor, while nothing extraordinary, comes closer to achieving the atmosphere of a bistro than any other French restaurant in Dallas. 4444 McKinney. 522-6865. Lunch Mon-Fri 11:30-2 30; dinner Mon-Sat 6-11 Closed Sun. All credit cards. Moderate to expensive.



The French Room ★ ★ ★ ★ With its cherubs, vaulted celling. and trompe I’oeil garden, the rosy-hued French Room is far and away the most baroque-looking restaurant in Dallas. In the five years since its opening, it has had its culinary ups and downs, happily, however, a recent visit suggested that it is in an up cycle. From salads (green bean and green salad with goat cheese croutons) to entrees (salmon and rack of lamb) to dessert (apple tart), the food was all that one could ask for. What’s more, the sommelier is both congenial and well-informed; he is as happy to advise customers on a single glass of wine as a rare bottle. Adolphus Hotel, 1321 Commerce. 742-8200. Mon-Sat 6-10. Jackets and ties required All credit cards. Expensive.



THE GRAPE ★★★★★ The Grape’s setting-dark as a candle-lit dungeon, with red-checked tablecloths and touches of vinous kitsch – makes it an ideal hangout for Lower Greenville’s resident Bohemian yuppies. The Grape paraphernalia displayed near the door-including T-shirts and a cookbook-suggests that what we have here is not so much a restaurant as a way of life. Although the Grape still serves the cheese and pate offerings that were its specialty when it opened in 1972, pasta and fish specials are the ticket these days. The no-reservation policy drives Type A’s mad, but is a backhanded blessing for those lackadaisical individuals who don’t know on Wednesday where they will want to eat on Saturday. You may have to wait, but at least you’ve got the same shot at a table as everyone else. 2808 Greenville at Goodwin. 823-0133. Lunch Mon-Fri 11-2; dinner Sun-Thur 6-11, Fri & Sat 6 pm-midnigbt. All credit cards. Moderate.



D REVISITS

L’ANCESTRAL ★ ★ ★ L’Ancestral has moved from its funky former Lower Greenville location to the considerably slicker Travis Walk, but the food and the feeling are essentially unchanged, and the Vuilleret family is still very much in evidence. Now as before, fish is not the wisest choice here, much better to go with the steak au poivre or the lamb chops with herb butter and peerless pommes frites L’Ancestral’s trademark clafouti dessert-a dense, tender custard with black cherries-is as good as ever 4514 Travis. 528-1081. Mon-Thur 11 am-10 pm, Fri & Sat 11-11. Closed Sun. All credit cards. Moderate to expensive.



D REVISITS

LA TOURAINE ★★★ This handsome, casual bistro changed hands some time back. As a rule, such changes bode ill, but this is obviously not the case at La Touraine in its current incarnation. A recent lunch visit resulted in a richly sauced crab meat crépe and a perky pasta salad – two dishes subject to abuse in the wrong hands, and done very nicely here. One thing that could change, the service, which cannot be described as attentive. 1701 N Market. 749-0080. Lunch Tue-Fri 11:30-2; dinner Mon-Thur 6-10:30. Fri-Surt 5:30-11. All credit cards. Moderate.



L’ENTRECOTE ★★★★ After a long sliding spell, L’Entre-cote has. as the French say, pulled up its socks Thanks to the efforts of chef Michel Platz, the Loews Anatole’s French restaurant is once again one of the best in the city. Watercress and.endive salad with pink grapefruit was an exceptionally refreshing appetizer. Gratin of crawfish tails with ginger was light and satisfying, and loin of lamb with rosemary and shallot coulis was a must for lamb fans. Finally, dessert – banana beignets with coconut mousse-was a killer. Loews Anatole Hotel. 2201 Stemmons Frwy 748-1200 Daily 6-10:30 pm. All credit cards. Expensive to very expensive.



THE RIVIERA ★★★★★ I have attended Grateful Dead concerts that were quieter than the Riviera on a Saturday night, but minor hearing loss is a small price to pay for first-rate food in a charming setting. Spicy clams and lobster ravioli – two appetizers that were daily specials (listed, commendably, on a printed menu)-were relatively disappointing on my last visit, but it was all uphill from there. A green salad was nicely set off by sherry vinaigrette, and came with a delectable goat cheese crouton. Sun-dried tomato and smoked bell pepper soup was satisfying, if heavy on the bacon. Norwegian salmon and sea scallops steamed with white wine and served with a light rosemary sauce was one of the best treatments of salmon I’ve ever lasted. And duck breast with intensely flavored lavender and honey sauce was worthwhile, too For dessert the creditable, very buttery-tasting Grand Marnier créme brulée was outshone by the ethereally light apple tart with almond cream and caramel sauce This is one for the Dessert Hall of Fame. 7709 Inwood. 351-0094. Mon-Thur 6:30 pm-10:30 pm. Fri & Sat 6:30 pm-11 pm. Sun 5 30 pm-10 pm. All credit cards. Very expensive.



GERMAN/EASTERN EUROPE



BOHEMIA ★ ★ ★ Have you heard the one about Czech food? A week later and you’re hungry again At Bohemia, the attraction is sturdy Eastern European food-like Wiener schnitzel, pork roast, and bread dumplings-served in delicately charming surroundings (lace curtains, tulip lamps, Viennese waltzes). Two bonuses: the by-the-glass wines are well chosen, and service is efficient and unobtrusive. With one notable exception (being under a quilt with your sweetie), there is no better place than Bohemia to be on a nippy day. 2810 N Henderson 826-6209. Sun & Tue-Thur 5:30-9:30 pm, Fri & Sat 5:30-10:30 pm. Closed Mon All credit cards. Moderate.



D REVISITS



CAFE KASHTAN ★★★ My first trip to Café Kashtan was for lunch, and it was one for the record books cheap, quick, and terrific Ukrainian food. A recent dinner visit was relatively disappointing, but that was mostly because my party was collectively starving and service was excruciatingly slow. However, it also didn’t help that kulebiaka, that utterly satisfying melange of chicken, rice, and mushrooms baked in a pastry shell – wasn’t on the dinner menu. Still, the salanka. an intensely flavored broth with bits of beef, sausage, and vegetables accompanied by pirozki, a meat-filled roll, the chicken Kiev, the veal Soblianka with mushroom sauce, and the almond cake with raspberry sauce were appeasingly excellent. 5365 Spring Valley Rd at Mont-Son. 991-9550. Lunch Mon-Fri 11-2: dinner Tue-Thur 5-10, Fri & Sat 5-11 Closed Sun. All credit cards. Inex-pensive to moderate.



GOURMET CARRYOUT



MARTY’S ★ ★ ★ What I like about Marty’s: the handsome setting, the well-chosen wine selection, and the consistently rewarding food. A harried Saturday afternoon was much improved by rabbit and hazelnut pale, pasta salad with pesto. smoked mussels, hearts of palm salad poached salmon with green mayonnaise, peach lart, and ginger cookies Marty’s takeout menu changes each Wednesday, and is designed to make at-home gastronomic glory possible even for the culinary illiterate: the suggested menu includes serving instructions and suggested wines A recent development is the luncheon case, with pre-packaged sandwiches and salads ready to go for lunch What I don’t like about Marty’s: the hours. Here in Dallas, land of the workaholic, it’s frequently hard to get out of the office by Marty’s 6:30 closing time. 3316 Oak Lawn. 526-4070 Mon-Sat 10 am-6:30 pm. Closed Sun. All credit cards, Marty’s charge. Expensive.



MIRABELLE ★★★ For those of us who never confuse the joy of eating with the joy of cooking, haute takeout establishments like Mirabelle are a blessing. They allow us to stay home and eat well without resorting to whisk and wooden spoon. Thanks to Mirabelle, I have spent some great evenings enjoying domesticity and “St. Elsewhere. most recently with mushroom and spinach soup (too few mushrooms, entirely too much spinach), spinach and feta cheese pie (no complaints), and raspberry-peach cobbler (fit for the gods). So it goes at Mirabelle: appetizers and main courses are of uneven quality and frequently suffer from having lingered too long in the refrigeration case, but desserts- especially the inventive variety of cookies-are a can’t-lose prop-osiiion. Like much that one finds in Highland Park, Mirabelle is pretty and overpriced. Highland Park Village. Preston a! Mockingbird, Suite 73-74. 528-7589. Tue-Sat 10:30 am-7 pm. Sun & Mon noon-6 pm. MC, V, AE; personal checks accepted. Expensive.

D REVISITS



TOMMASO’S ★ ★ ★ Tommaso’s makes it possible lor the overtaxed gastronome to enjoy !he illusion of cooking at home while in fact eating what is fast food, albeit fast food that doesn’t taste unduly frenetic The micro-wavable rotolo, a pasta roll filled with ricotta. moz-zarella, and spinach, is an especially good choice for evenings when even boiling water is beyond one’s capabilities. The only problem with the rest of Tom-maso’s offerings is the overabundance of choice. Do you wan! egg, spinach, tomato, whole wheat, or parsley and garlic pasta? Do you want it cut as angel hair, tagliolini, spachetti, Iinguette. tagliatelle, or fettuc-cine? And then there is the sauce question – do you want tomato and fresh basil, amatriciaina, meat, cream and mushroom, walnut, or pesto? You can hardly go wrong, unless you opt for the dull lasagna. 3034 Mockingbird at Central. 987-4415; 5365 Spring Valley, Suite 158 at Montfort. Mon-Fri 11 am-7 pm, Sat 10am-6pm Closed Sun. MC. V. Inexpensive to moderate.



INDIAN



AKBAR ★ ★ ★ ★ Old India hands will want to thoroughly explore the byways of the newest Indian restaurant in town That’s plural -there are two of them, the regular menu and the snack bar menu Although the regular menu is praiseworthy, it is Akbar’s snack bar that conclusively sets it apart from its peers. Snack-bar highlights include aloo tikki, grilled potato cutlets wilh curried chickpeas; samosa, tender little turnovers stuffed with herbed potatoes and peas; and malai kof-ta. curry, cheese, and vegetable dumplings in a cream and almond sauce, served with rice. As for ambience, Akbar is good-looking and taped Indian music of the subdued variety is played. 2115 Promenade Center at Coit & Belt Line roads. 235-0260 Lunch Mon-Fri 11 am-2 pm, dinner Sun-Thur 5:30-10. Fri & Sat 5:30-10:30. MC, V, AE. Inexpensive.

D REVISITS



INSDIA PALACE ★ ★ ★ I’ve given up on keeping track of the shifting, intricate lineage of who owns which local Indian restaurants, but it doesn’t matter, because they’re all quite good at the moment India Palace is no exception to this general rule of excellence. Whether you order a la carte or opt for the weekend buffet brunch, you’ll be happy with the food here. India Palace’s exceptionally thoughtful service is a bonus. 13360 Preston. 392-0190 Lunch Mon-Fri 11-2, Sat & Sun 11.30-2:30; dinner Sun-Thur 5:30 pm-10 pm, Fri & Sat 5.30 pm-10:30 pm, AH credit cards. Moderate.



ITALIAN



ADRIANO’S ★ Adriano’s, which seemed to be on the cutting edge of New Wave Italian dining when it opened, is looking a bit timeworn these days. The setting is still sunny and high-tech in nature, but the walls could use a paint job. and the menus are looking extremely weather-beaten The trademark pizzas, however, have maintained their appeal-particularly the pancetta version with fresh tomatoes and mushrooms. Pasta is available, too, and it’s not bad, but you can do better elsewhere, as demonstrated by the fettuccine casa with ham, mushrooms, cheese, and a too-gluey cream sauce and slightly charred, heavy-on-the-oregano lasagna of my last visit. The Quadrangle. 2800 Routh, Suite 170. 871-2262. Lunch Mon-Fri 11:30-2; dinner Sun-Thur 5:30-10. Fri & Sat 5:30 pm-midnight. MC. V. AE Inexpensive to moderate.



ALESSIO’S ★ ★ ★ ★ Not all top-notch restaurants have the proprietor on the premises more often than not, but nearly all of them do. Alessio’s is a case in point. If you’re not happy with your meal at Alessio’s, it will only be because you have failed to apprise the ever-watchful Alessio Franceschetti of any problems. Happily, on a recent visit, there were no problems to report (other than the aesthetic one of the inelegant decor). Crab cannelloni, an appetizer of the day. was estimable enough to warrant on-the-menu status. Shrimp proven-cale. with mushrooms and tomatoes, was quite good, if not as seductive. The subtly dressed romaine lettuce saiad that accompanied entrees was simple perfection. Linguine with shrimp and scallops in a delicately spicy tomato sauce was agreeable, though not as meritorious as the perfectly breaded veal parmigiana accompanied by buttered, parslied mostaccioli For dessert, amaretto macaroon ice cream was extremely sweet but still easy to finish off. 4117 Lomo Alto. 521-3585 Tue-Sat 6-10:30 pm, Sun & Mon 6-10 pm. MC. V.AE. Moderate to expensive.



D REVISITS

FERRARI’S ★★★ If you can overlook the drab decor and cornball gontjolier-style waiters uniforms, Ferrari’s is a serviceable West End option for good, if not great, Italian food. On my last visit, the linguine carbonara and lemon veal were more than satisfactory. For dessert, oranges marinated in Grand Marnier and caramel sauce were a much better choice than cream puffs. 1713 N Market. 741-5538 Lunch Mon-Fri 11-2, dinner Mon-Thur 5:30-10:30. Fri & Sat 5-11 MC, V, AE. Moderate to expensive.

LA PERGOLA ★★★ In a glossy deco-effect setting, La Pergola offers some great pasta, such as fettuccine con funghi. with a wonderfully earthy sour cream-based mushroom sauce, and ravioli dei dogi, thin pillows of pasta stuffed with crab meat and served with smooth, creamy, parsley-sprinkled tomato sauce As long as you can manage not to think of Peter Rabbit and his brothers, the boneless roast rabbit with a sauce of rosemary-sparked juices is another good option. Zabaglione fantasia-orange slices in a Champagne-orange liqueur sabayon sauce, is the refreshing dessert of choice. 1800 McKinney. 871-4943. Lunch Mon-Fri 11 am-2:30 pm; dinner Sun-Thur 6-10 pm, Fri & Sat 6-11 pm. All credit cards.

MOMO’S ★★★ Momo’s is small, plain, and disorganized- none of which matters to devotees of its pastas and pizzas. At lunch, mostly pizzas- including a wonderfully forceful-lasting one of tomato, mozzarella, and gorgonzola – are available At dinner, the menu is more extensive. (Pasta, such as tortelli di spinaci. is a much better idea than veal, which can be dauntingly chewy.) You can have any wine you want at Momo’s as long as you bring it yourself. 9191 Forest Lane 234-6800, Lunch Mon-Fri 11.30 am-1:30 pm; dinner Mon-Thur 6-9:30 pm. Fri & Sat 6-11 pm. Sun 5:30-9 pm. MC. V. Moderate.



NERO’S ITALIAN ★ ★ ★ The food is good enough here, but it isn’t great, and it certainly doesn’t come cheap What, then, accounts for the two-hour waits on weekends? I suspect it’s that ol’ debbil ambience. Nero’s is made to order (or dates or get-reacquainted-with-your-spouse sessions, at least if your date or spouse is a stylish, ironic character (Diana Vreeland and Catholic-school veterans should feel particularly at home here because of the red walls and the Michael the Archangel lamps.) There is an extensive menu of pasta, veal, and seafood, but the two things to concentrate on are the Italian wine-the selection is great, and the staff well-informed – and the pizza, which comes in both traditional and New Wave varieties. 2104 Greenville 826-6376. Mon-Thur 6-11 pm. Fri & Sat 6 pm-midnight. Closed Sun MC, V, AE Moderate.



PlZZERIA UNO ★★★ The service here could most charitably be described as dingy even during off hours. And when the place is packed – which is any time near lunch or dinner-Job-like patience is required of customers. However, to judge from the mobs willing to traverse the far end of Belt Line and suffer the service, serious pizza-seekers care about what’s on the plate, not how long it takes to get there They may have a point: these are terrific buttery-crusted Chicago-style pan pizzas The menu warns: “Be careful when you order. Each Uno pizza has about twice the food content as the pizzas you are probably accustomed to.” The menu is right, and the reason is the vertical quantity of ingredients, not the diameter A regular pizza, which the menu recommends for two, looks smallish when it arrives, but only two would-be wart hogs could finish it in one sitting. 4002 Belt Line, Addison 991-8181. Mon-Thur 11-11. Fri 11-12-30, Sat noon-12:30, Sun noon-10:30. MC.V.AE Moderate



311 LOMBARDI’S ★★★★★What is the Italian translation of “good karma”? Our waiter didn’t know, but 311 Lom-bardi’s has achieved it. Here, surrounded by the glow created by creamy apricot walls, happy hordes of downtown workers get what may well be the best Italian food in town at reasonable prices. No pasta was visible in the pasta and bean soup, but it was a hearty, herb-enlivened delight anyway. A pizza with leeks, pancetta, goal cheese, and mushrooms could have held Us own against New York’s best The next stop on the menu was good enough to be required eating for potato-philes. potato gnocchi with two sauces (tomato and irresistible gorgonzola). A tender, thin veal cutlet topped with arugula and diced tomatoes was simply immense Dessert of raspberry ice cream and respectable espresso rounded off a repast that was pure pleasure from start to finish. 311 Market 747-0322-Mon-Fri 11 am-midnight. Sat 5 pm-1 am, Sun 11 am-10 pm, Sun brunch 11 am-3 pm All credit cards. Moderate.



LUNCH



CITY MARKET ★★★★ City Market has acquired a loyal following of downtown habitues hungry for fresh, imaginative soups, salads, sandwiches, and desserts. However, in the past the pleasures of this light, airy, upscale cafeteria were unpredictable If. for instance, you loved the marigold mint chicken salad, it might be weeks before you and it were on the premises on the same day. Now, with the advent of menus printed every week, City Market regulars can predict with assurance when it will be possible to eat pasta salad with Indonesian peanut sauce or marinated beef salad with multi-colored bell peppers. Whatever else you get, the lighi, souffle-like apricot-raisin bread pudding should not be missed. Alas, the coffee that is available is weak stuff. Given that this is the only complaint that can be made about the place. City Market is worth a trip even if you don’t work downtown (park in LTV Center parking and bring your ticket with you for validation). 200 LTV Center, 2001 Ross a! Harwood. 979-2696. Mon-Fir 7:30 am-4:30 pm MC, V. inexpensive.



PACIFIC EXPRESS ★★★★ Pacific Express, a chic eighty-eight-seat cafeteria, makes the hasty downtown lunch into an art form. I happen to be obsessed with the tuna salad with toasted almonds, grapes, and blue cheese in tarragon mayonnaise, but the smoked chicken salad with toasted walnuts and shallot vermouth mayonnaise has its devotees, too. Other choices include pasta salad, wild rice salad, and several sandwiches. Patrons of Parigi will recognize the peach cobbler offered for dessert. (The mother-daughter restaurant team of Marilyn Romweber and Andrée Falls is responsible for both establishments.) I don’t like it any better here than at Parigi. but I appear to be alone in the Metroplex in this sentiment. The blueberry custard pie available on my last visit would have been pleasing had it been about half as sweet. Pacific Place Bldg, 1910 Elm. Suite 103. 969-7447. Mon-Fri 11 am-2 pm. Closed Sal & Sun. No credit cards: personal checks accepted, inexpensive.



THEO’S DlNER ★★★ Although the lyncs don’t specify Theo’s by name. I suspect that Theo’s grilled ham and cheese sandwich is what Janet Jackson has in mind when she makes musical reference to nasty food in “Nasty Boys.” With its garlic-buttered Texas toast, this is the ultimate grilled-cheese thrill As for the fries, some people think they’re the best in Dallas. Others disagree; they think they’re the best on the planet. Then there is the ambience, which could hardly be more intimate-there are just nine seats around the counter. One more attraction, the proprietor’s plot summaries of “All My Children “. 111 S Hall St. 741-9130. Mon-Fri 7 am-4 pm. Sat 8 am-2 am No credit cards. Inexpensive.

MEXICAN



BULE GOOSE ★ ★ When Big Hungry Boys want to eat Tex-Mex, the Blue Goose is where they head The sheer quantity of food that appears at the table is enough to make those of normal appetite gasp with disbelief. Quantity, however, is not the end of the story here. The quality is surprisingly high, in light of the low prices The chicken fajitas are the best in town, and the beef fajitas are more than respectable. The flour tortillas that accompany both are admirably thin and fresh. The standard Tex-Mex is standard, with the exception of great rice and poor guacamole. 2905 Greenville. 823-8339. Mon-Fri 11 am-2:30 pm & 5:30-11 pm. Sat & Sun11-11. All credit cards. Inexpensive.



CAFE CANCUN ★★★ Café Cancun was a Mexican food trailblazer in Dallas, one of the first to offer black beans and white cheese as an alternative to pintos and day-glow Cheddar. In recent years, however, quality control was a problem, and many Cafe Cancun tans lost faith. Brethren, it is time to rejoin the fold: on a recent visit, everything – from the warm. fresh tostadas to the enchiladas verdes with chicken to the luscious coconut ice cream-was very good. 4131 Lomo Alto, 559-4011; Caruth Plaza. Park Lane at Central Expwy, 369-3712. Mon-Thur 11 am-10 pm, Fri & Sat 11-11. Sun noon-10 pm at Lomo Alto location; Mon-Tnur 11 am-10 pm. Fri &Sat 11-11, Sun noon-10 pm at Caruth Plaza location All credit cards. Moderate.



CANTINA LAREDO ★★★★★ A belief shared by many Mex-ican food enthusiasts hereabouts is that great Mex can , only be found in grungy, time-worn establishments located in the vicinity of Maple Avenue However, holding to this belief would mean missing out on Can-tma Laredo, which is situated in a clean, new building in-yes-Addison. Standard Tex-Mex combinations are available here, and they’re quite good, but the comida casera-home-style food-is where the smart money is. Standouts include the tacos a/ pastor tilled with marinated pork, cabrito (baby goat to you, gringo), mesquite-grilled shrimp with garlic butter, and red snapper with lime butter. 4546 Belt Line. Add/son. 458-0962. Sun-Thur 11-11, Fn&Sat 11 am-midnigbt. All credit cards. Moderate.



CASA ROSA ★ ★ ★ This has long been a preppy hangout supreme, and in this instance those well-scrubbed WASPs in Ralph Lauren attire are on to something. The decor is attractive-with terra cotta tile floors, melon-colored walls, and a tree in the middle of the restaurant wittily decorated with red chili pepper lights. Happily, the food lives up to its setting. From chili con queso to botanas especiales(bean, chicken, and beef nachos; marinated beef strips: and flautitas with sour cream and guacamole) to the Puerto Vallarta combination (beef taco, enchilada with chili con carne, chicken enchilada with sour cream sauce, and Spanish rice) to praline cheesecake for dessert, everything (except for the underdone, too-tomatoey Spanish rice) was well-prepared, if not in the forefront of culinary innovation. In-wood Village. Inwood at Lovers Lane, Suite 165.350-5227 Mon-Thur 11 am-3 pm & 5-10 pm, Fri 11 am-3 pm & 5-11 pm, Sat 11 am-11 pm, Sun 11 am-10 pm. AII credit cards. Moderate.



CHTO’S ★ ★ ★ A New Yorker I know loves Mexican food more than life itself. Chito’s on Maple is where I took her on her last slop in Dallas, and she found its funky set-ling (featuring tattered orange booths, window-unit air conditioning, and lime green and acid yellow walls) and low prices (guacamole has reached $7 in one Mannat-tan Mexican restaurant) inordinately satisfying The food at Chito’s-especially the bean, cheese, and guacamole quesadillas-is good enough to please even native Dallasnes, who are accustomed to the Tex-Mex way of life. 4447 Maple, 526-9027; 3747 Walnut Hill. 351 -9554, Sun-Tue & Thur 9 am-9 pm, Fri & Sat 9 arn-3 am. Closed Wed, at Maple location, Tue-Sun 9 am-10 pm at Walnut Hill location. MC, V. Inexpensive.



GENARO’S ★★★ This cool, tropical oasis would be great-for people-watching, sipping margaritas, danc-ing on Sunday nights – even if no food were available. But it is. and most of it’s quite reliable. On recent visits we’ve tried ceviche, seafood nachos, flautas, the excellent torta del mar, and basic Tex-Mex, and come away smiling every lime. 5815 Live Oak at Skillman. 827-9590. Mon. Tue & Thur 11 am-10:30pm, Wed & Sun 11 am-12:30 pm, Fri & Sat 11 am-11:30 pm. All credit cards Moderate.



GONZALES ★★ Some dining establishments are as much in the business of purveying comfort as of purveying cuisine. Gonzales is such a place. Here, for very little money, one can have a beer and hunker down in the dark wood-grain booths and achieve low-budget Tex-Mex-style salon. This is not to say that there aren’t good things to eat available at Gonzales. There definitely are, but one needs to know the topography of the menu to find them. They are most notably the numerous varieties of burritos made with fat. lender flour tortillas: the bean and cheese and the potato and egg ate two good choices for those in search of hangover cures that do not require as much machismo to ingest as menudo does The drive-through window provides a good, fast option for on-the-run diners. 4333 Maple 528-2960. Daily 7 am-9 pm. All credit cards. Inexpensive.



MARIO & ALBERTO★ ★ The standards of Mario Leafs second restaurant don’t seem to have suffered with the opening of a third one – this popular North Dallas spot seemed as fine (and as busy) as ever. To start with, a tart ceviche or tortilla soup is a good choice. Among the main courses, the filete de la casa (tenderloin strongly flavored with garlic, accompanied by lightly fried potato slices) remains a favorite Those who crave fa-jitas will find a relatively restrained version here-a manageably modest serving, and no sizzling fireworks. The Tex-Mex plates continue to run way behind the specialties in excellence. Coconut or cinnamon ice cream makes a refreshing dessert. Preston Valley Shopping Center, LBJ Frwy at Preston, Suite 425. 960-7296, Mon-Tnur 11-30 am-10:30 pm, Fri & Sat 11:30 am-11 pm. Closed Sun. Drinks with $5 50 membership charge MC, V.AE. Moderate.

D REVISITS

MARIO’S CHIQUITA ★★★ This Piano outpost of Mario Leal’s mini-empire is-surprise, surprise-very much like his other two restaurants, from the odd pastel color scheme, with its emphasis on skating-rink pink, to the average Tex-Mex offerings to the superior Mexico City-style specialties Unlike the original Chiquita, Mario’s Chiquita is big enough that getting seated immediately is rarely a problem. 221 W Parker, Suite 400, Piano 423-2977. Mon-Thur 11:30 am-10:30 pm. Fri & Sat 11-30-11:30 Closed Sun. MC, V, AE Moderate



MIDDLE EASTERN



MR. SHISHKABAB ★★ The namesake kabab dishes-lamb, beef, chicken, or shrimp skewered and broiled with mushrooms, onions, tomato, and green pepper-are fine here, but the vegetarian options are where the real culinary excitement is. The smart money is on hummus (a dip of puréed chickpeas- also known as garbanzo beans- served with pita bread), the falafel sandwich (fried balls of mashed, seasoned chickpeas with lettuce and sesame sauce in pita bread, described on the menu as “Elizabeth Taylor’s favorite), and lemony labauleh salad (marinated cracked wheat with parsley and tomato) Both the setting and the service are pleasant, if not exceedingly impressive. 9454 Marsh Lane, just north of Northwest Highway. 350-9314 Tue-Sun 11 am-3 pm & 5:30 pm-11 pm. Closed Mon All credit cards. Moderate.



NATURAL



BLUEBONNET CAFE ★ ★ ★ If you are a yuppie of a certain age, here is where, to the tune of James Taylor, you’re likely to run into friends, acquaintances, or the exspouses of same. Bluebonnet Cafe is part of Bluebonnet Natural Foods Grocery, and as the name of the establishment indicates, the food tends toward the healthful. Happily, however, Bluebonnet doesn’t lake a doctrinaire stand. Burgers, wine, and coffee- three controlled substances at hard-line health establishments-are allowed here. I love a number of Bluebonnet’s offerings, including the strawberry-banana-papaya smoothie and the black bean nachos with while cheese and guacamole What I don’t love is how complicated life at Bluebonnet can seem: at lunch food is served cafeteria-style, but at dinner there is table service, albeit frequently spacey. and the customer isn’t allowed to take a look at the specials at the steam table Still, the lure of sequential grocery shopping and nacho noshing makes Bluebonnet a useful stop on the yuppie trail. 2218 Greenville. 828-0052. Daily 9 am-10 pm. MC. V, AE Inexpensive.



DREAM CAFE★ ★ ★ ★ Dream Cafe customers seem to enjoy running into one another and talking to the “Dream family” (Mary. Ellen, John. Grady, and Michael O’Brien) as much as they enjoy consuming the sublime blue-berry pancakes. Like everything served at Dream Cafe, the pancakes taste healthy and addictive at the same time. Other breakfast highlights are fresh-squeezed orange juice, tender omelettes (spinach, mushroom, and feta cheese is a winning combinaton). and real hash browns. The lunch and dinner menu change frequently, but the quesadillas-whole-wheat tortillas filled with black beans, cheese, salsa, and sour cream – are a constant. Dessert (the place used to be called Dessert Dreams) should not be skipped. 3312 Knox. 522-1478. Tue-Thur 7 am-9 pm, Fri 7 am-10 pm, Sal 8 am-10 pm. Sun 8 am-5 pm Closed Mon. No credit cards; personal checks accepted. Inexpensive.



SEAFOOD



ATLANTIC CAFE ★★★★ Unlike bad relationships, restaurants sometimes do change for the better. In the case of Atlantic Cafe, the big change in recent months is in service. Having heard tale after tale of insulted customers who vowed never to return because of waiterly rudeness, on two recent visits I was pleasantly surprised to observe service that was warm as wel: as efficient. Another change is the addition of a glassed-in gazebo area, which provides a sunny seating alternative that seems ideal for Sunday brunch What has not changed is the cooking, and that’s good news, since it was always admirable. Fish, presumably, is what you come here for, and it’s first-rate at least in its sautéed and broiled forms. (The fried seafood is okay, but it’s not a strong point here ) However, Atlantic Cafe also does itself proud in other departments, such as the sourdough bread, fruit salad, eggs Benedict, créme caramel, and strawberry or banana crepes. 4546 McKinney at Knox 559-4441. Lunch Mon-Fri 11 -2:30; dinner Sun-Thur 5:30-10:30, Fri & Sat 5:30-11. Sun brunch 11-2:30. All credit cards. Expensive.



Aw SHUCKS ★ ★ For many good reasons, this disarming-ly casual shuckery has become one of the most popular Lower Greenville dining spots. Your search for the perfect cattish may end here-and nobody in Dallas fills a basket with fish for a cheaper price. The same cannot be said of the skimpy shrimp and oyster combo, but skip it and “pick up a dozen”- shucksese for a dozen plump oysters on the half shell. Combine with a big bowl of sure-nuff gumbo, and welcome to New Orleans Wes. 3601 Greenville, 821-9449; 4535 Maple. 522-4498, Village at Bachman Lake, 3701 W Northwest Hwy. Suite 310, 350-9777. Mon-Thur 11-11. Fri & Sat 11 am-11.45 pm. Sun 11:30 am-10 pm at Greenville and Northwest Hwy locations: Mon-Thur 11 am-10 pm, Fri & Sat 11 am-11 45. Sun 11:30 am-10 pm at Maple location. No credit cards. Inexpensive



BAY STREET ★★★ Bay Street has made some efforts toward climbing aboard the Ca|un bandwagon with such dishes as Cajun popcorn (fried crawfish tails), gumbo, and crawfish étouffée Still, these Cajun upstarts, while respectably prepared, are outshone by the non-Cajun seafood choices like a simple charbroiled swordfish. which was impeccably fresh and juicy on a recent visit. (And if you are optimistic enough to order swordfish on a regular basis, you know how rare it is when the meaty fish does not emerge with the texture of fish jerky.) Bay Street does well with bread and dessert, but falls down in the salad department because of heavy use of tasteless iceberg lettuce and the presence of weird strips of what appears to be fried dough, bay Street’s service is young and and the setting is a handsome, hangar-like space. 5348 Belt Line. Addison. 934-8502. Sun-Thur 11 am-10 pm. Fri & Sat 11-11 MC, V,AE, DC. Moderate.



CAFE PACIFIC ★ ★ ★ ★ At its best, Cafe Pacific does a great job with seafood A perfect piece of swordfish on my last visit demonstrated this. However, at less than its best (as in the case of eggs Benedict with an English muffin so tough it was almost inedible), Cafe Pacific can be disheartening. However one’s gastronomic luck is running, the setting is attractive and the service is competent. Highland Park Village, Preston at Mockingbird, Suite 24. 526-1170. Lunch Mon-Sat 11:30-2:30, Sun 10:30-2:30, dinner Sun-Thur 5:30-10:30, Fri & Sat 5.30-11. MC, V. AE. Expensive.



D REVISITS

GULF COAST OYSTER COMPANY ★★★ This casual little res-taurant with a misleading name-oysters aren’t the only locus of attention, and the place has a Greek, not a Gulf Coast, accent-takes its seafood seriously A meal here starts with pita bread and Greek dips and segues to such main courses as broiled trout (which could hardly be simpler-or belter) or broiled shrimp with rice. Perhaps because of its location – it’s nearly hidden in the Corner Shopping Center-Guif Coast Oyster Company doesn’t get as much attention as many of its competitors. For that reason, it’s a good place to remember at times when it’s hard to obtain a table elsewhere. Corner Shopping Center. 8041 Walnut Hill Lane. 361-1922. Lunch Mon-Fri 11-2:30; dinner Mon-Thur 5-10. Fri 5-11. Sat noon-11. Closed Sun. MC, V, AE Moderate.



NEWPORT’S ★ ★ ★ ★ When Newport’s hits, as it did on an order of trout amandine on my last visit, it’s as good as any seafood restaurant in town. Unfortunately, on this same visit, swordfish kebabs were below par. However, such instances are anomalies in my experience. Which is a good thing, because unlike its competitors tor serious seafood – Atlantic Cafe and Café Pacific- Newport’s canl rely on a gorgeous setting (the vast, woody setting is merely inoffensive) or polished service (the waiter was bungling). 703 McKinney in the Brewery. 954-0220. Lunch Mon-Fri 11.30-2:30, dinner Mon-Thur 5:30-10:30, Fri & Sat 5:30-11:30. All credit cards. Expensive.



SHUCKER’S ★ ★ ★ Usually, a dramatic overhaul of a menu suggests that a restaurant is floundering to find its audience. It was, therefore, with a heavy heart that I trudged to Shucker’s, formerly a fried-seafood emporium, now a purveyor of Continental-style seafood. However, after a good green salad, an unlikely-sound-mg but successful swordfish dish with a red-wine vinegar and currant sauce, decent fried shrimp (there is still a token fried section on the menu), and desserts of blackberry pie and chocolate bread pudding that were excellent far beyond the call of duty, my heart was considerably lightened. Now, if only Shucker’s would learn to make less sodden French fries and save the George Winston “December” tape for that month, everything would be copacetic. 4620 McKinney. 522-7320. Mon-Thur 11-11, Fri & Sat 11 -midnight, Sun 5 pm-11 pm. All credit cards. Moderate to expensive.



SOUTHERN



BUBBA’S ★★ Forget the catfish, forget the chicken-fried steak, forget the vegetables (especially the amazingly tasteless mashed potatoes). All of these things are beside the point At Bubba’s you will be wanting the fried chicken, a high-rise yeast roll or two, and the fruit cobbler. Order this sacred trinity of Southern food, and you will be rewarded with a matchless high-cholesterol, high-carbohydrate repast You could drive through at Bubba’s and take your order home, but that would deprive you of hanging out in the lipstick-red booths that punctuate the black-and-white deco decor. 6617 Hiltcrest. 373-6527. Daily 6.30 am-10 pm. No credit cards; personal checks accepted. Inexpensive.



CELEBRATION ★ ★ ★ My friend suggested that we should have an argument at dinner to make Celebration authentically family-style Even if you can’t manage to stage a family feud. Celebration is likely to live up to its billing. The simple concept – Southern fare, with salad, rolls, muffins, vegetables, and most entrees in all-you-can-eat quantities-packs them in every night of the week. The delectable, if oversweetened. little biscuits and muffins and the immense wooden bowl filled with green salad would be enough for those of normal appetite. Still, most patrons press on to such entrees as pot roast (Mom never did better) or chicken-fried steak (Mom did much better) and vegetables (broccoli, squash, and mashed potatoes on our visit). For dessert, peach cobbler was pleasingly doughy and cinnamon-scented Celebration’s rustic, woody setting is comfortable, and service is pleasant and efficient, 4503 W Lovers Lane 351-5681 Lunch daily 11-2:30; dinner Mon-Thur 5:30- 10, Fri & Sat 5-11 Sun 11 am-10 pm. All credit cards. Moderate.



CRESCENT CITY ★ ★ Crescent City serves the best muf-faletta sandwich in the area It may well be the only muf-faletta sandwich in the area, but this is not to detract from the accomplishment. For those who haven’t been to Central Grocery on Decatur Street in New Orleans, a definition of a muffaletta sandwich is in order. Cres-cent City’s version consists of a round loaf of chewy, sesame seed-topped bread filled with ham. salami, three kinds of cheeses, and a mixture of marinated, chopped olives and vegetables. There are other things on the menu-including laudable oyster and shrimp poor boy sandwiches and eminently skipoable French bread pizzas- but the muffaletta is the reason to make the trek The beignets and cafe au lait, while reasonably good, are no rivals to Café ou Monde’s. Service is in the quick and “hon’-style tradition. 10819 Garland Rd. 321-1613. Mon-Sat 6:30 am-10 pm, Sun 7:30 am-10 pm MC, V Inexpensive.



DICK’S LAST RESORT ★★ You can have more fun in this bar-restaurant than just about anyplace else in the West End historical district. There’s sawdust on the floor, New Orleans-style bands, singers, and other musician: performing on stage, and a general air of camaraderie all over. For a place that is basically a bar. Dick’s Las Resort serves amazingly good food The sweet bee ribs are huge and meaty; the spit-turned barbecue chicken is sensational; and the catfish is even better-crunchy and juicy. Ross at Record. 747-0001. Mon Thur 11:30 am-mtdnight, Fri & Sat 11:30 am-1 am. Sur 1 pm-midnight. MC. V, AE, DC. Moderate.



HIGHLAND PARK CAFETERIA ★★★★★Standing in line atHPC and moving past the portraits of the presidents is a ritual of unmatched resonance in Dallas dining HPC is a treasured local institution, from the Southern classics on the menu to the line staff, some of whom have been on the |ob for decades. Even the concessions to technology are homey, on the video screens that display the menu, there is offered a Bible verse du jour along with information about the employee of the month. Perhaps as a result, many regulars believe that heaven itself will resemble HPC. with hairnetted attendants querying, “Serve you?” and booths always available. The menu on cloud nine: ham or chicken-fried steak, green beans, mashed potatoes and cream gravy, a jalapeno corn muffin, and cherry cobbler. The Addison and downtown branches have their virtues, but they don’t reproduce the allure of the original Knox Street location. 4611 Cole, 526-3801; Sakowitz Village. 5100 Belt Line at Dallas Pkwy, Suite 600. 934-8800. downtown, Akard at San Jacinto, 740-2400. Mon-Sat 11:30 am-2 pm & 5:30-8 pm at Cole location; Mori-Sat I1 am-8 pm. Sun 10:45 am-3 pm at Sakowitz Villagelocation; Mon-Fri 6:30 am-3 pm at downtown location.No credit cards; MC, V. AE for takeout and buffetorders of more than $10. inexpensive.



MAMA TAUGHT ME HOW ★★★★★ Here is a down-home dream come true: lovingly prepared versions of the greatest hits of Dixified cuisine. That name, incidentally, is no trumped-up product of marketing strategy Mama is Doris Alexander, her daughters are Judy Sharp and Vickie Piland, and together they run the place with a combination of charm and warmth that is as specific to the South as are grits. Standouts include the red beans and nce, chicken-fried steak (both available every day) chicken and dumplings, and coconut cream pie (whicl are available only on some days). 14902 Preston Rd #512 (SE corner of Preston & Belt Line) in Peppe. Square 490-6301 Mon-Fri 7 am-2:30 pm, Thur 5-pm. No credit cards. Inexpensive.



D REVISITS

ROSEMARIE’S ★★★★ In the days when I toiled at The Dallas Morning News, one of my prescriptions for a bad morning was a quick trip across the bridge to Oak Cliff for lunch at Rosemaries. These days. I don’t make it to Rosemarie’s quite so often, but when I do, it’s like old-home week. Rosemarie Hudson never forgets a customer, and her warmth accounts in pan for the fanatical loyalty this little cafeteria-style operation inspires, the terrific chicken-fried steak, mashed potatoes, yeast rolls, and peanut butter pie also might have something to do with it. 1411 N Zang 946-4142 Mon-Fri 11-2. No credit cards. Inexpensive.



STEAKS



D REVISITS

BUTCHER SHOP ★ If the chiaroscuro theory of life is true-that its darker moments serve to set off more radiant times-then restaurants like the Butcher Shop serve a useful purpose by making diners appreciative of other, better restaurants. The steak itself wasn’t the problem on my las! visit. The rib-eye in question was decent However, every other element of the meal, from the lackluster salad bar to limp home fries to a dry chicken breast, was just this side of edible. 808 Munger Ave at Lamar. 720-1032. Lunch Mon-Fri 11.30-2; dinner Sun-Thur 5-10. Fri & Sat 5-11. MC, V.AE. Moderate.



DEL FRISCO’S ★★★★★ In this age of Perrier, fish, and steamed vegetables, every so often it is important to balance the system with red wine, beef, and baked potatoes. Del Frisco’s, a straight-ahead steak house with premium fare and prices to match, is made for just such occasions An appetizer of shrimp rémoulade was as good a version as you’ll find this side of New Orleans (which happens to be where owner Del Frisco hails from). I was quite happy with my sottball-sized eight-ounce filet until I tasted the twelve-ource rib-eye that my partner in cholesterol had ordered. This was a steak to remember-a supremely flavorful piece of meat. Some things to bear in mind: your steak will ar-rive in a pool of melted butter unless you nix this idea. Side dishes are ordered a la carte, and in portions immense enough for four And bread pudding tans are advised to plan their meal to allow for Del Frisco’s ver- sion with raisins, coconut, and Jack Daniel’s sauce. 4300 Lemmon. 526-2101 Mon-Thur 5 pm-10 pm, Fri & Sat 5-11: Sun 5 pm-9 pm. MC, V, AE Expensive.



HOFFBRAU ★★ It’s tough enough to find a good steak these days, much less one for under ten bucks. This restaurant, chock full of things Texana, is living proof that not everyone these days is turning to chicken and fish. Mo wonder. The specially here is definitely meat, and judging by the crowds at both lunch and dinner, Hoffbrau’s tasty steaks are no secret. All dinners here include a large salad (with a house dressing), a plate of bread and crackers, and pan-fried chunky potato slices. Waitresses clad in T-shirts and blue jeans set an informal atmosphere. Good food, good service, and good luck finding a parking place. 3205 Knox. 559-2680. Mon-Fri 11-11, Sat noon-11 pm. Sun noon-10 pm. All credit cards. Moderate.



LAWRY’S THE PRIME RIB ★★★★ Finding myself once again on the verge of the big NB (nervous breakdown), I decided on dinner at Lawry’s The only choices are prime rib, prime rib, and prime rib- in three cuts-so the stress of ordering is minimal. And the fare is hard-core comfort food that takes the overwrought diner back a couple of decades to the Sunday-dinner tare of a simpler time The beef, carved to order from a trolley that resembles R2D2, was tender and flavorful: and the accompaniments- including a salad of Romaine. iceberg, and watercress; mashed potatoes; and creamed spinach-were admirable. At lunch there are also chicken, fish, and salad options, but prime rib is the point here. At lunch or dinner, the look of Lawry’s is sur-really baronial, with tapestry and massive furniture abounding. 3008 Maple 521-7777. Lunch Mon-Fri 11:30-2; dinner Mon-Thut 6-10:30, Fri 6-11:30, Sat 5:30-11:30, Sun5-10: Sun brunch 11-2:30. All credit cards. Expensive.



THE PALM ★ ★ ★ ★ The floors are littered with sawdust, and the decorations consist mainly of doodled caricatures of the famous (and not so famous) So what makes this a playground for the biggest spenders around? The old-pro waiters give the place a certain air, and the food is certainly the sort high rollers go for Steaks are the number one item-our tenderloin was as delicious as it was pricey. Lobsters are another specialty, and luckily this time we found one weighing in at only three and a half pounds. The accompanying potatoes of various kinds are usually templing (though the “cottage fries” are potato chips) Appetizers and desserts are mostly not worth the additional (hefty) expense. At lunch there is a much more reasonably priced menu. 701 Ross. 698-0470 Mon-Fri 11:30 am-10:30 pm, Fri 11:30 am-11 pm. Sat 5-10-30 pm. Sun 5-9:30 pm. All credit cards Very expensive



THAI



SIAM ★★★★★ Gone from the scene for more than two years. Siam has returned in a new location. The signature dishes that made !he original Siam’s reputation are as good as ever: the pork satay comes with peerless curried peanut sauce, the spring rolls are commendable, the beef salad is rolling in leaves of fresh mint, and pud That, a dish of rice noodles with shrimp, ground peanuts, and scrambled egg. tastes better here than anywhere With its new amenities and more professional service, Siam is one of Dallas’s ail-time great Asian restaurants. Northwest Corners Shopping Center. 2415 W Northwest Highway #108 [accessible from Harry Hines]. 358-3122. Mon-Thur 11 am-10 pm, Fri&Sat 11-11 All credit cards. Moderate.



SIAM ORCHID ★ ★ ★ While the food may not live up to the memories of that served by Siam (the restaurant that formerly occupied this space), Siam Orchid is still worth exploring. On our most recent visit, the spring roils were wonderfully crunchy and tasty, and both soups (chicken with rice and shrimp in a hot-and-sour broth flavored with lemongrass} were enormously satisfying. Crunchy fish fillets swam in a red curry sauce decorated with fresh hot peppers. On the down side, the pork satay was dry, and the charcoal-grilled beef in the salad with fresh mint lacked flavor But since most of the food is excellent and the service kind and helpful, we think it’s worth braving the sleazy neighborhood lor a meal here. 1730 W Mockingbird near Harry Hines. 631-6505 Mon-Fri 11 am-2.30 pm & 5-10:30 pm. Sat 5-10:30 pm. Closed Sun. All credit cards. Moderate.



VIETNAMESE



D REVISITS

LA PAGODE ★★ In the past, I’ve experienced the emperor’s new clothes syndrome in regard to La Pagode. Although I had heard numerous reports of excellence from restaurant-hounds I respect, I had never had a meal that was better than average here until I went to lunch with a regular, who simply asked the chef to show us his stuff. The results, most notably a shrimp and shredded cabbage salad with a peanut sauce, were dramatically more distinguished than on my past visits. 4302 Bryan at Peak. 821-4542. Mon-Thur 11-10, Fri & Sat 11-11, Sun 5 pm-10 pm. No credit cards. Inexpensive to moderate.



MAI’S ★★ Lunch specials at Mai’s are agreat, inexpensive way to be introduced to Vietnamese food, ii you haven’t discovered it. The garlic shrimp or the subtly fiery lemongrass chicken makes for a great lunch, especially if you follow it with Vietnamese-style iced coffee with condensed milk (Finish this stuft off, and the paperwork will be flying from your desk for hours after-ward.) You don’t come here for the atmosphere: Mai’s decor is distinctly utilitarian. 4812 Bryan, Suite 100 (at Fitzhugh) 826-9887 Wed & Thur 11 am-10 pm, Fri & Sat 11-11, Sun 11 am-10 pm. Closed Mon & Tue. MC. V Inexpensive.



SAIGON ★ ★ ★ ★ Situated where Yolanda’s used to be on Lowest Greenville, Saigon is definitely the best-looking Vietnamese restaurant in town. It also promises to be the best Vietnamese restaurant in town, period Everything I tried on three visits was impressive, but shrimp wrapped around sugar cane was particularly laudable As usual at Vietnamese restaurants, the beverages of choice are fresh lemonade and/or iced coffee. 1731 Greenville. 828-9795. Tue-Thur 11 am-10 pm, Fri & Sat 11-11, Sun 5-10. MC, V.AE. Inexpensive.



LAS COLINAS/MID CITIES



CACHAREL ★★★★★ Jean-Claude Prevot. former proprietor of Jean-Claude, one of Dallas’s best, longest-running restaurants (before it closed last year), has turned his attention to this new restaurant atop the Brookhollow Two building in Arlington. The result is a pretty establishment, with a glassed-in exhibition kitchen and a fixed price ol $10 for lunch and $22 for dinner. The fare- including such Gallic classics as green salad with goat cheese, asparagus soup, scallops with an assertive tarragon sauce, and lamb with a natural-juice sauce-would be worth twice the tariff. 2221 E Lamar. Suite 910, Arlington. 640-9981. Lunch Mon-Fri 11:30-2:30: dinner Mon-Sat 6-11 Closed Sun. All credit cards. Moderate.



CEDARS VILLAGE CAFE ★★★★ I am still trying to figure out how it look longer (specifically, just under an hour) to gel from Dallas to Arlington than from Dallas to Fort Worth All turnpike travail aside, the voyage to Cedars Village Cafe resulted in food that was well worth the effort, hummus (a dip of puréed chickpeas served with pita bread); potato salad (dressed with lemon juice, olive oil, and garlic), grape leaves stuffed with rice and ground sirloin; falafel (fried balls of mashed, seasoned chickpeas); and rosewater-flavored rice pudding lopped with pine nuls. There is a “light” lunch special that offers a choice of appetizer, entrée, and salad for $3.89 that is one of the great bargains in the Metroplex. 5801 Green Oaks Plaza. Suite 360,5801 W 1-20. Arlington. (817)483-1988. Mon-Thur 11-3 & 5-10, Fri & Sat 11-11, Sun noon-5. All credit cards. Inexpensive.



D REVISITS



CHINA TERRACE ★★★I like to think that I win forgive almost anything (or good food. However, if that were the case, the well-prepared steamed dumplings, Szechwan beef, and shrimp with snow peas that I tried on my last visit to China Terrace would have left me happy. Instead, the harshly lit setting and the tough-luck attitude of the service (a request for a beer at 955 was refused because the bar was closed) put a significant dent in my sense of well being. 5435 N MacArthur, Irving. 550-1113. Sun-Thur 11 am-10 pm. Fri & Sat 11-11. MC, V, AE. Moderate.



ENJOLIE ★★★★ In most parts of the country, hotel food is something to be endured by travelers and ignored by locals. Hereabouts, however, some of the best restaurant fare around can be found in hotels. The Mansion, the Hotel Crescent Court, the Adolphus. and Plaza of the Americas all offer first-rate food close to or in downtown Enjolie also belongs in the category of greal hotel restaurants, although it is somewhat removed from its peers in terms of distance from the heart of Dallas. Nevertheless, the drive is a brief one. and worth it for the likes of pheasant mousse with cranberry puree, chilled cream of celery and smoked shrimp soup, peppered chicken breast served with a shallot and Zinfandel reduction, beef with Bourbon sauce, and chocolate and coffee pots de créme. Mandalay Four Seasons Hotel. 221 E Las Colinas Blvd. Irving. 556-0800. ext 3155. Lunch Mon-Fri 11:30-2; dinner Mon-Sat 6-10:30. Closed Sun. Ail credit cards. Expensive.



TANDOOR ★★ Fighting words for fans of non-Western cuisines: “You wouldn’t like it.” Intrigued by the idea of jeers pani, a harmless-sounding aperitif of cumin, mint, and lemon water on Tandoor’s menu, we practically had to arm-wrestle our waitress to obtain a glass of the advised-against liquid. One by one, we three die-hard gastronomic tough guys tasted humiliation as we choked down a sulfurous concoction that could have passed for Trinity River water. Our waitress whisked away the evidence of our defeat, and we moved on to a superior assortment of appetizers: minced lamb pat-ties, vegetables fried in chickpea batter, potato/chili patties, turnovers with potatoes and peas, and cheese fritters stuffed with mint chutney. A tomato and coconut milk soup provided a pleasurable interlude before our main dishes, which were a relative let-down: lough curried lamb, slightly overcooked tandoori chicken, and dull cheese and vegetable dumplings. Tandoor’s setting, with dim lighting and blue walls, is plain but pleasant. 532 Fielder North Plaza, south of 1-30, Arlington. 261-6604 Lunch Mon-Fri 11:30-2:30; dinner Sun-Thur 5:30-10, Fri & Sat 530-10:30; brunch Sat & Sun 11:30-2:30 MC, V, AE. Moderate.



VIA REAL ★★★ Dramatic abstract pictures dominate the walls, and even the menus are original handcratted works by the same artists. The contents of the menu are as fresh as the look of the place-you might call the concept New Wave Mexican, with a hint of Continental Spanish influence. The appetizers include such novelties as crepa de salmone (thin slices of smoked salmon enfolded in crepes and served dry except lor a garnish of pico de gallo) and rellenos de pescado (cylinders of fish mousse studded with salmon and surrounded by a rich sauce). Main courses at Via Real also tilt toward the seafood end. with skewered scallops and swordfish among the specialties. Town North Centre, 3591 N Belt Line at Northgate, Irving. 255-0064. Lunch Mon-Sat 11-2; dinner Sun-Thur 5-10. Fri & Sat 5-11; Sun brunch 10-2. All credit cards. Moderate.



FORT WORTH



ANGELO’S ★ How much of Angelo’s reputation is warranted and how much mere mystique? We found the sliced barbecue and the chopped beet sandwich both lacking in smoky flavor (though tender and lean enough) on our most recent excursion. The extras here have never been worth hooting about, so that didn’t leave much besides the cold beer and the folksy sawdust on the floor to make our visit memorable. 2533 White Settlement Rd. (817) 332-0357. Mon-Sat 11 am-10 pm Closed Sun. No credit cards Inexpensive.



HEDARY’S ★ ★ Some things at Hedary’s were better than ever on our last visit, including the service by the members of the Lebanese-American family that owns !he place. The assortment of appetizers was nothing short of spectacular, with definitive eggplant and chickpea dips, falafel. vegetables, and salads. And the baklava and other desserts were light, delicate, and delicious We confess to some disappointment with our main dishes, though. Our skewered lamb was tough, and our frarej (chicken broiled in olive oil) didn’t taste as boldly of garlic as we remembered. 3308 Fairfield at Camp Bowie. (817) 731-6961 Lunch Tue-Fri 11-2. dinner Tue-Thur & Sun 5-10 pm. Fri & Sat 5-11 pm Closed Mon No reservations. All credit cards. Moderate.



LE CHARDONNAY ★★★★ Former Ceret chef Philip Lecoq is a co-owner of this new bistro, and its combination of serious food and an informal atmosphere is reminiscent of that late, lamented establishment. The lamb chops topped with goat cheese, served with a rosemary sauce and accompanied by herbed French fries, are a standout. 2443 Forest Park Blvd. Fort Worth (817) 926-5622 Mon-Fri 11:30 am-10:30 pm, Sat 5-10:30 pm. Sun 11 am-10:30 pm. MC, V, AE. Moderate.



SAINT-EMILION ★★★★ Proprietor Bernard Tranche grew up in Saint-Emilion, a village in France’s Bordeaux area. Happily for the sake of Fort Worth residents, he moved to Cowtown and opened a charming restaurant that serves excellent straight-ahead French food. Considering the four-course fixed price of $20 per person-a great bargain by Dallas standards- it’s surprising that more Dallasrtes don’t make the trek. The last lime I did, the results were impressive A thoughtfully put together salad (leaf lettuce, radicchio, watercress, walnuts, and bits of bacon dressed with walnut oil), textbook lobster bisque, rich spinach cannelloni, and creditable snails in garlic butter made for a great start. (Order the last with the boneless quail and you’ve got the snail-and-quail special) Only the over-complicated quail stuffed with Belgian endive was less than impressive. Juicy swordfish provencal and nicely roasted duck with cherry sauce were all one could ask for. (Actually, one could ask that the duck be boned.) For dessert, pass on the fluffy, lightweight chocolate mousse and opt for the extraordinary créme caramel. 3617 W Seventh. (817) 737-2781. Mon-Fri 11 :30 am-2 pm & 6-10 pm. Sat 6-10 pm. Closed Sun. MC. V. AE. Moderate.



NIGHTLIFE



ACAPULCO BAR. Acapulco’s popularity proves that Upper Greenville is alive and well Here’s a great bar for the over-twenty-one partier: three blackjack tables with dealers, a waitress who offers tequila shots from a holster, lots of color on the walls, and even more colorful characters on the dance floor. 5111 Greenville. 692-9856. Tue-Fri 5 pm-2 am. Sat 7 pm-2 am. Closed Sun& Mon. Cover Tue-Thur $1, Fri & Sat $4. All credit cards.



ADAIR’S. The great old beer join] of Dallas continues to pull in its rednecks, loud-mouthed attorneys, chic city women who act country, and all-around fun-loving people who like to drink beer and spill it on the pool tables. Since Adair’s moved to its Deep Ellum location, cynics have been predicting its demise. But the half-pound hamburgers and whiny jukebox still draw a crowd. 2624 Commerce. 939-9900. Mon-Sat 10 am-2 am. Closed Sun. No credit cards.



BABY’S. The slickest new dance club in Dallas is (surprise!) found amid the laid-back nightlife on McKinney Avenue. It will probably bother some that most of the clientele is gay-but there are sprinklings of all the eclectic types here. This place has every trapping of Cool-a sunken dance floor (à la Starck Club), video screens, neon lights, a separate room in the back for a quiet drink, and bottom-shaking music. 3501 McKin-ney 521-4748 Wed-Sat 9 pm-4 am. Sun 5 pm-4 am. Closed Sun-Tue. AE.



BARNEY OlDFIELD’S. Barney Oldfield’s relentlessly pushes no matter what other clubs are doing, with its “straight from Las Vegas” theme Everyone who appears on the stage seems to be either from Reno or Vegas. But while other similar supper clubs in Dallas have only had short lives, this one continues to thrive with its basic pop music act. 1893 W Mockingbird. 634-8850. Mon-Thur 11 am-1:30 am, Fri 11 am-2 am, Sat & Sun 4:30-2 am. Shows Sun-Thur 8:30 & 10:30. Fri & Sat 9 & 11:30. MC, V. AE, DC.



BELLE STARR. With wave after New Wave of music rolling in yearly, the old country-western culture might be fading. Are you kidding? Belle Starr, packed with a middle-aged boot-kicking crowd, continues to be a huge money maker. There are bands every night, urban cowboys everywhere, and women in those light-fitting jeans that would make any good old boy swoon. There’s also free beer Tuesday through Thursday, which means you’ll have trouble squeezing into the place. 7724 N Central at Southwestern. 750-4787. Mon-Sat 7 pm-2 am, Sun 4 pm-2am Ail credit cards.



BOARDWALK BEACH CLUB. You thought preppies were dying out? Head over in your BMW to Boardwalk and you will find them, hiding out from the real world. More than 1,000 of the prep set. from college kids to holdovers in their early thirties, jam the place every weekend night. The disc jockey plays good beach music, if you can hear it above the noise of the preppy talk. Dress is essential to a successful bar evening here, so button down tight. 6332 La Vista 823-5340. Mon-Fri 11 am-1 m; Thur & Sat 7 pm-2 am. Fri 5 pm-2 am. Closed Sun-Wed MC. V, AE.



BOWLET & WILSON’S. If you’re looking for a place to have your church social, don’t come here Not for the faint of heart or timid of ear. Bowley and Wilson dish out hysterical music and humor that landed them in jail on one occasion. If you’re looking for a reasonably priced, humor-filled evening, Bowley & Wilson and the Blue Bathroom Humor Band are for you. You can win free drinks by being a good sport when they ask you to join in the act. Win free Kamikazes by successfully singing “Old Ben Lucas” in front of the audience. 4 714 Greenville. 692-6470. Tue-Sat 7:30 pm-2 am. Show starts at 9.30. Cover varies MC, V. AE.



BOW TIES. We know what you’re asking. Where can you get that first drink after a rough flight into Love Field? Right across the street at this club in the Executive Inn. It’s loud, raucous, and filled with a variety of ages up to forty – all of them the kind of party people you see on airplanes. And if you get tired of talking to them, go stand by the band. They’re about as loud as a 747. This music Top 40 dance club has potential. 3232 W Mockingbird. 357-5601 Mon-Sat 11 am-2 am. Sun 3:30 pm-midnight. All credit cards.



BRIO. It’s amazing how the herd instinct works at these Upper Greenville dance clubs Just when you think one of these places is going to become an institution, wham!, another one opens down the street and the fast-and-sexy singles crowd shifts allegiance. The latest one that is mounting incredible business- lines snake out the door almost every night – is Brio, where the hot-and-hungry do the prediciable; sneak glances at one another, buy each other drinks, ask each other what they do, and then, after a dance or two, talk about what a wonderful thing it is to meet someone special at a place like this! Then they return the next night to do it all over again. S500 Greenville, Suite 403. 361-9517. Mon-Thur 4 pm-2 am, Fri 4-4, Sat 7 pm-4 am, Sun 7 m-2 am. M, V, AE.

CAFE DALLAS. The club that was the hottest disco in town | back in 1980 has overhauled its image to bring back clientele But Cafe Dallas has stuck with its dark decor and driving dance music and the same drink specials-and, amazingly, has staged a sort of comeback on the always-changing Greenville strip. 5500 Greenville in Old Town Shopping Village. 987-0066 Mon-Fri 4 pm-2 am, Sat 8 pm-2 am Closed Sun. MC, V, AE.



CALLACHAN’S. Ah, the sweet mysteries of Dallas nightlife. At Callaghan’s, part of the West End live music renaissance, you used to get pure Irish music. Now you never know what will be coming out of the loud-speakers The little Irish bands play sporadically, and there’s |azz on Sundays, but the rest of the week could be anything. When we went, there was a Top 40 group early in the week, then a flat-out rock ’n’ roll group by the weekend. But it’s still worth the gamble. 1701 Market at Ross. 761-9355. Mon-Fri 11 am-2 am, Sat noon-2 am. Sun 4 pm-2 am AE, DC. CB.



CHELSEA CORNER. In the block where upper McKinney Avenue runs into Highland Park, this is the perfect club to blend the two cultures A quiet, candle-on-the-table place, with little sandwich or quiche dinners, all kinds of colorful fruit drinks, and a guitarist playing folk-pop songs on an elevated stage, Chelsea Corner is great for a peaceful moment before you hit the fast lane or a way to unwind if you’re coming off it. 4830 McKinney. 522-3501. Mon-Sat 11:15 am-2 am, Sun 5 pm-2 am. Live music Tue-Sat. MC, V, AE, DC.



ClUB CLEARVIEW. Tired of the Starck Club, that million-dollar setting for the teased-out New Wave generation, where happiness is hanging out in the bathroom lobby? Well, now you have a veritable carnival of trendy activities in one nightclub, and it’s all tor the artsy, modern-music, strange hair crowd. This Deep Ellum club has avant-garde sculpture and hip art (like an “artistic” depiction of a bum’s home on a city street). There is great dance music in one part of the club, and then warehouse in the back where bands play, the standard coed bathrooms, and a place upstairs to make out with someone or make sure your purple wig is on straight. 2625 Elm. 939-0006. Thur 9 pm-2 am. Fri & Sat 9 pm-4 am Closed Sun. AE.



CONFETTI. Look what’s happened to Dallas’s maior meal market: it went upscale. No more wild-looking waitresses in nasty outfits. No more best-body contests. No more barely legal boppers. Now sleekly redesigned for the young office crowd, the club still throws a good parly. 5201 Matilda oil Lovers Lane 369-6969, 369-6977 Mon-Thur 8 pm-2 am, Fri & Sat 7 pm-4 am, Sun 7 pm-2 am. Cover varies. MC, V. AE, DC.



DAVE & BUSTER’S. “There’s nothing quite like it” is Dave & Busters slogan, and they’re not kidding. The place is enormous, but the brass and dark wood decor adds a degree of sophistication. Head tor the umpteen pool tables lining the walls; try shuffleboard. darts, Pente. or backgammon, or just sip a cool one at the large bar on the main floor. 10727 Composite, near Walnut Hill at Stemmons Frwy. 353-0649. Mon-Thur 11 am-1 am, Fri 11 am-2 am, Sat noon-2 am, Sun 11:30 am midnight All credit cards.



EMRELD ClTY. We have no idea why one of the most popular dance bands in Dallas, Emerald City, decided that the name of its new nightclub would be spelled dif-srentty than the band’s own name. Nor did we understand when the club’s manager labeled the club’s hot pink-and-black interior as “erotic art deco.” And we know what a gamble it is for the same band to play one nightclub five nights a week, three weeks a month. and hope to keep drawing larger crowds But Emerald City, which has been playing in Dallas tor seven years, can put together a super-charged set-and it’s worth atrip. 4908 Greenville. 361-2489. Tue-Sun 5:30 pm-2 am. MC, V, AE.



FAST & COOL. After a meteoric rise to stardom. Fast & Cool is now undisputably the King of Lower Greenville. Apparently, the management has decided that patrons don’t want to hear an eleven-minute “dance-mix” ver-of the latest pop-chart bullet. The music here is predominantly Motown sound and authentic soul from artists like James Brown and Ike and Tina Turner. The dance floor is the center of this tiny universe, and it has a magnetic effect on anyone who walks in the door. It’s hard to imagine even the most hard-core Baptist resisting this dance floor. Unlike countless dance clubs that have come and gone on Greenville Avenue, this place has staying power. 3606 Greenville. 827-5544. Sun & Tue-Thur 8 pm-2 am, Fri & Sat 7-4. Closed Mon Cover $3 Thur $4 Fri & Sat MC, V. AE.



GERSHWIN’S BAR & GRILL No one can discover a nightspot faster than the North Dallas single. This new Upper Greenville restaurant features two bars-and both are constantly packed, if you don’t like the bar closest to the door, work your way over to the one beside a grand piano that appears to be built on top of a scaffolding. Most of the crowd is at the bar waiting for a table, so if you’re going to hustle someone, you’d better hurry. 8442 Walnut Hill at Greenville. 373-7171 Sun 10:30 am-midmght, Mon-Thur 11:30 am-midnight, Fri & Sat 11:30 am-1 am. No cover MC. V. AE. DC



IMPROV. Everybody loves a clown, and of late some of the funniest folks in the show-biz circus have been splitting sides at the Improv, Dallas’s newest comedy club. A cousin of the famed L.A. nightspot, the club takes its name from that gutsy, gonzo brand of comedy that reached its zenith with Robin Williams, wherein the comic plays without a net, relying as much on crowd response, retort, and insult as on any set repertoire. When it works, the payoff can be explosive, awe-mspirmg to anyone who trembled before a Iwo-nnnute talk in speech class. On our visit, funnyman Byron Allen (of TV’s “Real People”) provided the yuks, feeding off the audience (with mixed results) and mining a rather dated vein of he-she humor Somehow most of the malerial worked, though a good deal was |ust Alan King with four-letter words The opening act, juggler Daniel Rosen, broke every law of physics by juggling a “Swiss army cat’ festooned with razor-sharp blades. One word of warning: you wont be amused by the low-grade fried appetizers on the cutesily tilled “Date Plate” and “Swinger’s Plate” Eat around the corner at Magoo’s and show up ready to laugh. 9810 N CentralExpwy(in the Corner Shopping Center). 750-5868. Showtimes Sun-Thur 8:30 pm, Fri & Sat 8:30 & 10 45 Monday night is audition night. MC. V, AE.



KNOX STREET PUB. Here, across the street from such yuppie delights as On the Border and Hoffbrau, is a bar still lighting to be laid back And what is laid back these days? How about a varied jukebox with rock ’n’ roll. English New Wave, and Sixties pop? How about terrible restrooms and old pool tables? How about a motley clientele? The pub is a classic neighborhood bar, a vanishing species. 3230 Knox. 526-9476 Mon-Sat 11 am-2 am. Sun 5 pm-2 am No credit cards.



THE LIBRARY. An elegant spot in the renovated Meirose Hotel, this bar has done some sprucing up of its own II opened the windows and doors and put in a soothing, quiet piano-jazz act Perfect for a comfortable after-work drink. Meirose Hotel. Oak Lawn at Cedar Springs. 521-5151. Mon-Sat 11 am-2am. Sun 11 am-midnight AH credit cards.



THE LOUNGE. Want to throw down a beer with young intelligentsia? Here’s what you do: first, dress chic, but don’t let it look elegantly chic Casual chic is the style here (unless you’re in the New Wave crowd and you come in so everyone can have a look at what they’ve been told is “gloriously outrageous” fashion). Then, you’d better see one of those foreign movies playing next door at the Inwood Theatre so you’ll have something to talk about at the bar. And you’d better show a little poise This is as close as Dallas gets to one of those sophisticated, high-tech upper West Side bars in New York where you wish you could eavesdrop on the conversation at every table. 5460 W Lovers Lane. 350-7834 Sun-Thur 5 pm-1 am. Fri & Sat 5 pm-2 am AE. DC. CB.



MEMPHIS. Don’t let the tiny dance floor (literally about the size of a two-door foreign car) and the dark hue of the bar disturb you People dance in the aisles, on the chairs, by the bar- mainly because this is the best live jazz-dance bar in North Dallas. Great local groups are regulars-like Emerald Cily and Schwantz Lefantz. Quorum Plaza, 5000 Belt Line, Suite 500. 386-9517. Mon-Fri 4 pm-2 am. Sat & Sun 6 pm-2 am. Cover $3-$5. Ail credit cards.



MILO BUTTERFINGER’S. This is one of the few remaining ’bar’ bars on the Upper Greenville strip. Milo’s has outlived the disco and the fern – even the upscale meat market. It’s a comfortable joint where you can wear your jeans (even if they’re faded) and play a game of pool, foosball. or shuffteboard with a buddy while sipping a longneck. A few years ago. owner Ned Smith moved Milo’s off of Greenville to a spacious but modest, location around the corner But judging by the fresh-faced college clientele, you d swear he’d moved into the basement of the SMU student center 5645 Yale. 368-9212. Mon-Fri 11 am-2 am. Sat & Sun noon-2 am. MC. V. AE.



MlSTRAL. The all-slick, high-tech dance club with the video screen larger than the side of a barn has gone completely “new music,” which is a nice way of saying that the music is not pop and we cant always figure out if the song has a tune But hey. we’re hip, and this crowd, especially early in the week, is truly hip (which means everyone wears androgynous black clothing with hair that is a cross between astronaut crewcut and Johnny Rotten). But you’ll still 1ind your basic sprinkling of suburbanites and hotel guests who come in to gawk at the music videos and the twenty-year-olds who sing along to hits by such charming groups as The Fine Young Cannibals. Loews Anatole, 2201 Stemmons. 760 9000 Tue8pm-3am. Wed & Thur 8 pm-2 am, Fri 8 pm-4 am. Sat 7 pm-4 am. Cover $5 Thur & Fri, $10 Sat. All credit cards.



THE PALM BAR. If you’re downtown, few places are as nice as this for a drink after work. If you’re not downtown, its worth the trip. The decor is elegant but not pompous, the drinks are excellent and reasonably priced, and the service is flawless. If you work late beware -this place closes at 7 p.m. Adolphus Hole,, 1321 Commerce. 742-8200. Mon-Fri 11 am-7 pm. Closed Sat & Sun. All credit cards.

PROPHET BAR. Haunted by the threat of nuclear war? The lines of Dylan Thomas? The lines at the Starck Club? If you’re tired of that scene, then retire to the peaceful artistic confines of the Prophet, where people gather coffee house-style to discuss, oh. what they did last night at the Starck Club. This is a line Deep Ellum-watching place, which means you try to guess who over at table three is the real artist and who is the downtown office worker who just likes to play dress up But by 11, you don’t have to worry about “coot” talk. The live music will-thank God-drown you out. 2713 Commerce. 742-2615 Sun-Thur 6 pm-2 am. Fri &Sat 6 pm-4 am. Sun 3 pm-2 am. AE.



RAZZ MA TAZZ. Talk about a mixed bag: there’s no letting who you’re going to find in Razz Ma Tazz. Us West End location ensures a steady stream of after-work lounge lizards, visiting businessmen climbing the walls of their hotel rooms, and tourists looking for a piece of authentic Dallas culture Razz Ma Tazz features a strong lineup of local talent playing everything from hard-driving R & 8 to straight-ahead mainstream jazz The acoustics are pretty good, there’s actually enough room for a legitimate stage, and the antique bar is a class act. (Sure wish the barstools were higher, though ) Munch-ies are available for patrons who don’t want purely liquid dinners. 1714 N Market. 748-7112. Mon-Fri 5 pm-2 am, Sat & Sun 6 pm-2 am. A)) credit cards.



THE SALOON. If your jeans don’t come with designer labels. The Saloon may be your kind of Greenville Avenue hang-out The atmosphere’s down-home, Coronas go for two bucks a pop, there’s live music almost every night and no weekday cove- charge Music runs the gamut from rock to folk, with a hard case of blues in between. The quality of the entertainment is variable-Monday is open mike night, Tuesdays feature a blues jam, and songwriters strut their stuff on Wednesdays – but you can’t beat the sound when they turn off the amps and crank up the jukebox. There aren’t many places in the Metroplex where you can hear Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee and Grand Funk Railroad for the same quarter 2818 Greenville 623-6550 Mon-Fri 3 pm-2 am. Sal 11 am-2 am, Sun noon-2 am. MC, V. AE.



SAN FRANCISCO ROSE. This is a place that bills itself as a fern bar and grill, so don’t go expecting to find David Byrne and Stevie Ray Vaughn talking shop at the bar. On the other hand, the relaxed atmosphere makes it a pleasant place to start an evening or stop in for a nightcap. And in between? How does sedate grab you? The something-for-everybody appeal includes a TV at the end of the bar, piped -in rock ’n’ roll, a limited menu, indoor and outdoor seating, even a couple of easy chairs and sofas. Color San Francisco Rose eclectic middle-of-the-road. 3024 Greenville- 826-2020. Mon-Sat 11 am-2 am. Sun noon-2 am All credit cards.



SRO. What would the yuppie downtown business crowd do if they couldn’t have an after work drink at SRO (which should stand for Smashmgly Resplendent-ly Ordinary)? Here, you may tap your manicured fingernails against the sleek bar and wonder who that handsome man is in the Armani suit or what kind of soul lurks beneath that Neirnan-Marcus mannequin look-alike who is sipping wine by hersell Everyone looks good in the track lighting of SRO That, of course, doesn’t help the food, and you’d belter be ready to talk banking or real estate principles if you want to last here. 2900 McKinney. 748-5014. Mon-Sat 11 am-2 am. Closed Sun MC. V.AE.



TERILLI’S. Ah, yes. that great Lower Greenville tradition -sipping wine, eating Italian, and listening to that smooth, soft kind of jazz that makes you start snapping your fingers like Mel Tormé. Wait a minute! This is on Lower Greenville? Goodness, class is popping up everywhere. With the kind of black-and-white art deco decor that looks super expensive, a cozy bar area where you can meel someone who is (incredibly) not in real estate, and live \azz groups every night except Monday, you can actually drink something other than beer and not worry if others are making fun of you. 2815 Greenville. 827-3993. Mon-Sat 11:30 am-2 am, Sun 11 am-2 am, MC. V, AE.



VIDEO BAR. If you’ve watched MTV once during the last year, you owe it to yourself to go to the Video Bar. They have found music videos that you never see anywhere else-even some absolutely weird stuff that is all fraught with significant meaning and whatnot. If you consider yourself part of the new scene-and if you promise not to wear anything resembling penny loafers- this is your Deep Ellum kind of place All the funky regulars from the old “On the Air bar have already found their spots, so be prepared to wait in line. 2812 Elm 939-9113. Daily 8 pm-2 am. MC. V, AE.



FOHT WORTH NIGHTLIFE



BlLLY BOSS TEXAS. This huge country/western club in the Fort Worth Stockyards has a lot going for it two restaurants, forty-two bar stations, a real bull-riding arena, and several shops. It’s bigger than Gilley’s and a “must-see” if you’re in Fort Worth. 2520 N Commerce in the Stockyards Metro 429-5979. Mon-Sat 9:30 am-2 am, Sun noon-2 am MC, V. AE.



THE BLUE BIRD. Even when the band’s not playing, you’ll feel like dancing at The Blue Bird the jukebox is the best in Fort Worth But then, the patrons of this near-South Side club don’t want that to get around, they know a good thing when they’ve found it. The club is, packed nearly every weekend with regulars dancing to the infectious music of Robert Ealey and t]he Blues-blasiers. This is rhythm and blues at its finest, but sssshhh! 5636 Wellesley. (817) 732-6243 Fri & Sat 7 pm-2 am No credit cards.



THE WHITE ELEPHANT SALOON. In 1887. Luke short, then the owner of the White Elephant, shot it out with a former U. S. marshal. Today, the Elephant has country/western music six nights a week and lots of tourists trying desperately to learn the two-step on a small dance floor. 106 E Exchange. (817) 624-8273 Mon-Sat 11 am-2 am. Sun noon-midnight MC. V. AE.