EATING AROUND THE PROMENADE: A REAL STEAL

The Promenade at the Mansion



Is it a sign of the times that you can now get yourself a bargain breakfast, lunch, or high tea at the Mansion on Turtle Creek, perhaps Dallas’s most glamorous place to eat? The Promenade at the Mansion serves food with the stamp of approval of celebrity chef Dean Fearing, if not directly supervised by him in its preparation. Some of that food can vie with the offerings of the main restaurant, and at much reduced prices. And lunch at the Promenade will set you back a lot less than dinner at the Mansion-a check of $20 to $25 per person would be typical.

You enter the Promenade at the Mansion by the hotel door rather than the regular restaurant door. The Promenade occupies the long room joining the two main buildings. The bright, airy setting overlooks the flower-spangled drive-up, and huge arrangements of flowers compete with flowered banquettes in the restaurant itself. One other aspect of the Promenade, besides the cheaper prices, improves upon the main dining room: the welcome is warmer in the new restaurant, and the service less icy and formal.

Lunch at the Promenade features some terrific examples of Fearing’s vaunted New Southwestern cuisine. The Southwest ancho pizza with smoked chicken, jalapeno jack cheese, poblano peppers, and cilantro may be the best New Wave pizza in Dallas. The ancho chiles flavor the crust, which is fabulously chewy and tasty. Southwestern-style soups, especially the yellow-tomato gaz-pacho, are also outstanding. The pork loin scallopini with a sauce of capers, tomato, smoked bacon, and parsley is yet another winner. Less specifically Southwestern is a special of daringly underdone fettuccine swimming in seafood (including bits of salmon and scallops).

The Promenade also has a chef who slices meats for sandwiches right in the restaurant space. The pecan-smoked brisket he dishes up is actually one of the better versions of beef barbecue in Dallas, although it is hard to imagine coming to this venue for barbecue unless you are an out-of-towner wanting to sample some real Texan fare. The side dish of Granny Fearing’s oven-baked beans qualifies as authentic Americana for the curious, but some of the other dishes seem more strange than Southwestern.

Breakfast at the Promenade is not quite as alluring as lunch. The food is all very good for its kind-fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice, homemade granola, tiny muffins, grilled pork chops-but it lacks the singular pizazz of the noontime offerings. The standout dish among those we have tried is the huevos rancheros, served on a crisply fried tortilla that seemed handmade. Afternoon tea gives a choice among finger sandwiches and a cartful of imported teas, but its primary attraction is the array of superb pastries. Lunchtime desserts at the Promenade lean toward extraordinary versions of downhome favorites (shortcakes, cobblers, Mississippi Mud pie, and the like). Those at teatime include more sophisticated creations. Our waiter gave us the kind tip that those who come to tea late in the afternoon can often finagle more than one of these calorific beauties. And after all, isn’t that what the Promenade is all about-wringing every last bit of elegance and enjoyment out of the shrinking Texas dollar? 2821 Turtle Creek Blvd. 559-2100. Breakfast Mon-Sun 7-10: 30; lunch Mon-Fri 11: 30-2; tea Mon-Fri 3-5. All credit cards. Moderateto expensive. -W. L. Taitte



Massimo Da Milano Al Teatro



Those fun-filled folks who taught us to rip off a yard-long Italian name and buy cookies by the pound on Lovers Lane have really said a mouthful this time. The new Quadrangle Massimo has tacked “al Teatro” onto the original moniker in a cunning move calculated, doncha see, to plant the notion that the restaurant is a natural place to pause for refreshment en route to or from its courtyard neighbor, Theatre Three.

The notion is inspired, but this latest production of Roberto Albini and family needn’t really depend on costars to draw audiences. The restaurant’s a double feature in its own right on a couple of counts. Unlike the other two M. da M. s, which offer only a rather confusing cafeteria-esque self-service, this one gives you the option of full-service dining-either indoors in sleek and sumptuous surroundings or on candlelit tables in the courtyard outside.

While the service lacks the setting’s suavity (first-timers have to hunt for the hostess’s station, and our waiter never quite got the hang of who ordered what, or when to bring it), the food generally lived up to our hopes. A shared appetizer pizza, although not the one we ordered, was outstanding, a medley of seafoods with garlic, parsley, and tomato sauce on perfect thin crust. A salad of pasta bow ties with ham, cheese, and mushrooms in homemade mayonnaise was bland, perhaps because its promised cornichons were not in evidence; a livelier number featured cucumbers, leek shreds, celery, and tomato with arugula in oregano-spiked vinaigrette.

The day’s entiées, listed on a separate menu, yielded a very small serving of excellent veal scallops, sautéed and brandy-flamed in cream sauce with plain and porcini mushrooms, and a very generous portion of succulent chicken breast slices, rosemary-scented, grilled, and sauced with capers and white wine. A sautéed grouper filet was laden with tiny bones, but the evening’s featured Tagliatelle alla Valdostana was positively ambrosial, the paper-thin pasta ribbons and sliced mushrooms bathed in cream and fontina cheese with a whispered accent of garlic.

Steamed cauliflower and broccoli, served with the meat entrées, were adequate; a thick, gummy wedge of grilled polenta was severely disappointing.

Desserts, however, gave absolute redemption, from demure plain cheesecake to chocolate-coconut mousse to a cream puff-topped wedge of whipped cream and chocolate whose name escapes me but whose memory I cherish.

Which brings me to the single exceptionto my loathing for self-service. In most situations, I rank it right up there with salad barsand styrofoam takeout containers; here,though, picking your own from the calorie-laden fantasies on display is obligatory andfun, even educational in an odd sort of way:you may never be able to name the dessertthat thrilled you, but you’ll certainly learn tosay “Massimo Da Milano Al Teatro” withyour mouth full. The Quadrangle. 2800Routh Street. 871-1900, Lunch daily 11 am-2pm; dinner Sun-Thur 6-10: 30, Fri &. Sat 6pm-12: 30 am. MC, V, AE. Inexpensive tomoderate. -Betty Cook



Blue Mesa



A new kind of Mexican restaurant seems to be emerging, of which Blue Mesa is a prime example. It’s not exactly New Southwest, but it’s not really Mexican, despite the enchiladas on the menu. It’s not completely New Mexican, though there’s plenty of blue corn and green chilies on the menu. Some of the food, such as the duck taquitos, might be called New New Mexican Mexican-style, but that’s carrying the name game too far and we finally decided my dining companion’s suggestion of “Mix-Mex” said it best. Whatever you call it, we liked Blue Mesa a lot.

The attractive Spanish-style building (which used to house Tequila Willie’s) is unfortunately situated in the ghost town that was Sakowitz Village, a little difficult to locate for a downtowner like me. The interior has changed considerably; the current management lightened up the look by carting out all the plants and tearing down walls to open up the room. It’s almost too open; when the place isn’t full, you feel a little lost in the big, airy space. Stripped pine beams and pillars give the room some definition, and works by contemporary Texas artists- Pam Nelson, Dan Allison, and Billy Hassell, among others-bestow a bright, original feel.

We started our meal with the special margaritas-startlingly neon blue from a dash of blue curacao, but with a fresh lime taste. A stemmed glass would have kept the drinks colder. Chips and dip are usually effective forecasters in Mexican restaurants; Blue Mesa serves mixed blue and yellow tostados with a smoky chipotle-black bean salsa and a cumin-flavored tomato salsa.

A list of appetizers, soups, and salads as long as the main menu made it hard for us to choose, so we opted for several dishes and shared them. Mostly they were very good: duck taquitos were like little blue corn flautas, the fried tortilla encasing rich duck meat instead of the usual chicken. They were good dipped in the accompanying ramekin of half-and-half barbecue and avocado sauce, but even better scooped in the fresh guacamole that is prepared tableside by your server. Blue corn nachos were spread with black beans and topped with strips of still-pink steak and melted jack cheese. Only the tortilla soup smacked of the ordinary.

In the spirit of exploration, we picked some of the more offbeat-sounding entrees and were glad we did. The chile relleno with chicken, cheese, and mango salsa was beautifully presented, and the sweet-tart fruit accented the spice and cheese surprisingly. The counterpoint was repeated in the contrasting flavors of savory black beans and sweet corn pudding. Cornmeal pasta was cooked al dente; it was sauced with tomatoes, corn, and cumin and topped with pieces of chicken breast rubbed with red chile. The “adobe pie” could have been half the size-the cereal bowl-sized dome of fresh corn masa was baked with a stuffing of chicken, cheese, and peppers and blanketed with a smooth red chile sauce. It was fairly fiery but delicious and much more than enough for one.

Desserts, generally a weak point at Mexican restaurants, are concocted with imagination at Blue Mesa. Banana chimichanga with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce, Mexican honey flan, and Mexican chocolate bread pudding with coffee-poppyseed sauce were all possibilities; we tried the latter two and thought the flan was a trifle grainy; the bread pudding was hot and more chocolatey than bready.

The menu changes monthly and the service was smooth and attentive; we’re looking forward to finding our way to Blue Mesa again. Village on the Parkway, 5100 Belt Line. 934-0165. Mon-Thur 11-11, Fri & Sat 11 am-midnight, Sun brunch 10 am-3 pm, dinner till 11 pm. All credit cards. Moderate.

-Mary Brown Malouf



Tacos and Botanas



Mario Leal is to Dallas Mexican food what Alberto Lombardi is to Dallas Italian food, Mario’s Chiquita in Oak Lawn was the granddaddy of Dallas Mex-Mex (as opposed to Tex-Mex) restaurants; now housed in a spiffy new space in Travis Walk, it has spawned a number of offspring all over the city. The latest is Tacos and Botanas, which opened in Chiquita’s old Congress Avenue location. Like its siblings, this restaurant bears a strong resemblance to its parent.

The room itself is the shell of Chiquita, with all the frippery and pretty pastels gone, leaving only the bare essentials and a few south of the border knickknacks.

The menu is a reorganization of Chiquita’s, one side of the page consisting of Chiquita’s familiar and still-commendable specialties, the other listing small plates, lunch specials, and a “build your own com-bination plate” Tex-Mex section-a solid idea because the perfect combination plate, like the proverbial good man, is hard to find. One might sound just right, but it has beans, no rice. Or it’s just right but doesn’t include guacamole. You know the components are all basically prepared out there in the kitchen, so it makes sense for the diner to write his own menu. My dining companion ordered a puffed taco, chalupas, and tamales, and while it wasn’t my idea of the perfect combination plate, it was all first-rate, especially the chili-covered tamales.

Pork garnachos, from the small plates list, were like scaled-down chalupas crossed with a nacho and were a little on the dry side, a problem solved by combining them with the excellent guacamole. Sincronizadas, an appetizer, were basically a ham and cheese sandwich on flour tortillas-tasty, and a good one to try making at home.

From the regular menu of Chiquita’s time-proven specialties, we sampled the three-enchilada combination-chicken with chili verde, cheese with ranchera sauce, and beef with chili-which was delicious, and the corn-and-tomato-stuffed zucchini, a satisfying vegetarian dish. Cinnamon ice cream and sopapillas made a sweet ending.

Service was overwhelmingly friendly; the staff’s we-try-harder attitude did a lot to dispel the stepsister impression given by the lackluster look of the place. 3810 Congress. 520-7623. Mon-Fri 11: 30 am-10: 30 pm, Sat 11: 30 am-ll: 30 pm. All credit cards. Moderate. -M. B. M.

BARBECUE & BURGERS



The Bronx. This casual, relaxed lunch spot turns dark at night. barely lit by candles and the flash of siren lights from the fire station across the street. Day or night, the menu of top-notch burgers (the guacamole and bacon burger is a favorite) and omelettes is augmented by blackboard specials. On a recent visit, we started with potato skins, gooey with melted cheese, and then attempted to finish a hunk of Mom-style meatloaf, covered with onion- and pepper-filled tomato sauce. Garden lasagna was delicious, loaded with all sorts of vegetables, and so rich with cheese you didn’t miss the meal. The day’s dessert selections were both terrific: a sweet-tart Viennese apricot pie and a simple chocolate mousse. I’m probably the only person in town who doesn’t love The Bronx’s iced tea. Served in bathtub-sized glasses, it comes spiced and presweetened; I prefer mine straight, but unfortunately this is not an option. 3835 Cedar Springs. 521-5821. Lunch Mon-Fri 11: 30-3; dinner Mon-Sat 5: 30-11: 30; Sunday brunch 11-3. MC, V, AE. Inexpensive.



D REVISITS



Hard Rock Cafe. If you like to lunch at three in the afternoon, you won’t have to wait in line to eat an ordinary, overpriced hamburger and you’ll get a better look at the awesomedisplay of rock memorabilia. The menu ranges into moreambitious fare-grilled swordfish and such-but it’s best tostick to the basic burger with the Ore-Ida style fries or the”Pig Sandwich”-a pile of shredded pork and relish on a bunthat is better than its name sounds. Waiters seem to takeliterally Hard Rock’s slogan “Love All-Serve All”; servicewas extremely friendly and efficient. Even if you must lunchor dine at a normal hour, Hard Rock is worth the wait at leastonce-hail, hail rock ’n’ roll. 2601 McKinney. 855-0007.Daily 11 am-2 am. MC, V, AE. Moderne. -M. B. M.



CAJUN



Atchafalaya River Cafe. This branch of the Houston-based Cajun restaurant now has two Metroplex locations (besides the one in Addison reviewed here, there is an outpost in Arlington). We last visited during crawfish season, and the little mudbugs on the crawfish carnival we tried (a big sampler platter with étouffée, crawfish pie, fried tails, and so on) seemed fresh. The way they were cooked, though, left us alarmed about the current trends in Cajun cooking-lots of pepper heat, but not very much taste otherwise. The redfish Pontchartrain suffered from a similar problem, though its buttery shrimp and crab sauce would have compensated if there had just been a bit more of it. 4400 Belt Une at Midway, 960-6878; 1520 Stadium Dr W, Arlington, 261-4696. Daily 11-11 at Belt Line location. Mon-Thur 11-11, Fri & Sat 11-midnight, Sun 11-10 at Stadium Drive location. MC, V, AE. Moderate.



D REVISITS



Copeland’s. For a mass-market chain restaurant, Copeland’s has pretty good New Orleans-style rood. But then for a mass-market chain restaurant, Copeland’s has pretty stiff prices. The kitchen relies heavily on two styles of sauces, one dark and assertive, the other pale and milder-both of them thick and liable to be pasty. The oysters on brochette is served atop the dark version. The light one (with various additions) adorns everything from softshell crab to fried redfish. Desserts-mostly based on ice cream-tend to be massive here. Those wih the chocolate cookie ice cream tend to be curiously salty. 5353 Belt Line. 661-1883. Mon-Thur 11-11, Fri & Sat 11 am-midnight, Sun10: 30 am-11 pm. MC, V, AE. Moderate. -W. L. T.



Louisiana Purchase. We have been out to Piano twice lately to visit the Louisiana Purchase. Once the place was packed, the other time empty. The food is somewhat inconsistent, too-but there are clearly enough bargains on this large, mostly seafood menu to justify the intermittent crowds. The crawfish étoufée (available in two portion sizes) was sufficiently authentic to cause our Louisiana relatives to want to come back. The fried shrimp, oysters, and catfish are as good as any place around. Lots of the dishes, though, as at other putative Cajun places, are simply too hot for most tastes-beware the gumbo and especially the barbecued shrimp. Central Expressway at Parker Road, Plano. 422-2469. Sun-Thur 11 am-10pm, Fri & Sat 11-11. MC, V, AE. Moderate.



CHINESE



Crystal Pagoda. Colorful kites fly overhead in this upscale Chinese spot. The food mostly keeps pace with the decor. Among the appetizers is one of the city’s best versions of Bon Bon chicken (shredded meat topped with a paste of peanuts and hot peppers). The Hunan lamb and the shrimp with cashew nuts are also memorable. But the crispy duck is a major disappointment: not nearly crisp enough and almost tasteless. 4516 McKinney. 526-3355. Mon-Thur 11: 30 am-10: 30 pm, Fri 11: 30 am-11 pm, Sat noon-11 pm. Sun noon-10: 30pm. MC, V, AE. Moderate.



Jasmins. This is Dallas’s-who knows, maybe the world’s-only Art Deco Chinese restaurant, complete with a glittering white grand piano pounding out slightly disheveled classics and show tunes. The clientele is faithful, the service eminently professional, the food consistently above average. Among the unusual appetizers is a wonderful vegetable roll, surrounded by the crunchiest casing imaginable. The shrimp rolls, on the other band, are glutinous and fishy-tasting from their seaweed wrappings. Main courses include macadamian chicken that could have used a few more macadamia nuts instead of so much canned bamboo, and abalone Imperial that had chewy, canned-tasting abalone but exquisitely cooked scallops and shrimp just touched with ginger. The single best dish we have sampled here is Eggplant Delite (much lighter in taste and texture than the usual Chinese eggplant preparations); the single worst, a pastily undercooked sesame apple dessert. 4002 Belt Line Rd, Suite 200, Addison. 991-6867. Sun 11: 30-10, Mon-Thur 11-10, Fri II am-11: 30 pm, Sat 4: 30 pm-11: 30 pm. All credit cards. Moderate.



D REVISITS



May Dragon. The drive-in look of May Dragon, along the restaurant strip on Belt Line in Addison, doesn’t prepare you for the sophistication within. A small labyrinth of intimate dining spaces in subtle colors is the setting for some of the best-prepared Chinese food in town, served with the attention due the Last Emperor himself. The menu holds few surprises, but even a doddering standard like moo goo gai pan offers delicately cut meat and immaculately fresh vegetables. Other standouts include the Szecbwan-style eggplant with minced pork and the shrimp in garlic sauce. 4848 Bell line at Inwood. 392-9998. Mon-Thur 11-10: 30. Fri 11-11. Sat11: 30-11, Sun 11: 30-10: 30. All credit cards. Inexpensive tomoderate. -W. L. T.



Szochwan Pavilion. Our favorites from a recent visit were the Charng Sha shrimp, entangled with strips of peppers, onion, and ginger and nestled in a boat of foil, and a knockout version of lamb Szechwan style. We were less impressed with the Peking duck-the skin was no crisper and the flesh no more succulent than that of any Chinese market. 8411 Preston, Suite 132, at Northwest Hwy. 368-4303. Mon-Thur 11 am-I0: 30 pm, Fri 11-11, Sat noon-11 pm, Sun noon-10: 30 pm. MC, V, AE. Moderate to expensive.



Taiwan. Ordinary things sit side by side with excellent dishes at the Addison Taiwan. The subnormal egg rolls seem to come from a different kitchen than the light, delicate shrimp dumplings. At least no one can complain that they go too easy on the spicy dishes here; both the Mongolian beef and the tangerine chicken (available on the bargain luncheon menu) were heavily spiked with hot red peppers. 4980 Belt Line, Addison. 387-2333. Sun-Thur 11: 30 am-10: 30 pm, Fri & Sat 11: 30-11. All credit cards. Moderate.

D REVISITS

Tong’s House. This offbeat shopping center restauranthas attracted a loyal following because of its seafood specialslike clams and whole fish (available mostly on the weekends)and its esoteric offerings that appeal mostly to Chinesecustomers (such as cattle stomach or jellyfish). Among themore conventional dishes, we almost always opt for the konpo scallops-not made with peanuts here, just lots of juicyscallops with garlic and pepper pods. The poultry selectionis not outstanding; the diced chicken, snowpeas, andmushrooms combination is the best of a mediocre lot. Moreinteresting is the stir-fried fresh asparagus when in season. 1910 Promenade Center, Richardson. 231-8858. Mon-Thur11 am-9: 30 pm, Fri & Sat 11 am-10: 30 pm, Sun 11 am-10 pm.All credit cards. Moderate. -W. L. T.



Uncle 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 gets such unusual 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, but the level of saltiness continues to be problematic. Galleria, 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.



FRENCH/CONTINENTAL



Cleo by Jean-Claude. Fans of the old Jean-Claude- once perhaps Dallas’s best restaurant-will find much to evoke nostalgia here. Jean-Claude Prevot himself is again much in evidence, and the menu has some old favorites like the pristine, very French, lettuce-only salads, the duck in an Oriental-inspired ginger sauce, and the ethereal chocolate souftlés. The price of a four-course fixed meal is just $27. 50-remarkably low for what you get. The standout appetizer is the garlicky escargots in a puff-pastry shell, and the best dessert is the hazelnut soufflé. Among the entrees, both treatments of fish we sampled were superb. The Centrum. 3102 Oak Lawn, Suite 110. 520-9264. Lunch Mon-Fri 11: 30-2: 15; dinner Mon-Sat 6-11. Closed Sun. AE, MC, V. Expensive.

L’Amblance. There’s a strange, patched-together look to this remodeled service station with its bronzy mirrors and central serving area, but the warm welcome and friendly service overcome the surroundings and the food on ray last visit was fine. Appetizers-a creamy tomato soup topped by a cheesy crouton, and a row of a dozen perfectly cooked asparagus spears-were especially good. Rack of lamb was traditional and well prepared; the duck breast, recommended as a house specialty, was nicely cooked, but its unidentifiable fruit sauce was overly sweet. The watercress salad with goal cheese, bacon, and hard-cooked egg was delicious, but desserts-a dry flourless chocolate cake and boringly sweet chocolate Concorde (layers of chocolate meringue and chocolate mousse) were forgettable. 2408 Cedar Springs, 748-1291. Lunch Mon-Fri 11: 30-2; dinner Mon-Sat 6-10: 30. All credit cards. Expensive.

L’Ancestral. First courses-an onion tart accented with pungent orange zest and a salad of tiny-diced ham, tomato, cheese, apple, and cabbage bound with homemade mayonnaise-were unusual and outstanding. Special-of-the-day entreés of grilled sword fish and lamb chops with perfect pommes frites (that’s French fries to you) were followed by simple green salads and soothingly classic desserts-comforting caramel pot de crème and sumptuous chocolate truffle cake. 4514 Travis. 528-1081- Lunch Mon-Sat 11: 30-2; dinner Mon-Thur 6-10. Fri & Sat 6-11, Sun 6-10. All credit cards. Moderate to expensive.

The Riviera. Dinner at The Riviera makes a poor reviewer feel like a million bucks. From the moment of your arrival, when the valet takes the Toyota to park it among rows of Caddies and Beemers and you’re greeted effusively at the door by a Mastroianniesque host with an Italian-style kiss, you’re led to expect the best. Chances are, you won’t be disappointed. Smoked red bell pepper soup with bacon and sun-dried tomatoes was a perfect blend of salt, sweet, and smoke; the special yellowfin tuna salad played the meaty fish against smooth avocado and balanced the combination with nutty sesame vinaigrette. Delicate halibut was given depth with a rich, though slightly salty, lobster sauce, and the succulently sweet loin of lamb was sparked by a green peppercorn sauce. Desserts-orangey crème brulée and a chocolate cake with almond meringue-were only a little less memorable and service was gracious throughout. 7709 Inwood. 351-0094. Sun-Thur 6: 30-10: 30 pm, Fri & Sat 6: 30-11 pm. All credit cards. Expensive to very expensive.



D REVISITS



Watel’s. This is still the funkiest of French restaurants, an appealingiy unpretentious spot with a nice patio, conveniently located on the edge of downtown. The food, under the supervision of owner Damien Watel. has improved steadily since the restaurant’s opening. The inept server on our last visit was evidently a waiter-in-training; under the watchful eye of Gwen Watel, he will surely get the hang of it or be gone. Our meal began with shrimp provencal, perfectly cooked crustaceans in a sunny tomato sauce, and soothing leek soup. Grilled baby salmon and pork chops with apples were better than the grilled ribeye, which was too chewy and overcooked. Chocolate fondant-layers of white and dart chocolate-was the best dessert choice, with the apple tart running a close second. Recently, the Watels have opened Le Petit Watel, a traiteur business offering food to go or delivered. 1923 McKinney. 720-0323. Lunch Mon-Fri 11: 30-2: 30; dinner Tue-Thur 6-10: 30, Fri & Sat 6-11: 30; Sun brunch 11: 30-4. All credit cards. Moderate. -M. B. M.



GERMAN/EASTERN EUROPE



The Chimney. It’s still crowded after all these years at this doyenne of North Dallas restaurants. The food-Middle European without much specific ethnic emphasis-is well prepared, if unsubtle. The special appetizer, a crepe holding a bounteous harvest of seafood, tastes too strongly of capers, for example. The hefty portion of venison tenderloin is cooked to a turn, but the reddish sauce adds little in the way of flavor. Like the food, the setting is pleasant without being memorable. Most of the atmosphere comes from the delicate playing of the pianist at the baby grand-The Chimney is one of the few restaurants where live music is an asset rather than a liability. 9739 N Central Expwy. 369-6466 Lunch Mon-Sat 11: 30-2; dinner Mon-Sat 6-10: 30 All credit cards. Expensive.

Franki’s Li’I Europe. Entrees offered on our lunch and dinner visits ranged from Italian to French to German and Austrian, with side trips to Hungary and Yugoslavia. Top stop for my money was segediner, a Hungarian dish involving succulent pork chunks simmered with mild sauerkraut and cream, subtly spiced and heady enough in their combined flavors to erase trendy undercooking techniques from your mind forever. Cevapcici, described as the Yugoslavian national dish, was a half-dozen hand-formed ovals of veal, lamb, and pork sausage on saffron-scented rice, with a fen of perfectly crisp-steamed zucchini slices on the side. Chicken Pavarotti crossed the Italian border with a tender sautéed breast lavished with fresh mushrooms in a fine, fresh tomato sauce. Franki’s mixed salad was a happy melange of mussels, artichoke, and palm hearts in vinaigrette rich with diced tomato, with crisp ribbons of marinated cucumber for texture contrast. Desserts included admirably flaky apple strudel and a particularly light, lovely bread pudding. Oh, and one other thing: owner Franki Kovacic, whose hospitality knows no bounds, will try to ply you with a li’l drop of slivovitz. an incendiary plum brandy, after dinner. The Yugoslavian national liqueur, he calls it. A probably very effective deadly household chemical, 1 call it. You do what you want to, but don’t say you weren’t warned. 362 Casa Linda Plaza (behind the fountain), Garland Road at Buckner. 320-0426 Lunch Mon-Sat 11: 30 am-2: 30 pm; dinner daily 5: 30-10; brunch Sun 11 am-3 pm. All credit cards. Inexpensive to moderate.



GREEK



Kosta’s Cafe. There is no great Greek food in Dallas; in fact, there’s still not much Greek food at all. Accompanied by a glass of retsina and preceded by an order of saganaki, a combination plate at Kosta’s is as close as you can gel to Greece, gustatorily speaking. All the elements are there: the dolma (meat-stuffed vine leaves) were tasty, though their tenderness bordered on mushiness; the souvlaki (grilled lamb chunks) and grilled shrimp were authentically seasoned and nicely cooked; pastitsio, a slightly sweet, tomato-laced casserole of meat and macaroni, was delicious, and the square of spanokopita (layered spinach, filo pastry, and cheese) was savory and flaky. However, everything, even the saganaki, flamed several feet before our eyes, was too cool, and the salad was short on feta, olives, and the aromatic oil that normally make salad one of the glories that is Greece. 4914 Greenville. 987-3225. Mon-Thur 11 am-10 pm, Fri & Sat 11-11, Sun 5 pm-10 pm. All credit cards. Inexpensive.



INDIAN



Ashoka. Times may be hard, but this town has no shortage of wonderful Indian restaurants. Ashoka joins the list, with its bargain lunch specials and varied dinneritime menu. Chicken korma is especially noteworthy here. Prestonwood Creek Shopping Center, 5409 Belt Line. 960-0070. Lunch Mon-Fri 11-2, Sat A Sun 11: 30-2: 30; dinner Sun-Thur 5: 30-10, Fri & Sat 5: 30-10: 30. MC, V, AE. Inexpensive to moderate.



D REVISITS



Kebab ’N’ Kurry. If there are vegetarians among your friends or family members that you want to take to dinner, Indian restaurants offer some of the best options. The rice pillau that is always served blends culinarily and nutritionally with the dal or legume of the day-here we found a creamy half-purée of dark lentils. There is also always a mixed curried vegetable offered, and the purée of roasted eggplant is a particular treat. Of course, for those who eat meat there are splendid dishes of shrimp in a creamy tomato sauce and lamb roghan josh. 401 N Central Expwy, Suite 300, Richardson, 231-5556. Lunch Mon-Fri 11-2; dinner Sun-Thur 5: 30-10, Fri & Sat 5: 30-10: 30; brunch Sat & Sun 11: 30-2: 30. All credit cards. Inexpensive to moderate. -W. L. T.



ITALIAN



D REVISITS



Acapella Cafe. Critics who fretted over the fading decor of Adriano’s in the Quadrangle wouldn’t know the place in its reincarnation as Acapella. The new quarters, a restored old home on Maple Avenue (previous occupant: Garza Blan-ca>, are flower-fresh and picture-pretty, with while walls, plush carpets, and hardwood floors and with brass rails, ceiling fans, and gleaming glass partitions marking off dining rooms upstairs and down. They’d recognize the menu, though-with the exception of a handful of additions, it’s the same, with a creative catalogue of pizzas playing the lead, a supporting cast of pastas, and a couple of chicken dishes. A new Hawaiian pizza sounds bizarre-fresh pineapple, coconut, ginger, with whole macadamia nuts and optional cubed ham on great crust-but the sum of the parts is splendid; trust me, and try it. Try, too, one of the new filled pastas; 1 found the ravioli, fragile squares centered with mild cheese and spinach in rich cream sauce, near-ethereal. A fresh fruit pie also rated raves-on our visit, the seasonal fruit was a sweet-tart mix of ripe strawberries and rosy rhubarb, dolloped with real whipped cream in a toothsome whole-wheat crust. Our one Mure; potato balls, a fried ap|petizer of minced potato, cheese, and seasonings we hoped would equal those we used to love at Panteli’s; these did not But the house tap beer, a marvelous unpasteurized pale ale called Sierra Nevada, available only here in Dallas, wouldhave merited a visit by itself; I can’t understand why the stools along Acapella’s handsome upstairs bar were unfilled when we were there. Perhaps they won’t be when word gets out. 2508 Maple. 871-2262. Lunch Mon-Fri 11: 30 am-2 pm, dinner Sun-Thur 5: 30-10 pm, Fri & Sat 5: 30-midnight. All credit cards. Inexpensive to moderate. -B. C.



Momo’s Pasta. The sequel to Momo’s Italian Specialties on Forest Lane is both more and less than a condensed version of Antonio Gattini’s original establishment. Less, because Momo’s trademark pizzas are not available here, but more, because the twenty pasta variations that are the new place’s sole entrées are all-new, all-different, and altogether praiseworthy. Conchiglie, the big shell-shaped scoops, held a blend of four cheeses in creamy harmony. Gnocchi- lightest of the little egg-shaped dumplings I’ve ever tasted anywhere-were most memorable of all, bathed in a creamy melt of Gorgonzola and Permesan married with tomato. A traditional antipasto plate of sliced meats with melon was nice enough solo, but even nicer complemented with a salad of fresh sliced mushrooms, artichoke, and palm hearts too piercingly dressed to enjoy alone; I’d recommend sharing both or ordering neither. A bouse salad of Boston lettuce and hearts of palm was splendidly spiked with bites of sweet lobster and mild smoked salmon. Star desserts were a torte of chocolate and hazelnut layered with meringue and whipped cream, and sciuscia, chocolate ice cream lavished with Vov. a homemade liquor, whipped cream, and crushed amaretto cookies. 3312 Knox. 521-3009. Lunch Mon-Fri 11: 30-2; dinner Mon-Thur 5: 30-10: 30, Fri 5: 30-11: 30. Open Sat 11: 30-11: 30, Sun 11: 30-10: 30. MC, V. Inexpensive.



D REVISITS



O. F. Silcill’s. Comfort-loving diners who felt stranded when L’Ancestral’s move to Travis Walk robbed them of a hospitable off-Greenville hangout can rest easy raw, if in another language: Italian instead of French. O. F. Sicili’s has gussied the place up some with soft lighting and live piano music for dinner, but the ambience is warmly non-glitzy. And the food served from the large menu of Italian specialties, while not exciting, is dependably pleasant and very modestly priced Pastas and pizzas predominate in all their familiar variations-the lasagna was lusty, the spaghetti laudably meat-sauced on our visit-but the standout discovery was an appetizer I’ve seen nowhere else: a spicy melange of Italian sausage with onions, green peppers, and mushrooms rolled in homemade pizza dough and baked. O. F. Sicili’s calls it a sausage roll and sells it for $3. 95; 1 call it wonderful and recommend it as an ample lunch entree for two, with salad. Service was friendly, the pace unpushed, the clientele casual and evenly split among family groups, mature couples, and dating duos The nine-year-old female of independent spirit who accompanied us pronounced the place a happy find. 5631 Alta. $28-9600. Tue-Thur & Sun 4 pm-midnight, Fri & Sat 4 pm-2 am. Closed Mon. MC, V, AE. Inexpensive. – B. C.



Ruggerl’s. Glitzier eateries come and go. but this comfortable bastion of unstressed gentility stands solid, with no sign of flagging. One prime reason: consistency. Every item on the menu of familiar Italian classics is prepared from scratch and handsomely presented; and while few of the wide-ranging dishes are knock-your-socks-off spectacular, none I’ve had has been much less than excellent. I couldn’t help regretting that no one warned me the soft-shelled crab on my appetizer plate had been frozen, not fresh, before its sautée-ing in garlic-spiked olive oil; but its texture and taste were acceptable if its rectangular shape was not. Otherwise, everything on our dinner visit touched happy chords, from al dente angel hair paste with tomato, fresh basil, and garlic to veal scallops sautéed with artichoke hearts and mushrooms in butter; my companion, who had enjoyed the latter dish in Rome, pronounced this version comparable. And if I had the chefs recipe for cioppino, I swear Td open a restaurant myself-the fisherman’s stew of fresh seafoods in spicy marinara sauce was nothing less than sublime. Portions here are generous enough to make espresso my preferred meal’s-end postlude, but sweets-cravers can indulge sans sin on a silken crema caramela or extravagantly wick-ed chocolate mousse cake-all matte in-house. 2911 Routh Street. 871-7377. Lunch Mon-Fri 11: 30-2: 30; dinner Sun-Thur 6-11: 30, Fri-Sat 6-midnigfu. All credit cards. Moderate.



JAPANESE/KOREAN



Hana Japanese Restaurant As in most Japanese restaurants, the sushi bar here is the social center-a joyous stretch of immaculate revelry staffed by swift-bladed showmen who slice out the usual artistic raw-fish delicacies as well as a specialty or two all their own: their oyster shot, a chewable potion involving raw oyster, fresh quail egg, and spicy accents, is alone worth a visit. The kitchen excels, too, with shrimp tempura and fried oysters crisped to air-light, greaseless perfection, grilled salmon steak and beef teriyaki moistly tender. One late-arriving entree flawed our dinner visit: otherwise the service, like the food, was exemplary. 14865 Inwood. 991-8322. Lunch Mon-Fri 11: 30-2; dinner Mon -Wed 5: 30-11, Thur-Sat 5: 30-2. Closed Sun. All credit cards. Moderate.



Mr. Sushi. A number of my friends are dedicated seekers of sushi, and the most serious of them swears by Mr. Sushi. My friend was moved by the “sushi B” dinner-tuna, white meat fish, yellowtail, jumbo clam, shrimp, salmon, smelt egg, salmon egg, cooked egg, and tuna roll-and I was appeased by the sautéed soft-shell crab and perfect shrimp tempura. 4860 Belt Line. Addison. 385-0168 Lunch Mon-Fri 11: 30-2; dinner Mon-Thur 5: 30-10: 30, Fri A Sat 5: 30-11, Sun 5: 30-10. All credit cards. Moderate.



Mr. Sushl& Hibachi. Mr. Sushi’s original location is one of the favorite stops of local seekers of raw fish. This new establishment also includes a hibachi room for those in quest of slice-and-dice grilled thrills, On my visit I ended up on the hibachi side, where the food was uninspired. However, my sushi scouts report that the sushi here is as terrific as at the original Mr. Sushi. 9220 Skillman, Suite 227. 349-6338 Lunch Sun-Fri 11: 30-2; dinner Sun-Thur 5: 30-10. Fri A Sat 5: 30-11. All credit cards. Moderate to expensive.



MEXICAN



Cantina Laredo. It’s been said before, but I’ll say it again; hole-in-the-wall ambience and a funky location are not prerequisites for good Mexican food. The fare at this heart o’ Addison restaurant is worth a drive from downtown. I’ve never been here when the place didn’t seem full, but that may be because the cement floors and boxlike layout amplify every sound and the smoke from the mesquite-grilled specialties hangs in the air. Despite the hectic atmosphere, our service was brisk and attentive. Tex-Mex here is good, but the specialties are better: cabrito barbacoa (barbecued goat) was rich and tender, and polio ranchera was a tender breast with a spicy sauce of tomatoes, onions, and peppers. Desserts are good here, too; apple pie is served on a sizzling fajita skillet with cinnamon ice cream, and churros-cinnamon-sugar coated fritters-are freshly fried, 4546 Belt Line. 458-0962. Sun-Thur 11-11, Fri & Sat 11-midnight. All credit cards. Moderate.



Gloria’s. Gloria’s is in our Mexican category because, technically, there is Mexican food available here. But the point of Gloria’s is the Salvadoran fare: tamales, pupusas, and a licuado du plantano (a plantain milkshake) for dessert. 600 W Davis. 948-3672. Mon-Thur 9 am-10 pm, Fri-Sun 9 am-midnight. MC, V; personal checks accepted. Inexpensive.



D REVISITS



L’Asadero Monterey. The specialty here is cabrito-baby goat-but it’s not always available in forms popular with most gringos-on my last visit only the kidneys and heart were still on the menu. If you can’t get the goat, not to worry. The rest of the menu is tasty, too. Pollo a la parilla was tender and juicy, its topping of grilled onions sweet and tender. Cheese enchiladas were properly gooey and spicy; only the steak Milanesa (Mexican fried steak) was a little dry. Nachos come with black beans and the service was excellent, even with two demanding children in the party. 112 N Collett. 826-0625. Sun-Thur 11 am-10 pm, Fri & Sal 11 am-midnighi. MC, V. Inexpensive. -M. B. M.



La Botica. The mishmash of Dallasites who have found La Botica (it’s nearly hidden on Haskell Avenue about a mile east of Central) must like it for the same reasons I do: it’s casual, fairly quiet, and steeped in family-run friendliness. The food-Mexican staples with a hefty addition of beef dishes-is fine but rarely exciting. Particularly good: the tangy enchiladas verdes, the simple tacos, and the chicken soup. My otherwise happy visits met with two disappointments: the ho-hum and smallish came asada and La Botica’s tendency to be out of things I want to order. 1900 N Haskell. 824-2005. lunch Tue-Fri 11-2; dinner Tue-Thur 6-/0, Fri & Sat 6-11. Closed Sun and Mon. No credit cards; personal checks accepted. Moderate.



Mario & Alberto. The standards of Mario Leal’s 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. 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 fajitas 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, Suite425. 980-7296 Mon-Thur 11: 30 am-10: 30 pm, Fri & Sat 11: 30 am-11 pm. Closed Sun. Drinks with $5. 50 membership charge. All credit cards. Moderate.



Mia’s When Mia’s-that bastion of family-run Tex-Mex restaurants known and loved for its melt-in-your- mouth chili rellenos and steam-up-your-mouth sunset sauce-dared to move away from its hole in the wall on Lemmon Avenue, we were worried. What if the homemade flour tortillas lost their hefty feel? What if they started serving chili rellenos every night? What if you didn’t have to sit outside on the curb and wait for hours for your table, dreaming of your favorite Mia’s dish? What if they changed the Mia’s experience? Well, it was scary walking into the larger new quarters just a ways down Lemmon from the old spot. Neon, mirrored walls and a chrome ceiling greeted us and brought tears to our eyes. We were heartened when we saw the same old faces, though, and the same old green tablecloths. Once we were led by the hand to our table-after an appropriately long wait-and served our favorite chicken fajitas with sunset sauce, we felt much better If you stare intently at the tablecloth and the flawless food, you can even imagine you’re back in the old Mia’s. 4322 Lemmon. 526-1020. Mon-Sat 11 am-10 pm. Closed Sun. No credit cards. Inexpensive to moderate.



NATURAL



Dream Cafe. Aficionados of this health food-cum-trendy natural establishment are legion-witness the forty-five-minute wait for a table any time of the day on weekends. I find Dream Cafe’s breakfast and brunch dishes head and shoulders above some of their more solemnly nutritious lunch and dinner specialties. In fairness, my samplings of the latter were limited, but a stir-fry of tempeh and polenta cubes with vegetables was disappointing, both kinds of cubes too leathery and tasteless to be redeemed by the crisp green and yellow squash that joined them over chewy brown rice in a pleasant basil pesto. Japanese noodles tossed with steamed vegetables in tamari-ginger-miso sauce were microbiotically correct but hardly electrifying. A fruit crisp that wasn’t struck no dessert sparks afterward, either. What did knock my socks off was a fresh-as-morning omelette, delectably filled with chicken, fresh pears, and blue cheese, the sweet fruit and sharp cheese perfect complements to the milder flavors of eggs and white meat. And a Sunday brunch special of strawberry pancakes almost beggars description, the pancakes airy whole wheat folds over sliced ripe berries, the whole affair lavished with whipped butter and warm syrup. The more you sin, apparently, the better Dream Cafe’s fare is. so choose accordingly. You’ll not sin here by smoking, by the way-none’s allowed. 2800 Routh St, Suite 170, in the Quadrangle. 954-0486 Mon Fri 7 am-2: 30 pm, Wed-Sun 6 pm-10 pm, Sat & Sun 8 am-2: 30 pm. AE; personal checks accepted. Inexpensive.



NEW AMERICAN



Agnew’s Grill. There are some traditional grill items here, like calves’ liver with bacon and onions and country-fried chicken, along with some nouvelle short-order items like grilled tuna sandwiches. But most of the food fits squarely in the New American mold, with generally high quality at prices lower even than the midrange competitors in this category. The heartier entrees have an edge over the more refined ones. The grilled duck sausage is perfectly set off by the accompanying warm lentil salad. Limited successes include the sautéed, curried shrimp with andouille sausage and bell pepper, the grilled redfish with tomato pepper sauce, and the pork medallions with brown sage sauce. Side dishes-like marinated fresh artichokes, a tart apple relish. and perfectly crisp house fries-are all exemplary. There is a lot more about Agnew’s Grill to like, such as the reasonably priced and varied wine list (all bottles cost $12) and the personable service. One strange foiling, though, is the lackluster array of desserts. None of the three sweets available on our visits was worth the $2. 75 charge or the calories. 4424 Lovers Lane. 739-088A Lunch Mon-Sat 11: 30-2: 30; dinner Sun-Thur 5: 30-10: 30, Fri & Sat 5: 30-11. All credit cards. Moderate.



D REVISITS



Baby Routh. This chic, minimalist selling-including the now-ubiquitous outdoor patio open for dining in appropriate weather-still feels like the place to be in Dallas. But new chef Rex Hale doesn’t seem to have hit his stride yet with the sometimes recherché inventions of the New Southwestern cuisine on his menu. Some of these are takeoffs on standard dishes: seafood tamales with ancho cream sauce (rather mealy, without the texture of the best tamales) or seafood jambalaya (interestingly high-picante but with a weird vegetable accompaniment masquerading as gumbo z’herbes). An original dish, a thin slice of venison sautéed with a mustard scrrano glaze, also failed to excite. Salads lack oomph here these days, but the desserts (like the overwhelmingly fancy and tasty banana split) have plenty of verve. 2708 Routh- 871-2345. Lunch daily 11: 30-2: 30: dinner Sun-Thur 6-11. Fri & Sat 6-midmgh: brunch Sun 11: 30-3. All credit cards, Moderate to expensive. -W. L. T.



Beau Nash. It’s a heady sensation in often earty-to-bed Dallas to see a bar and restaurant thronged with people after II on a weeknight (though more of the glitzy patrons wene drinking than eating). But the crowds can be noisy, and the trendiness of this glossy spot carries over to the menu, sometimes to its detriment. Everything we sampled at Beau Nash this time had an assertive and appealing taste, especially the Chinese-dumpling-shaped ravioli filled with wild mushrooms and drizzled with two sauces, but sometimes the assertive tastes competed too strongly with one another. The thick, tender veal chop, for instance, bid a bed of spaghetti squash in a sunny sauce and lay under a compote of fresh tomatoes and herbs-all surrounded by a wine-dark sea of sauce of another sort. Enough already! The mimosa cake we sampled for dessert looked prettier man it tasted. Hotel Crescent Court, 400 Crescent Court, Maple at McKinney. 871-3240. Breakfast daily 7-10: 30: lunch daily 11: 30-2: 15; dinner Sun-Thur 6: 30-10: 15, Fri & Sat 6: 30-midnight; Sun brunch 11: 30-2: 15. All credit cards. Expensive.

City Cafe. The simple dishes had it all over the complicated ones here on our last visit. The ordinary-sounding fresh tomato soup turned out to be comfort food for angels, and the sautéed sole with lemon butter was elegant perfection. The Maryland crabcakes, on the other hand, hardly justified all the effort, and the roasted shoulder of wild boar stuffed with wild rice, pine nuts, and currants with a cranberry cassis sauce proved overcooked and chewy. At dessert time, however, elaboration won the day with a peanut butter fudge pie, whipped cream, and hot fudge sauce. 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; Sun brunch 11-2: 30. MC, V, AE. Moderate.



Dakota’s. This spiffy setting underneath a downtown street-with its glass elevator from street level, its courtyard cum waterfall, and its interior full of polished marble, brass, and beveled glass-has been the scene of variable success in the kitchen. But our most recent visit brought us the most consistently fine food here to date. The appetizer sampler contained tantalizing bits of crisp calamari, succulent baby back ribs, zesty crabcakes, and tangy marinated shrimp. The veal T-bone was perfectly cooked, though the side dish of linguini with black olives and sun-dried tomatoes proved the meal’s only disappointment, since it lacked coherence and subtlety. The fish special-marlin topped with asparagus and lump crab meat-and the sensational desserts of Key Lime pie and white chocolate ice cream with brownies and butterscotch sauce more than made up. 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. What never seems to change at the Mansion is its historic beauty and top-of-the-line service. What does change is the menu. Now it’s printed daily, the better to accommodate changing offerings according to season-and the creative inspiration of Dean Fearing. Regulars tend to opt for whatever appears on any given day; diners for whom the Mansion is a relatively rare experience may prefer to sample such classics as the peerless tortilla soup; Louisiana crab cakes with a sauce of smoked chilies, lobster, and blood orange; and crème brulée with raspberry sauce for dessert. 2821 Turtle Creek Blvd. 526-2121. Main dining room-jackets and ties required. Lunch Mon-Fri noon-2: 30; brunch Sat 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. All credit cards. Expensive.



Routh Street Cafe. A dinner at this-one of Dallas’s two most celebrated restaurants these days-is always memorable and satisfying. But in the four years Routh Street has been open we have found it dependably erratic. The introductory muffins, salads, sorbets, and desserts always blow away all criticism; this time even the unlikely-sounding sorbets (chocolate sapote-sarsaparilla ice?) were as spectacular as the downhome-sounding desserts (banana-cream macadamia-nut pie with fudge sauce and blackberry buckle). But the appetizers and main courses are spectacular only some of the time; they can also be just a bit loo experimental. We loved our quail with saffron fettuccine and our venison with a blue-corn tamale, but our black bean cake with sea scallops and our lamb with a guajillo-chile waffle (!?) didn’t entirely work. 3005 Routh at Cedar Springs. 871-7161. Tue-Sat 6-10: 30 pm. Closed Sun & Mon. Reservations. All credit cards. Very expensive.



D REVISITS



San Simeon. This sleek-looking spot has the undeniable cachet of chic, as well as one of the most experienced teams of maitre d’ and waiters in town. But we are yet to be convinced that the food matches the ambience and the reputation. Attempts at the flashy eclecticism of New Southwestern cooking seem halfhearted; the crab in a Mandarin pancake in a spicy sauce, for instance, seemed awfully like an old-fashioned crêpe in a classic French sauce americaine (and the crab seemed limp, with an unacceptable number of shell bits). Fish still seems the strong suit of chef Richard Chamberlain, formerly of Ratcliffe’s; the swordfish with a black-bean citrus sauce was the highlight of our meal. 2515 McKinney at Fairmount. 871-7373. Lunch Mon-Fri 11: 30-2: 30; dinner Sun-Thur 6-10: 30, Fri A Sat 6-10: 30; Sun brunch 11-2: 30. Ail credit cards. Expensive. -W. L. T.



Spatz. The menu here holds little more than a couple of soups, a couple of salads, a short list of pasta dishes (all made with the same delectable, al dente fettuccine), and simple things like fried catfish. The pastas are dependably flavorful, from a smoky-tasting number with peppered bacon and mushrooms to an assertive version with anchovies, capers, and lots of garlic. The fried things-such as big, tender shrimp-are surprisingly memorable, too, with homemade potato chips and a perky chili sauce on the side. Most of the obvious ambition here seems to go into the daily specials like a poblano pepper stuffed with chicken and coated with a crisp cornmeal batter. Desserts sound rather ordinary, but care obviously goes into their preparation. The apple pie a la mode has too strong a taste of cloves, but the fruit is firm and the crust tender. 2912 N Henderson. 827-7984- Tue-Thur 5: 30-11, Fri & Sat 5: 30-midnight; Sun brunch 11-3: 30 Closed Mon. All credit cards. Moderate.



SEAFOOD



Atlantic Café. After several disappointing meals at Atlantic Café in the last year, I had given up on the place. However, after hearing of recent changes, I returned and found the food to be back on track. The new menu includes such winners as shrimp and crab ravioli and nicely sautéed soft shell crab. 4546 McKinney at Knox. 559-4441. Lunch Mon-Fri 11: 30-2: 30; dinner Sun-Thur 6-10, Fri & Sat 5: 30-10: 30; Sun brunch 11: 30-2: 30. All credit cards. Expensive.

Café Pacific. There are a lot of first-rate waiters working in Dallas, but Don at Café Pacific has to be in the very top rank. Even if the food hadn’t been as close to perfection as mere mortals can approach, his courtly but never pretentious manner and ability to be there exactly when you need him would still have made a recent lunch at Cafe” Pacific a pleasure. All the same, Chinese chicken salad and a daily special of red snapper with a julienne of snow peas were all that they could and should have been. 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. All credit cards. Expensive.



D REVISITS



Newport’s. Whoever first said you should dance with the one who brung you could have been speaking for Newport’s patrons-owner Jack Baum, one of the first to bring really fresh seafood to Dallas, was also among the first to establish a major restaurant in the West End. One of the few upscale survivors in the district now, Newport’s has built its loyal following not on luxe decor (the place is comfortable enough, but as bare-bones basic as a battleship), but on its food, which can be stellar. Even there, Newport’s is at its best in its simplest dishes-grilled silver salmon, on our last visit, was perfectly plain and perfectly wonderful; a sampler appetizer tray of raw clams, shrimp, oysters, and ceviche could not have been fresher. Some of the trendier offerings are as delightful-a crab quesadiila, for instance, was to swoon over, tender flaked meat with cheese between crisp flour tortilla triangles-and some are not: a boned rainbow trout was eclipsed by its roasted tomatiflo sauce, itself delicious but too heavy for the delicate fish. Desserts, ranging from a flawless cream caramel to a chocolate truffle pie of surpassing richness, are exceptionally good but hardly needed-portions are splendid, and the giant chocolate-dipped strawberries brought as lagniappe with the check are sweet enough. Espresso brewed here is outstanding; so was service on our visit, prompt and attentive without being pushy throughout the satisfying meal. 703 McKinney in the Brewery. 954-4220. Lunch Mon-Fri 11: 30-2: 30; dinner Mon-Thur 5: 30-10: 30. Fri & Sat 5: 30-11, Sun 5: 30-10; Sun brunch11-3. MC, V, AE. Expensive. -B. C



Seaport Oyster Bat This restaurant in an antiseptic strip shopping center won’t make anyone think of their old Kentucky borne, but its version of downhome Southern cooking is more than satisfactory. We kicked off the meal with a dozen feirly fat raw oysters. Fried catfish followed, crisp enough yet not overfried-no confusing this with just fried anythings. The fried crab, however, had lingered too long in its bed of grease and emerged with crust that would not yield easily to a probing fork. Gumbo was acceptably murky and full of savory detail. You wondered about the name? No seaport near here, but on the walls, note the pretty pictures, scenes from most of America’s famous seaports. A $2 membership buys beer, etc. 12101 Greenville Ave. 669-3877. Mon-Sat 11 am-midnight. Sun 2 pm-10 pm. AE, CB. Inexpensive.



SOUTHERN



D REVISITS



Brownle’s. I find it hard to believe East Dallasites didn’t sense a darkening of the sky when Brownie’s closed for a month early this year-the venerable East Grand eatery has dished out homey fere for decades in the same location. Mercifully, though, the shutdown was brief; Juanita Jackson, who worked as a waitress under the founding ownership, has reopened the place with a menu and formal indistinguishable from the original’s. The food runs to plate-lunch daily specials (a fine, simple meal loaf, real chicken-fried steak, not-so-finc fried trout filets on out visit, each with a choice of three vegetables, well seasoned and invariably overcooked, for $3. 95) along with a broad selection of any-time breakfast and lunch standards. Iced tea conies in quart-sized tumblers (your waitress doles out Sweet ’n’ Low from her apron pocket), fresh rolls and combread muffins arrive in a plastic basket, desserts are downhome-admirable pies and cobblers, bread pudding too sweetly fruit-sauced. Regulars trade banter from low-backed counter stools or peruse the day’s news in high-backed upholstered booths. Considering its age, Brownie’s is remarkably spiffy, walled with walnut-and-mirror panels, brightened by a clean cresting of white wooden scrollwork partitioning two front-to-back rows of booth tables. And its ambience, amiable as always, offers persuasive proof that, even in Dallas, there are some places left where you can go home again. 5519 E Grand Ave. 824-2996 Open daily 6 am-3 pm. No credit cards. Inexpensive. -B. C.



Highland Park Cafeteria-Casa Linda Plaza. All right, the newest star in the HPC crown can’t hold a candle to the original in ambience or spirit. But the shiny new Casa Linda branch holds its own charms for HPC aficionados in East Dallas and elsewhere: it’s open on Sunday, which is when many wist after a cafeteria fix. And the food’s as good, if not as overwhelmingly varied. On our last visit, I assembled a fine country vegetarian meal of macaroni and cheese (the latter probably processed, but palatable), collard greens long-simmered with cubed side pork (as they should be), and sliced cucumbers marinated, by some happy miracle, in vinegar without sugar. My companion’s fried whole trout had gone dry from holding over heat, but his tomato-avocado aspic was firm, tart, and fresh, and his stewed corn was from-the-can but passable. The combread had home-cooked crunch, and a huge wedge of angel food cake we shared was as lofty as a minister’s Sunday message. The floor plan is cleverly arranged to shorten waiting lines, by the way, with separate soup and salad areas-not as scenic as the original’s approach, but infinitely more practical. 300 Buckner Blvd at Garland Rd. 327-3663. Mm Sat 11-8. Sun 10: 45 am-3 pm. MC, V, AE. Inexpensive.

Mama’s Daughter’s Diner. Forget power lunching- lunch power is the draw that made Mama’s Daughter’s Diner an instant SRO success the moment it opened. Predictably: Mama is Norma Manis, whose reputation for home-cooked fare crossed the river before she did, during the twenty-eight years she owned Norma’s Cafe in Oak Cliff. When she and her daughters launched their new diner on Industrial, the faithful never doubted the place would dish out breakfast and lunch classics with the same downhome clout. The plate lunches we tried were generous models of no-nonsense nostalgia, the chicken-fried cutlet tender in crisp-browned batter with mashed potatoes under perfect cream gravy, all from scratch; the green vegetables-pork-seasoned turnip greens, cheese-whizzed broccoli-overcooked (weren’t they always, back then?); the cole slaw a fresh crunch, cream-dressed and Southern-sweet. Navy beans were actually big white Northerns, but their flavor was fine, and a pot roast’s rich juices almost made me forget I prefer my beef rare. Homemade rolls and combread would have aced out any dessert less formidable than the lofty meringue pies, baked here-coconut cream strewn with golden gratings was more than satisfactory. As was service, which was last, unflag-gingly friendly, and apparently unfazed by the wistful hordes waiting for us to finish so that they. too. might pig out. 2014 Irving Blvd (between Fitzhugh and Oak Lawn). 742-8646. Breakfast and lunch Mon-Fri 6 am-3 pm. No credit cards; persona! checks accepted. Inexpensive.

Theo’s Dinar. Don’t fret because this landmark has changed hands and undergone a minor face-lifting (the worn and wobbly old bolted-down stools have been replaced by movable ones). The only other visible change is a generally cleaner look throughout. And the little diner that could still does, making from-scratch burgers and garlic-breathed grilled cheese sandwiches as homey as any around, as well as the undisputed best skins-on fries that have ever passed my lips. A new special added to the daily lunch menu, Greek spinach-and-feta pie, must be good too: on our visit, it was all gone before we could try it. III S Hall at Commerce. 747-6936 Mon-Sat 7 am-4 pm. No credit cards; personal checks accepted. Inexpensive.



STEAKS



Cafe Sport. At the weekend brunch there are standard egg dishes, and there is also a version of !he famous San Francisco dish, a “New Joe’s Special, ” with ground beef, onions, mushrooms, and spinach along with the eggs. Weekday lunch has the broadest range of offerings, from sandwiches to an original-sounding buffalo stew served with cornbread. At dinnertime, the soups don’t show much promise. But the costliness of the cevichc proved justified by the presence of lots of scallops and shrimp and even hunks of lobster. The limey, cilantro-spiked taste of the ceviche was a trifle acidic but pleasing. Main courses offer things as far afield as veal and even fish, but the red meats are the stars. The Sport Cut of prime rib, served with a huge rib bone still attached, was a Lucullan slab of meat, served with tasteless Yorkshire pudding and a vegetable of the day. The chocolate mousse pie was an unusual recipe-a cakey. almost brownie-like bottom and a layer of mousse almost like a topping above it. And the caramel custard was definitive-creamy, smooth, and rich with the taste of burnt sugar. 3227-C McKinney. 720-2233. Lunch Mon-Fri 11-3; dinner Mon-Fri & Sat 5: 30-10: 30. Sun 5: 30-10: brunch Sun 11 am-3 pm. All credit cards. Moderate to expensive.

Del Frisco’s. In some respects, this scion of a distinguished New Orleans steakhouse is Dallas’s most satisfactory purveyor of prime beef (we mean the bona fide USDA graded, aged stuff)- The steep prices include extras here, as they usually don’t elsewhere, and the extras are worth having: spicy turtle soup; fluffy, loaded baked potatoes: magnificently crunchy French fries. Even desserts here can be memorable. But on our last visit, the steaks weren’t quite as majestic as on a previous visit. They still had a fine flavor and were cooked just as we had ordered, but there seemed to be more tendons and chewy parts man we remembered. We weren’t sure whether these shortcomings were the fault of a less-than-ardent trimmer or a couple of overexercised steers. They didn’t spoil our visit, but they did take the usual edge of pleasure off of it. 4300 Lemmon 526-2101 Dinner Mon-Thur 5-10: 30, Fri & Sat 5-11, Sun 5-10: 30 All credit cards. Expensive.

Huntington Grill. The menu-inconveniently printed on the border of a large paper toque, or chef’s hat-offers two ways to order. The beef specialties and a couple of others are listed as “From Our Broiler” and come with a complimentary appetizer of peel-your-own shrimp, a salad, potatoes, and vegetables (a relative bargain with prices mostly around $25). Other entrees come a la carte. The “crock of shrimp” turns out to be a very tall crock of ice topped with a few firmly cooked but largely tasteless boiled crustaceans. The a la cane appetizers, on the other hand, were some of the best dishes we tried here. The seafood bisque was perfectly flavored, the fettuccine with snails sautéed in a cream sauce extremely rich, and the Scottish smoked salmon pristine and satiny. The salad with goat cheese lopped with raspberry dressing, though, turned out to be inferior to the dinner salad with a Louis dressing. Of the dishes offered “From Our Broiler. ” the best was the large, perfectly broiled lobster tail on the steak and lobster tail combination. The tenderloin on thai combination, like the hefty twenty-four-ounce T-bone, suffered from a too heavily charred crust. Desserts at Hunt-ington Grill were a mixed lot: the broiled berries (a kind of crème brulée with strawberries) were delicious, but the chocolate pot (a rather dense, pudding-like affair) had a curious burned-chocolate taste that some of us liked and others did not. Westin Hotel. Galleria, 13340 Dallas Pkmy. 851-2882. Lunch Tue-Fri 11: 30-2; dinner daily 5: 30-11 pm. All credit cards. Expensive to very expensive.



Lawry’s The Prime Rib. Everything you eat at Lawry’s is accompanied by elaborate ritual, beginning with the semi-bizarre spinning salad, in which a plastic bowl of greens is set whirling in a bowl of cracked ice as it is anointed from on high by bottled Lawry’s dressing. When the beef arrives. you expect trumpets to herald the beef cart, which looks somewhat like the QE2 as it lumbers down the aisle. The cart is laden with six roasts in varying degrees of doneness, available in different size cuts; once the beef is on your plate, accompanied by unexceptional buttered peas and mashed potatoes, you understand what the hoopla is all about No one bothers to cook prime rib like this anymore. The tender, marbled slice was raspberry-red, rimmed with fat, and tender and flavorful to the last bite. 3008 Maple Ave. 521-7777. Lunch Mon-Fri & Sun 11: 30 am-2 pm; dinner Mon- Thur 6-10: 30. Fri 6-11: 30, Sat 5: 30-11: 30. Sun 5-10. All credit cards. Expensive.



TAKEOUT/DELI



D REVISITS

Petaluma. This terrific takeout shop is pretty enough to eat in and the food’s good enough to take home to guests- not unexpectedly, since Petaluma shares a kitchen with San Simeon. Like so many spots with go-or-stay options, Petaluma suffers from confusing service procedures. It turns out that you place the order, but a waitress brings it to you, if you take a table. Soups, salads, sandwiches, and desserts were uniformly excellent on my last visit, standouts being Oriental chicken salad, pasta with sun-dried tomatoes, potato salad with fresh dill dressing, and white chocolate “blondies. ” 2515 McKinney. 871-2253, Mon-Fri 7 am-6 pm MC. V. AE. Inexpensive. -M. B. M.



Tomasso’s. The pastas fine at this Italian to-go shop-it’s available in a mind-boggling variety of shapes and flavors- but the takeout is really tops. Classic dishes like lasagna and cannelloni bold up well after reheating, and the rotolo, pasta rolled with ricotta. spinach, and mozzarella and topped with your choice of sauce, makes an impressive first course or. sided with salad and bread, an elegant lunch or supper entrée. Even desserts-such as cappuccino cheesecake-are delicious. There is also a limited selection of Italian essentials-good quality olive oil, pesto, fresh Parmesan, and bread, so this really is one-stop shopping for the gourmet on the go. 3134 Mockingbird at Central, 987-4415; 5365 Spring Valley at Montfort, 991-4040. N Mon-Fri 1! am-7 pm. Sat 10 am-6 pm, closed Sun at both locations. MC, V. Inexpensive to moderate.



THAI



Thai Soon. Thai Soon was created to demonstrate that a vegetarian and seafood menu can work in an ethnic restaurant. Judging from the wailing lines at this tiny place on Lowest Greenville, the idea appeals to a sizable body of patrons. Almost a dozen vegetarian dishes start out the main course section of the menu. Some of these are similar to the eggplant delicacies that are among the best things at the original Thai Lanna Others are based on tofu-the Thai green curry with coconut cream has a knockout flavor but you may find yourself knocked out by the spiciness of the dish. Almost nothing is bland or even passably neutral in taste at Thai Soon; even dishes cooked without the ubiquitous Thai chiles-like shrimp with garlic sauce and broccoli-come with a spicy dusting of white ground pepper. There are a variety of dishes with crab and squid available, and seven fish dishes-including a lordly steamed fish (impeccably fresh catfish) topped with vegetables in a sauce. 2018 Greenville. 821-7666 Mon-Fri lunch 11-3, dinner 5-10; Sat 11 am-10 pm: Sun 5 pm-10 pm. AE. MC. V. Inexpensive to moderate.

VIETNAMESE



Mekong. Mekong’s menu gives Vietnamese and Chinese fore equal time. On the Vietnamese side, appetizers of shredded shrimp and pork rolled with lettuce in tender rice paper caught fire and flavor from the pepper-spiked carrot sauce that carne with them. It was a hot pot soup, though, that knocked our socks off. The dish was a stellar array of chicken and seafoods-shrimp, scallops, and catfish- cooked barely tender with stilt-crisp celery, pepper, and onion strips in an ambrosial broth. I’d have bet nothing from the Chinese listings could possibly equal that soup. I’d have been wrong. An entrée of roast duck almost outshone it- roasted whole in a hot stone over camphor wood chips, the golden-skinned bird was delicately scented-served with a saucer of salted lemon juice heavily laden with fresh-ground black pepper, it was superb. 4301 Bryan Street, Suite 101. 824-6200. Mon-Thur 11-10, Fri & Sat 1141, Sun 10-10. All credit cards. Inexpensive.



Saigon. The first time I dined here, I ordered the shrimp wrapped around sugar cane simply to see what it was. Since, I’ve ordered it every visit because the dish is so transcendent-ly marvelous-the shrimp puréed and molded around slim sticks of sweet cane, then grilled and served with lettuce and citantro leaves, cucumbers and carrot slices, all to be wrapped in rice paper and dipped in hois in sauce for savoring. Savory it is, and addictive, too-but we did save room last trip to find several other dishes equally stellar. Among them: chicken simmered with beer in a deep, rich tomato sauce with bread for dipping (we fought over it): a special-of-tbe-day fried catfish, succulent to the bone, in whisper-deltcatc baiter; chicken done yet another wry. in hot chili and lemon grass-celestially incendiary, if that’s not an ox-ymoronic appraisal. Saigon shines with eagerness to please, as well as immaculate maintenance; the welcome’s warm, the beer’s cold (try one of the Oriental imports), and the place fully justifies its continuing eminence as one of this city’s most outstanding Vietnamese restaurants. 1731 Greenville. 828-9795. Tue-Thur 11 am-10 pm, Fri & Sat 11-11, Sun & Mon 5-10. All credit cards. Inexpensive.



LAS COLINAS/MID CITIES



Vla Real. Dramatic abstract pictures dominate the walls, and even the menus are original handcrafted 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 erepa de salmone (thin slices of smoked salmon enfolded in crêpes and served dry except for 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 till toward the seafood end. Town North Centre, 3591 N Belt Line at Northgate, Irving. 255-0064. Lunch Mon-Sat II-5, Sun 11-2; dinner Sun Thur 5-10, Fri & Sal 5-11. All credit cards. Moderate.



FORT WORTH



Hedary’s. They say the Lebanese are the French of the Middle East, culinarily speaking; the fore at Hedary’s bears this out. Middle Eastern cuisine is full of strong flavors-mint, onion, and garlic-combined here with a finesse that makes (hem all balance. For a one-visit overview, a wise course is to order the maza, a selection of salads, and a meat combination plate. That way you can sample a little of everything: tabuli (wheat, tomato, and parsley salad), hummus (garlicky puréed chickpeas), savory fried falafel, lentils, cucumbers in yogurt, and a delicious batinjan mtabbal (roasted eggplant dip), along with freshly baked puffed pita bread. Hedary’s meat plate features homemade sujuk (hoc beef sausage), kaffa (ground beef rolls). Lebanese shish kebab, and a version of the national dish of Lebanon, kibbi, that compared favorably with my mother-in-law’s. Lebanese red wine is available by the glass; it seems rough till you try it with the assertively seasoned food. 3308 Fair-field at Camp Bowie. (817) 731-6961. Lunch Tue-Fri 11-2; dinner Tue-Thur & Sun 5-10. Fri & Sat 5-11. Closed Mm. All credit cards. Moderate.



Le Chardonnay. Former Ceret chef Philip Lecoq is a coowner 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 Worh. (817) 926-5622. Sun Thur 11: 30 am-9: 30 pm, Fri & Sat 11: 30 am-10: 30 pm. MC. V; company checks accepted. Moderate.