Lakewood Plaza Grill
Keep your fingers crossed. The space next to B. B. Barr’s sumptuously restored Lake-wood Theater has long lain
fallow. Now it’s filled with a new restaurant that is such a high-contrast composite of quality concept and eager
naivete, its fate could go either way-to community-favorite success or short-lived novelty.
The money gamble is Barr’s-he’s invested in giving the restaurant a witty decor linked in style to the theater
itself, with deco fixtures and accents and spritzy caricatures of vintage film stars. From split-level interior
dining to redwood decks sheltered under canvas in the adjoining courtyard, the new Lakewood Plaza Grill is all charm
and promise.
The energy investment in the enterprise is that of Steve and Carol Halvorson-he’s in charge of the kitchen, and she
manages the front. The menu is New American, mostly modestly priced, and, on our two review visits, mostly happily
executed.
Appetizers were refreshingly light and zingy-particularly a ceviche of scallops and red snapper, delicately
lime-marinated and strewn with mild green peppercorns. Grilled scallops with hollandaise were just as fresh and
delectably tender, nicely augmented with the homemade rolls served warm throughout the meal.
The house salad was a fine, fragile toss of mostly Bibb lettuce in champagne mustard dressing, barely outshone by an
a la carte arrangement of watercress and romaine with green apple wedges and huge walnut chunks in an excellent blue
cheese vinaigrette.
Entrées were a more mixed experience. Pork chops with cranberry salsa were pleasant enough, the bright berry
tartness a happy complement to the grilled chops. Grilled salmon with tomatillo-pineapple salsa was moist and
succulent, although the salmon was a cross-cut bone-in steak rather than the anticipated boneless fillet, and I
found the salsa, though flawlessly fresh, a trifle sharp in tone for the fish.
A grilled ribeye steak with ancho chili butter was absolutely splendid, the meat leaner than any of this cut I’ve
seen before but with that lovely ribeye richness, perfectly cooked. Smoked sausage with roasted peppers, though, was
an outright affront, in company with the other main courses mentioned: instead of the house-made sausage we should
have had every right to expect in a New American establishment, we were served a length of supermarket link-nicely
grilled, yes, and perfectly acceptable on a less creative bill of fare, but out of place here.
As for desserts, gingerbread cake with homemade applesauce was outstanding, and a wedge of lemon-glazed cheesecake
was homey and pleasant. As was service-the entire staff of Lakewood Plaza Grill obviously is emotionally involved in
pleasing patrons here. With that going for them, along with one of the most inviting al fresco dining sites I’ve
seen in Dallas, I’ve no reason to think Lakewood Plaza Grill will fail to become the fresh new favorite East
Dallasites have been hoping would eventually prosper in this space. 6334 La Vista. 826-5226. Lunch Mon-Fri 11-2;
dinner Mon-Thur 5-10, Fri 5-11; open Sat-Sun 11-11. MC, V, AE. Inexpensive to moderate. -Betty Cook
Mumtaz
On paper, the restaurant space in the Atrium, the glass-walled building at McKinney and Fitzhugh. must have looked
like a marvelous idea: a soaring openness, rising past its own two service levels, overlooked by balcony corridors
leading to office suites on the upper floors. All that straight-lined rectangularity, though, puts a chilling
challenge to its occupant: a restaurant denied cozy intimacy must find some other way to generate welcoming
warmth.
Mumtaz does it with fragrance. From the moment you enter, you’re wrapped, stroked, and teased with the heady
perfumes of curry and coriander, of tandoori-roasting meats redolent with exotic spices. Solicitude casts some of
the spell, too-perhaps it’s only that the staff has not yet been taxed by full-house crowds, but everyone from
maitre d’ to bus-person made us feel that our coming there was cause for joy.
On the plate, the joy was ours. My companions, whose love for Indian food has been nurtured on visits to the country
itself, fell on the menu with little cries of happy recognition. Most of the food, in fact, lived up to their
anticipation. Samosas, the cone-shaped pastries stuffed with vegetables and ground meats, seemed a little heavier
than those I’ve had elsewhere, but their flavor was satisfying. Vegetable pakoras, slices of eggplant, onion, and
potato battered and fried, were quite appetizing.
The trio of breads we ordered were less than divine. From naan. the plain leavened white, to onion kulcha, stuffed
with onions and herbs, to aloo paratha, wheat rounds stuffed with peas and potatoes, all were heavier and greasier
than the airy tandoori-baked breads I’ve sampled elsewhere.
But the entrées were outstanding. Saag paneer, puréed spinach cooked with cubed yogurt cheese in cream sauce,
transcended its simple ingredients. Lamb curry was subtly spicy, the lamb cubes a tender triumph in their musky dark
sauce. Murk makhni seemed bland in comparison, the chicken’s tandoori character rather obscured by its innocent
tomato and butter sauce, but prawn tandoori masala was marvelously complex, the tandoori-cooked prawns sautéed in
spiced cream, yet moistly flavorful on their own despite being twice cooked. Raita, the cool, soup-like yogurt with
diced cucumber crunch, was more condiment than salad, a soothing partner for the spicier foods it com-plemented.
Other condiments-sweet tamarind chutney, zingy cilantro dipping sauce-were delectable; a dish of hot mango pickle
was too fiery for me, but my companions loved it, and the single whole pickled lime it contained opened a whole new
world of possibilities to my pickle-loving palate.
Desserts were pleasant-mango slices topped with vanilla ice cream and kheer, a creamed rice, were traditional; so
were the little honey-drenched pastry orbs called gulab jamoon; I found the pastry balls benefited from an
application of the other dessert’s ice cream, and defied tradition bycombining them. Not very Indian of me,perhaps,
but delightful. As was the reactionof our server, who typified the indulgent cordiality of the place by offering to
put theheretic combination on the menu. Go backfor more of that kind of food and treatment?You bet. And in time, I
might even learn tolike hot pickle with my Kingfisher beer. The Atrium, 3101 N. Fitzhugh at McKinney
Ave.520-2400. Lunch Mon-Fri 11-2; dinner Sun-Thur 5:30-10, Fri & Sat 5:30-11. MC, V, AE.Inexpensive to moderate.
-B.C.
China Green’s Restaurant
The food here is authentic Mandarin, Hunan, and Szechwan-some of it more authentic, perhaps, than untraveled Western
tongues are tempted to taste. 1 couldn’t per-suade my dining companions to try Thousand Years Egg Bean Curd, for
instance, but even so. the ample menu held rewarding surprises for less-bold lovers of Chinese cuisines. Salty duck
was outstanding, a full quarter of the bird, hacked in rare and rosy bites, sauced in a tart, clear marinade; the
flavor, once we peeled away the fat-laden skin layer, was wonderful.
Orange chicken, which I’d heard was different from standard versions, was not, but the white meat was succulent
inside its crisp batter. Oddly, the sauce itself was mild, deriving almost no heat from the black pepper curls it
held. The curls, though, were lethal: a companion who dared to nibble one turned instantly scarlet and spoke for the
rest of the meal in a hoarse voice two octaves lower than usual-a transformation that those of us who had better
sense found vastly entertaining.
Our star entree, one of the best Chinese dishes I have ever tasted, was called exactly what it was: Fresh Oysters
with Green Onion in Hot Plate. The plate, indeed, was sizzling; the scallions mated perfectly with shreds of fresh
ginger in a muted sauce to which the plump oysters were added for a And they come with mustard and pickles and such.
But the real secret to the great old-fashioned hamburger is a grilled bun. and they don’t go to that trouble here.
Still, the burgers and chili are good. Avoid the unsatisfactory innovation called cheddar fries and order the onion
rings instead. 502 Spanish Village. Arapaho at Coit. 386-7752. Inexpensive.
Prince of Hamburgers. Lined up in a row with our trays hooked to the window and a waitress bearing beer and
burgers heading our way. we fell a bit of a flashback, sort of like Peggy Sue in the movie. But the food brought us
back with a jolt: the burgers, served on a well-toasted bun in a basket with superlative fries, are tops; the chili
dogs are served burger-style, and the old-fashioned milkshakes come in real glasses. Now. if only 1 had a
convertible. . .5200 Lemmon Ave. 526-9081 Inexpensive.
Spring Creek Barbecue. Good barbecue is surprisingly hard to find in Dallas, especially north of Northwest
Highway. One of the better spots is this one. which has been around a good while now. The beef is lean and tasty,
the spareribs especially juicy and fine. Spring Creek also sells barbecued chicken (not all barbecue places do), and
the birds are fall-apart tender. Side dishes are only average. There’s now a special station dishing out cobbler,
but the results don’t seem worth all the commotion. 270 N Central Ecpwy, Richardson. 669-0505.
Inexpensive.
BRITISH
Jennivine. This British-cum-French establishment is dependably creative in the daily specials listed on its
blackboard menu. Alas, not everything we tried last visit was up to the restaurant’s standard: a potato-scullion
soup tasted more of Hour than either named element, and the venison pate seemed a hit long in the tooth, having gone
dry and almost tasteless. But a warm English salad with Stilton was the stuff of which dreams are made-leaf lettuce
and curly endive strewn with jicama sticks and red onion, the lusty cheese suffusing a vinaigrette dressing. Poached
salmon with tomatillo relish was a happy marriage, as was duckling with watermelon sauce and a garnish of red chili
jam. I’m a sucker for bread and butter pudding, but this one, warm and rich, struck me as superior. 3605
McKinney. 528-6010 Moderate to expensive.
CAJUN
Atchafalaya River Café. We started with a cup of creditable gumbo-the spice was right, though the roux
tasted a bit floury. Our red beans and rice were rich and smoky; crawfish étouffée had the same roux problem as
the gumbo, but was full of meat and came with good dirty rice. The best entree we sampled was chicken Tchoupitoulas,
two breasts pounded thin and sauiéed in butter, lemon, and Ca-jun spices- just the right amount. Desserts, except
far beignets, were cloyingly sweet. 4440 Belt Line Rd. 960-6878. Moderate.
Crescent City Cafe. The menu here is limited, but what they serve is some of the best Cajun food in Dallas.
The barbecued shrimp-served with bib and fingerbowl-are a fine, messy, spicy version of Manale’s original dish,
great with an ice-cold Dixie beer. The oyster loaf is stuffed with fat fried shellfish, and the muffaletta gets my
vote for Dallas’s best sandwich, a chewy loaf of fresh-baked Italian bread piled with olive salad, salami,
provolonce, ham, and mozzarella. The beignets, served with honey, reminded me more of sopapillas than the fried
wonders of Café du Monde, but they tasted fine with a big cup of cafe au lait. just wish Crescent City were still
open for breakfast. . .2730 Commerce. 745-1900. Inexpensive.
CARIBBEAN
D REVISITS
Bahama Bob’s. To those who knew this space when it housed the luxurious West End Oasis restaurant, the
makeover into a raffish West Indian joint can come as quite a shock. Really more for drinkers than eaters. Bahama
Bob’s does make a stab at serving up a few of the trendy Caribbean dishes. The planer of assorted appetizers is
dauntingly heavy and spicy, loo (especially the Buffalo chicken wings). The conch fritters on it were tasty, even if
indistinguishable from crab cakes. Jerked chicken (made with the most insistent of all spices, cloves) isn’t too
overbearing here, and the fish that was alleged to be river trout (it looked and tasted more like flounder to us)
had a fine flavor but enough bones to daunt all but the most intrepid seafood lovers. Key lime cheesecakemade a
refreshing, soothing ending alter all those spicythings that had gone before. 302 N Market. 655-2627.Moderate.
-W.L.T.
CHINESE
Cafe Panda. The revamped Cafe Panda has become one of our favorite places for a Chinese fix-the An Deco-ish
in-terior is soothing, the service is smooth, and the food is reliably excellent. Don’t miss the shar-char prawns,
delectable barbecued shrimp (better order two portions, since they only come two to an order); the firecracker beef,
a spicy but well-rounded mix of beef strips, scullions, and celery; or the mimosa chicken, chunks of chicken in a
not-too-sweet orange sauce. End your meal with coffee instead of tea- it’s brewed at the table in a special Japanese
pot. 7979 Inwood at Lovers Lane. 902-9500. Moderate.
Forbidden City. Forbidden City has opened in Joe Ku’s old space upstairs in Travis Walk-we always liked the
room with its fine view of the western sky, and now we like the food, loo. We especially enjoyed the minced chicken
with pine nuts, and the beef and onion rolls, both for wrapping in crispy lettuce leaves. The starred-for-spicy
dishes lacked real fire, and some of the portions were too small to provide for the usual Chinese breakfast after
the night before-our only quibbles. 4514 Travis, Suite 201. 520-1888. Moderate.
Jade Garden. Fried dumplings were meaty and lusty with flavor in their half-crisped skins; hot and sour soup
made up in flavor for what it lacked in authority. Moo Shu Fork was a slight disappointment-the crepes arrived
already filled with their minced meat-and-vegetable mixture; both were dry, and lacking the plum sauce and fresh
scallion accents that complete the dish. But Kung Pao Beef was rich-flavored and spicy, from its marinade as well as
its piquant sauce glaze. This neighborhood favorite appears to do as much takeout as sit-down business; nonetheless,
all tables were filled on the early weeknight we were there. But the wait was shurt, and the people-watching a happy
mix of young families and white-collar couples, both Oriental and Anglo. None seemed to mind brown-bagging their
beer to a place where good food conies to less than twenty dollars, plus lip, for two. 4800 Bryan at Fitzhugh.
821-0675. Inexpensive.
Plum Blossom. Chef Steve Chiang’s innovative menu has some real successes and some dull spots. We sampled the
Great Dynasty Banquet on our last visit, and were impressed by the dish of wonton filled with shrimp and chicken and
stir-fried with Chinese greens. The combination of lobster, crab claws, and prawns was enhanced by a black bean
sauce treated in a style reminiscent of French cooking-the seasonings were blended together smoothly rather than
left discrete, as is the Chinese wont. But we were less impressed by the gamy-tasting frog legs and flabby-textured
rabbit meat in orange peel chili sauce. Loews Anatole Hotel. 2201 Stem-mons Fwy. 748-1200. Expensive.
D REVISITS
Snow Pea. One of those casually comfortable Chinese eateries that become favorite neighborhood habits. Snow
Pea stands a little above some of its compatriots by virtue of a serenely pretty decor and agreeable, competent
service, as well as consistently pleasurable food. Spinach with bean curd soup was a happy departure from the
ordinary, the spinach leaves bright and fresh in a nicely seasoned chicken broth, the curd cubes tender and smooth.
Shrimp toast was rather leathery and dry, but orange chicken was properly zesty, and that beloved old standby,
pepper steak, came through nobly, the thin-sliced beef lender against the crunch of fresh green bell pepper chunks.
A pair of Tsing-Tao Chinese beers completed the kind of meal that shows why Chinese standards are among Dallas’s
favorite comfort foods-if that’s what one would call such a total recess fromthe Occidental stress outside. Snow Pea
delivers, by the way.in its area-minimum orders of $10. 2007 Abrams Parkway (off Gaston). 824-4354.
Inexpensive.-B.C.
Uncle Tai’s Hunan Yuan. People in Dallas seem to have forgotten about our local branch of the restaurant the
great Chinese chef, formerly a star in New York, set up in Texas. Can it be that Dallasites just don’t want to pay
the admittedly steep prices, no mailer how fine the food? There can be a few slip-ups here (some crab in a seafood
dish tasted a mite fishy). And the portions are smallish despite the high cost. But nuke no mistake: Uncle Tai’s
Beef is soaked in brine so that it is almost like ham. deep-fried, then stir-fried with hot peppers, and the results
are spectacular. Appetizers like crispy quail and grilled salmon with hot oil are also outstanding. Galleria,
13350 Dallas Pkwy, Suite 3370. 934-9998. Expensive.
FRENCH/CONTINENTAL
The French Room. On a recent visit, both a la carte selections and fixed-menu offerings were superb, from a
pretty complimentary hors d’oeuvre of salmon rillettes to dessert, fresh raspberries in puff pastry with crème
fraiche on warm caramel sauce. The degustation menu (four courses, with a wine for each. S56) was in no way
outclassed by more expensive menu choices: a confit of guinea fowl legs with mildly dressed winter greens and
petal-smooth duck foie gras was a showy first course, as was my companion’s fresh foie gras sautéed with apples in
Calvados sauce. Sautéed medallions of beef tenderloin under a crisp potato fan were the equal of chicken breast
rounds alternated with alabaster lobster in truffle sauce. The meal’s sole disappointment was negligible-a cognac
sorbet that tasted only of sugar and water, far too sweet for palate-refreshing. The Adolphus Hotel, 1321
Commerce. 742-8200. Expensive.
The Grape. The Grape’s trademark fresh mushroom soup was an inimitable joy, its dinner salad a perfectly
dressed mix of lettuces lopped with ripe baby bell tomatoes. Entrées were as winning-Norwegian salmon fillet mated
succulently with grape-almond relish; a flawless chicken breast was lavished with roasted pecans in an herbed sauce
of brie and white wine; tournedos of beef were fine, fork-tender and rare in deep-flavored Béarnaise sauce. Nicest
surprise of all was a flexible fillip other establishments would do well to copy: a number of entrées may be
ordered in full- or half-sized portions, priced accordingly. Dine before seven on weekdays, and you’ll find several
offered in half-sizes with soup or salad and dessert for 59.75-a bargain if there ever was one, even with wine by
the bottle or glass added to the total. 2808Greenville. 828-1981. Moderate.
D REVISITS
Jonathan’s. Almost the only thing unchanged about this place is the name. The new location several flights up
in The Centrum tower shares a reception area with a health club; there’s even a kind of snack bar to serve all the
iron-pumpers. The sleek new premises have the most spectacular view of Oak Lawn and downtown of any restaurant
going. The food has been simplified, so there are no more untoward delays from the kitchen. In the mixed-blessing
department, some dishes aren’t prepared on the premises, like the excellent patés and the less satisfactory
desserts, which suffered from a bit of freezer burn on our visit. The menu includes several pasta dishes (we tried
an appetizer with crunchy pine nuts and a main course with fiery Cajun shrimp), and a Texas ribeye steak with
bourbon mushrooms, perfectly cooked to order. The prices muke this place a bargain. The Centrum. 3102 Oak Lawn.
Suite 400. 520-8308. Moderate. -W.L.T.
D REVISITS
L’Ambiance. A newly mirrored wall makes the room feel more spacious, but otherwise little has changed here.
The standout courses are salads and desserts. Ruby-red tomatoes and creamy mozzarella come drenched in herbs and
olive oil. and the floating island (with crunchy almond praline drizzled on top of the meringues) is comfort food
with pizazz The other courses are invariably nicely done, but less exciting. Appetizers of shrimp in a Dijon sauce
and escargots with plenty of garlic and parsley pleasantly began our latest meal, and two different treatments of
fish made a nice con-trast for those who like to share bites-a delicate salmonsteak with basil cream and a more
full-blooded redfish Ca-jun style, which could have done with less of the topping ofsautéed onions and pecans.
2408 Cedar Springs. 748-1291.Expensive. -W.L.T.
The Old Warsaw. Rumors and announcements have created expectations of a move for this oldest of Dallas’s
super-deluxe restaurants. But as events have proved, things don’t change much at the Old Warsaw. Appetizers include
garlicky escargots and bland crayfish in a winy sauce. Tender veal and crisply sautéed sweetbreads make good
choices for entrees. Salads (like the signature watercress and Belgian endive) and desserts are among the best
courses. 2610 Maple. 528-0032. Very, expensive.
Three Vikings. We’ve never understood why Dallas’s only Scandinavian restaurant doesn’t try for a bit more
authenticity in its menu. But Three Vikings has survived when many more adventuresome places have failed, so
somebody must enjoy the rather heavy, homey foods with their occasional Continental touches. The standard beginners
here are the thick shrimp chowder and the meatballs in sauce with berries on the side. Among the main courses, a
perfectly grilled piece of salmon was much more to our taste than a complicated stuffing and saucing of veal (a
perfect example of what food writer/humorist Calvin Trillin calls “Stuff Stuff with Heavy”). There are always
selections of equally weighty desserts to finish with here. 4537 Cole. 559-0987. Moderate to expensive.
GERMAN/EASTERN EUROPE
Belvedere. The coziness of this place in a Park Cities apartment house is always winning; the fireplace and
the Old World setting predispose you to relax and enjoy. The food can be a draw. too. The appetizer of a
seafood-filled crépe is rich and rewarding, and the various treatments of veal range from a crisp schnitzel la
tender scallops swimming in cream and mushrooms Accompaniments include buttery spaetzle (little homemade noodles)
and crusty scalloped potatoes. Salads come with a topping of fried onion, and desserts include a sinfully dense and
chewy chocolate mousse. 4242 Lomo Alto, 528-6510. Expensive.
Kuby’a Sausage House Inc. Stand in line here for the requisite noontime half-hour, and you can watch the
social set mingle meekly for a shot at German classics served exactly as they have been for twenty-seven years:
plump knackwurst partnered with pastrami-flecked German potato salad, a brimming bowl of superior sauerkraut on the
side: onion-spiked tartar steak, red as cherries (not an atom of tat in it), spread thick between rye bread slices;
moist, fresh carrot cake framed in a full half-inch of buttcrcream icing, with a plastic tumbler of iced tea to wash
it down, 6601 Snider Plaza, 363-2231. Inexpensive.
INDIAN
Ashoka Indian Restaurant. This small Far North Dallas Indian restaurant is the only one we know of that
offer, a buffet in the evening as well as at lunch time. When we visaed, though, the dishes seemed warmed over and
were slow to be replenished, so ordering off the menu seems a better choice. The shrimp curry Bombay and the lamb
kor-ma were both beautifully sauced. The lamb cubes grilled in the tandoor, though, seemed a small portion,
and both this dish and the tandoori chicken seemed, surprisingly, a trifle spicy. Prestonwood Creek Shopping
Center, 5409 Belt Line. 960-0070, Inexpensive to moderate.
Kebab ’N’ Kurry. A visit to the Walnut Hill K ’N’ K to check out the weekend brunch was rewarding. Although a
few items {mushy strawberry and banana fruit salad, fishy fish curry) didn’t send me, plenty of choices did,
including succulent tandoori chicken; fragrant kashmiri pillau (rice with peas, currants, almonds, and
cashews): savory palak panir (spinach cooked with homemade cheese): flavorful lamb kofta (meatballs in
a mild curry sauce); and tender naan (flat bread). 2620 Walnut Hill Ln. 350-6466. Inexpensive to moderate.
Taj Mahal. We started with the appetizer assortment, sort of an Indian pu-pu tray, and ate our way through
korma. vin-daloo, and biryani withoui a complaint. It’s all good, and, a plus for inner-city types,
it’s close in-just across from NorthPark. The service was exceptionally friendly and helpful. Caruth Plaza, 9100
N Central Expwy, Suite 179. 692-0535. Inexpensive to moderate.
ITALIAN
D R E V I S I T S
Acapelia Cafe. The white, light-filled rooms of (his old house are especially pleasant at lunchtime, and the
restaurant’s” proximity to downtown makes this a favorite break from business. We especially enjoyed the shrimp
pizza (chosen from an intriguing and unusual list)-a small one. split among two or three people, makes a good
appetizer. There is an international assortment of salads-Greek, Thai, Mexican, as well as Italian- which seemed
like a good idea.Unfortunately, none of them quite worked: the Mexican one,with pasta and black beans, was oddly
bland (so was the Thaiversion), and the dressing on the Greek mix of feta,tomatoes, and olives couldn’t stand up to
the ingredients.Fettuccine with salmon was delicious, but very rich; mani-cotti was nicely light, tilled with fluffy
ricotta and zappedwith a tangy, fresh-tasting tomato sauce. Cappuccino pic wasthe hands-down, mouth-full winner in
the dessert category.2508 Maple. 871-2262. Moderate. -M.B.M.
Bugatti an The Creek. The old Bugatti’s on west Walnut Hill has been a Dallas Italian food meeca for years;
the new location at Northwest Highway and Lemmon/Marsh is more accessible but a litlle hard to find (it’s in the
southeast quadrant). The food is comparable to the original’s-classic Italian with a special emphasis on veal
dishes. The special, a sautéed veal scallop on marinara sauce, topped with a thin slice of prosciutto and melted
mozzarella, was good, though a little salty; the accompanying pasta was simply dressed with butter and Parmesan. The
muzzarella was fine and fresh on the mozzarella and tomato salad, but the tomatoes, supposedly “vine-ripened,” were
the usual pallid wedges. Service was excellent. 3802 W Northwest Hwy. 350-2470. Moderate.
D REVISITS
Cafe Italia. This little restaurant is slightly out of theway-the site across from Elliott’s Hardware is
nowhere nearrestaurant row-but healing a path to its door is worth the effort. The setting is low-key, die service
is smoothly professional, and the food is both inexpensive and reliable. Thereare some misses-a strange-tasting
concoction of chickenand eggplant in a tomato cream called “chicken casanova”was the low point of our last visit.
But by and large, the foodis good-we liked the garlic bread sprinkled with oregano;though the bread was coo light,
it was nicely crispy, and anappetizer of shrimp and avocado with tomato was a winner.Veal limone had too little
limone to sparkle, but veal par-migiana was excellent, as was the manicotti. Fluffy flan andespresso ended the meal
on a high note. 5000 Maple.521-0700. Inexpensive to moderate. -M.B.M.
Ciao. This was one of Dallas’s first “gourmet” pizza places, and whatever problems you may have with the
genre, it’s hard to argue with Ciao’s pies. The toppings are different (fresh spinach or chicken and goat cheese),
but none of them weird, and the ones we tried were all delicious. Pastas are not as well prepared; our chicken
lasagna was served too hot, before it had set, and was drowning in sauce and cheese. But the salad, simply dressed
Boston lettuce-was excep-tional for a pizza joint, even a very hip one like this. 3921-B Cedar Springs. 521-0110.
Inexpensive to moderate.
Colombo’s. We started with an excellent bowl of tortellini in brodo; the broth was flavorful and the
cheese-sniffed pasta al dente, and we couldn’t resist the hot. fragrant garlic rolls served with it. Neither could
we resist ordering a small pizza, thick with cheese and sprinkled with whole cloves of sweet garlic on a chewy bread
crust. Scampi were just cooked through, dripping with butter, lemon, and more garlic. The salad that followed was
nothing more than shredded iceberg lettuce and some tomato wedges, but the oregano-spiked vinaigrette was so savory
we ate every last leaf. Pastas were standouts-especially the manicotti. the tubes plump with ricotta and covered
with a red sauce slightly tinged with hot pepper, and melted mozzarella. Veal picat-ta, pounded thin and lightly
dressed with fresh lemon, was the most appropriate sequel to the “appetizers” we had indulged in. but at Colombo’s,
our eyes were definitely bigger than our stomachs. Desserts, if you can manage one, are all homemade. 6101
Greenville Ave. 373-7777. Moderate.
Lombardi’s at Travis Walk. If you can resist a pre-meal orgy of Parmesan-crusted, rosemary-scented focaccia
loaves, the menu here offers a full-range Italian dining experience as fine as you’ll find in Dallas. Start with
flawless carpaccio, paper-thin and mustard-sauced, or delicate soft-shell crab sautéed with garlic and
tomato in while wine. Proceed with succulent rabbit in Provencal sauce, or a sautéed veal chop strewn with
vinaigrette-spiked arugula. If it’s your meatless day, rejoice in gnocchi, plump potato dumplings in mild tomato and
bold Gorgonzola sauces. Leave room for a wicked wrap-up of double chocolate mousse cake if you can. or wind down
with cappuccino or espresso-both are superior. Travis Walk, 4514 Travis. 521-1480. Moderate.
Massimo da Milano. Most of the time you still have to jockey for position in the cafeteria line to get your
food, but at least in the evening now there is table service. Whatever the logistics, we suspect that there isn’t an
Italian bakery/café in the country that can compete with Massimo in turning out authentic Italian confections. The
breads and cookies and seasonal sweets arc absolutely authentic-so much so that for lots of American tastes they arc
insufficiently sweet and overpowering in the taste of hazelnuts and spices. There is also a plenitude of cold salads
of pasta, chicken, and seafood, as well as pizza slices and sandwiches made from fucaccia bread. Hot dishes are
available only at mealtime, not alt through the day. 5519 W Lovers Lane. 351-1426. Inexpensive to moderate.
Momo’s Pasta. The Knox Street Momo’s 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 entrees 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 any where-were most memorable of all, bathed in a creamy melt of
Gorgonzola and Parmesan married with tomato. 3312 Knox. 521-3009. Inexpensive.
Pietro’s Italian Restaurant. This old East Dallas dining favorite has stood the test of time-it’s been here
for thirty years or so. and still packs them in. This is what we used to expect when we went out for Italian food:
the interior is properly cozy, the tables arc covered in red-checked cloths, and the menu lists southern Italian
red-sauced standards. But the food on our visit fell short of our nostalgic expectations. The gorgeous homemade
garlic bread turned out to be soggy with butter, the salads were limp iceberg and pale tomato relics. Pasta was
better; eggplant parmigiana was best. 5722 Richmond. 824-9403. Moderate.
Pomodoro. Our first lunch here was pure delight: sunny minestrone, crisp-vegetable filled and deeply
flavored; a salad of caper-strewn pepper strips. Toothsome spinach linguini held a wealth of shell-free clam meat in
the freshest herbed tomato sauce imaginable. The second visit’s sampling revealed a few excesses; Bresaola,
the famed sun-dried cured beef, was a trifle leathery: mussels and clams cooked with garlic in olive oil were
oversalted. Thin-sliced calf’s liver was cooked past the rare I had ordered, but its white wine and onion sauce was
delicate; a Cornish game hen, herbed, split, and broiled, was perfect all the way. 2520 Cedar Springs 871-1924.
Inexpensive to moderate.
Spaghetti Inn-Mike’s Italian Restaurant. This is strictly Fifties “casserole Italian”-lots of cheese, lots of
sauce-without the subtleties or the nonsense of nearly-1990-know-it-all-ltalian cuisine. The lasagna, inexplicably
sided by spaghetti with red sauce, as always, is nothing more than a rich stack of pasta, cheese, sauce, and more
cheese. Manicotti is filled with bland ricotta and smothered in more sauce; pizza is spread with sauce, cheese, and
toppings. . .you get the picture. This is great comfort food. 6465 E Mockingbird Lane in Hillside Village.
821-5800. Moderate.
JAPANESE/KOREAN
Kobe Steaks. This is Americanized Japanese dining- the enormous plush bar alone could contain several entire
Tokyo-sized restaurants, while the big cookstove-tabletops are extravagant versions of their authentic counterparts,
seating up to eighteen diners, family-style. Each table has a knife-toting chef who cuts, slices, dices, and cooks
your dinner before your very eyes. The flashing knives make a good show, and the resulting meal is good, too. The
pre-show salad is dressed with a zippy ginger vinaigrette; the shrimp appetizer is nicely cooked In fact,
everything-beef, chicken, and vegetables-was perfectly cooked-no mean trick. Quorum Plaza, Belt Line a: Dallas
Parkway. 934-8150. Moderate to expensive.
Sakura Japanese Restaurant. Years ago, when I dined at its original location. Sakura was the first restaurant
where I’d ever been asked to take off my shoes before entering. This time, we dined to live piano music in a Western
lounge furnished with cushioned rattan. The tempura-fried shrimp were almost as light and lacy as I remembered them;
Shabu-Shabu, thin-sliced beef cooked quickly at table with fresh vegetables, was almost as delightful. The
assortment of sushi we ordered as appetizers was impeccably fresh-tuna, jumbo clam, octopus, a salmon-and-egg
standout marvelously sauced with a single quail egg broken over it. 7402 Greenville Ave. 361-9282. Moderate to
expensive.
Shinano. This cheerful little restaurant features most of the standard Japanese-American menu items, with a
few offbeat features like crispy fried soft-shell crab. The shrimp tempura can be very good, and the sushi and
sashimi can be most appetizing (though we thought we detected a vinegary taste to the raw tuna on one occasion-a
sign that it might have been soaked to remove a tell-tale fishy taste). The gyoza (little fried dumplings) and the
teriyaki salmon have been among other successful choices here. 8830 Spring Valley Rd. 644-1436. Moderate.
MEXICAN
Caliente Border Cantina. Tex-Mex standards are on the menu, but so arc the trendy specialties. We began
dinner, for instance, with a shrimp quesadilla laden with fresh pineapple dice and cilantro pesto as well as cheese;
the combination was enjoyable. Rellenado de Res, a fine cut of beef stuffed with chile relleno rather than
vice versa, was rewarding, the meat rare and tender, the pepper mild. Adobe pie. masa and chicken with chipotle
cream sauce, turned out to be a huge dome that in any other shape would have been called a naked tamale-it was
delicious, with a delayed pepper kick that saved it from first-taste blandness. Our one disaster was a flan that
resembled honey-drenched mashed potatoes. 6881 Greenville Ave. 369 8600. Inexpensive.
Cantina Laredo. 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 Bell Line. 458-0962. Moderate.
Casa Dominguez. Tex-Mex they come, Tex-Mex they go. but Casa Dominguez endures. The chips are fresh, hot, and
replenished often. The hot sauce is flavorful and hot. The nachos are smothered in beans and cheese, the
enchiladas in rich chili. The “Pete-za” is as great a combination of classic ingredients as a frito pie: taco meat,
jalapenos, cheese, and onions sandwiched in a sautéed flour tortilla and topped with a scoop of guacamole. 2127
Cedar Springs. 742-4945. Inexpensive to moderate.
Chito’s. Lots of Maple Avenue Mexican restaurants offer only fake local color This one is the real thing-on
our last visit there were cabbies dropping in for a break, a group that looked like they might have served with
Pancho Villa in Mexican bonier raids, and a television blaring Mexican movies on videotape. The food is a genuine
bargain. It usually tastes fine, although you can expect the dishes to skimp on meat at these prices. The tamales
are plump and tender, the flautas fresh and crisp, the pico de gallo strong and fiery. One dish you find here but
not at less authentic places is tacos of barbacoa-the tender, not-at-all spicy Mexican version of barbecue. 4447
Maple. 522-9166. Inexpensive.
D REVISITS
Garcia’s Caribbean Grill. They call it fish-Mex. but thekitchen here really offers a choice between the
twospecialties, mostly not a felicitous combination. There aresome attempts to do Mexican things with seafood,
likeseafood nachos and chiles rellenos filled with the same mixture of shrimp, scallops, and crab-neither of them
par-ticularly successful. Otherwise the fish is mostly just grilled,like a fillet of mahi-mahi just barely past the
point of beingunderdone. Actually, the lowly Tex-Mex platters offer someof the best choices here. Plaza at
Bachman Creek. 3830 WNorthwest Hwy. 358-2664. Moderate. -W.L.T.
Gloria’s Restaurant. The best way to sample Gloria’s fare is on the newly featured Salvadoran plate, which
also includes fried plantains and sour cream, fried yucca, black beans, and rice blackened by steaming in liquor
from the beans. The medley of flavors on the plate is rapturous indeed, enhanced as it is by a tamale wrapped,
Salvadoran style, in banana leaf-anoint it with Gloria’s eye-watering salsa and add a Salvadoran beer, and you’ve a
banquet; precede the plate with a serving of the restaurant’s catfish ceviche (one order will feed a foursome), and
ordinary Tex-Mex will be an unmourned memory. True. Gloria’s offers Mexican dishes, too. and a pork steak and
several soups that are first-rate. But I’d have to eat at Gloria’s almost daily to get past the Salvadoran plate;
it’s that good. 600 W Davis. 948-3672. Inexpensive.
D REVISITS
Graciela’s. Graciela has been nothing if not mobile, shifting her restaurant locations all over the map of
Far NorthDallas, Piano, and Addison. The new venue, farther westthan she has ever tried out before, offers much the
same sortof cooking as at previous ones: good basic Tex-Mex, withespecially crisp tacos and satisfying chicken
enchiladas.There arc also good versions of more adventuresome disheslike the melted cheese appetizers with big
chunks of shrimp.You can also choose between came asada (beef sautéed withpeppers and onions) and carne guisada
(the classical Mexican slew). 3957 Belt Line, Addison. 702-8051. Inexpensiveto moderate. -W.LT.
Juanita’s Mexican Restaurant. Most Mexican restaurants this far north in the Metroplex offer a more
cosmopolitan menu and atmosphere, but Juanita’s, open about a year, would fit right into (he Maple Avenue authentic
Tex-Mex scene. Family operated and esconced in a former Maydie’s location, Juanita’s offers excellent flautas and
just-right cheese enchiladas, properly flavored with cumin. Ordering fancier dishes involves a certain risk-the came
asada, often an elegant thin steak at other places, is here chewy bits of grilled meat. If you want to explore,
stick with home-style recipes like the came guisada, a flavorful Mexican beef stew. 1905 N Josey Lane,
Carrollton. 242-0888 Inexpensive.
Mario’s Chiquita. This conservative but pretty pastel restaurant offers dependable Tex-Mex, but its forte is
specialties like the tacos al carbon, tender strips of steak folded in flour tortillas, or the carnitas a fa
tampiqueno, a plate of grilled pork strips sided by a cheese enchilada in a terrific ranchera sauce. Carne
asada is great and almost worth ordering for the triangles of grilled Linares cheese alone, and (he sopapilla
with cinnamon ice cream is one of the few really wonderful desserts I’ve had with Mexican food. 4514 Travis. #105
(in Travis Walk). 521-0721. Moderate.
Martinez Cafe. This family-run café in a converted house on Routh Street has a comfortable, home-grown feel.
The loud is Tex-Mex-standard combinations, but of superlative quality and served with a smile, Outstanding chips and
salsa and a plate evenly striped with rice, beans, and cheese enchiladas made me happy; flautas and guacamole were
equally good. The menu here is what you expect from a good Tex-Mex restaurant; the food is what you hope for.
3011 Routh St. 855-0240. 1900 Preston Rd (Preston Park Village), Plano. 964-7898. Inexpensive.
Ricardo’s. Good food in the Metroplex doesn’t go much farther north than Ricardo’s original location-you stop
making jokes about Oklahoma and wonder about the North Pole. The decor is sophisticated-though families are
welcome-and the service is sharp even on the busiest of evenings. The food is reliable and often superior, with good
Tex-Mex standards, smoky fajitas, and fine specialties like red snapper in a garlicky sauce and steak tampiquena.
One caveat: the desserts are mostly a big disappointment. Avoid especially the flan and the so-called Key lime pie
(which consisted mostly of lime sherbet). 17610 Midway at Trinity Mills. 931-5073. N 8021 Walnut
Hill in the Corner Shopping Center. 691-3577. Moderate.
D REVISITS
Uncle Julio’s. This wildly popular spot has brought its cheery imitation of a Mexican border cafe to a new
spot on Upper Greenville in addition to the Lemmon Avenue location. Even going early in the evening, our wait for a
table took longer than our meal. (The servers are efficient and much more cordial than the person lending the
waiting list.) Was the food worth the hassle? The nachos, artfully arranged around great mounds of guacamole and
sour cream, the little bawls of charro-style pinto beans, and the perfectly firm andjuicy chicken fajitas certainly
were. Among the Tex-Mexplatter standbys, though, only the tamales were outstanding;beef tacos and enchiladas were
meaty but tasteless. Thegrilled specialties like quail and shrimp brochettes were tasty, but not quite worth the
price. 7557 Greenville. 987-9900.4125 Lemmon. 520-6620. Moderate. -W.L.T.
MIDDLE EAST
Hedary’s Lebanese Restaurant. The menu is identical to the original Hedary’s in Fort Worth, every dish is
fresh and lovingly prepared, and if there’s better Lebanese food anywhere, I’ve yet to find it. The best way to
sample the appetizers is to order maza. an array of nine or ten mini-servings ranging from hearty
tabouleh and delicate hummus to delectably dressed minted cucumber and yogurt, garlicky lettuce, and
onion-spiked tomato. Entrees lean toward beef and lamb; we particularly enjoyed kafta, sausage-like pal-ties
of fine ground sirloin and savory spices, charbroiled to succulence and folded into a bread loaf. Promenade
Center, 15400 Coit, Suite 2500, Richardson. 669-2112. Inexpensive to moderate.
NATURAL
Bluebonnet Cafe. You wait in line in this remodeled corner of the lower Greenville Whole Foods Market for
detectable lunches Green enchiladas come with cheese, whipped tofu. or both-with Texmati rice and black beans on the
side. The salad bar is worth the stiff price because of the fresh, appetizing selection of greenery (including up to
a half dozen varieties of sprouts), tahouleh and pasta salads, and some interesting homemade dressings
Desserts are so toothsome you won’t believe they could possibly be good for you. 2218 Greenville. 828-0052.
Inexpensive.
NEW AMERICAN
Actuelle. Actuelle for dinner is predictably excellent; lunch can be an unexpected bargain. You can order
soup and entree for under $20 and feel completely pampered. A hearty winter menu reflected Chef Victor Gielisse’s
Dutch roots-our beef with barley soup was a sophisticated interpretation of a hearty classic; ragout of chicken came
with a potato pancake. The Quadrangle, 2800 Routh St. 855-0440. Expensive.
Deep Ellum Cafe. A daily special of red snapper sauced with thyme-scented beurre blanc under diced tomato was
beautifully prepared and presented, and the hallmark chicken, a brace of peerlessly grilled boneless breast halves
flanked by tender dill dumplings, proved itself yet again. Spinach and ricotta ravioli were rich and bland in
too-smooth walnut sauce, but the café salad of fresh greens and vegetables with Parmesan in balsamic vinaigrette
was freshness redefined. 2704 Elm Street. 741-9012. Moderate.
Elm Street Winery. Entrees balanced flavors and textures with uncommon harmony: veal tenders were lovely with
Asian pears, the fruit’s sweetness cleanly cut with crumbles of Roquefort cheese; magret of duck wore a tart-sweet
mango chutney and carried a bold punch of aromatic pepper heat. Tournedoes of beef were peppered, too, and perfectly
cooked; sadly, the confit of duck served with them verged on oversaltiness. By-the-glass wine offerings were scant
and unremarkable when we were there, which seems curious indeed, particularly where the food is so deserving.
2704 Elm. 748-6565. Moderate to expensive.
Gershwin’s. For a place that’s made a career of trendiness (California-style pizzas, small plates during
Dallas’s brief grazing vogue), this upper-Greenville haven holds surprising staying power. The menu’s
something-for-everyone variety yields nothing spectacular, but almost anything one orders is dependably well
prepared: a quesadilla with fresh poblano and onions, bacon, and cheeses was crisp and flavorful, a mixed-seafood
starter held enough golden-fried shrimp, crab cakes, calamari, and batter-dipped mushrooms to feed a family.
Seafood-studded linguine was bathed, as advertised, in sunny fresh tomato sauce, and beef tournedos were
satisfyingly herbed sauced. 8442 Walnut Hill at Green-ville. 373-7171. Moderate to expensive.
Kathleen’s Cafe and Bar. We started dinner with a bowl of venison chili served with cream over one of
Kathleen’s terrific herb biscuits. We also tried the artichoke tart, which was large enough to have been a meal by
itself. Its rich filling was slightly overpowered by mustard, but the Cheddar cheese pastry was great. Dinner salads
were a mix of let-tuces, including iceberg, dressed with a slightly sweet. olive-laden vinaigrette. An entree of
seafood lasagna was filled with shrimp, salmon, and lots of cheese and smothered with a thick, rich tomato sauce;
another plate of pecan-smoked chicken held a moist breast accompanied by hot and sweet Italian sausages lending
spice. 4424 Lovers Lane. 691-2355. Inexpensive to moderate.
D REVISITS
Landmark Cats. Given the absolutely inviting physical Omni Melrose restaurant. I’ve neverunderstood why the
hotel’s cozy Library lounge seemed somuch more popular than its dining-place companion.Perhaps, in former
incarnations, the food tacked a certainjoie de vivre. Certainly there’s no such lack now- under executive chef
Kenneth E. Dunn’s hand, the Landmark’scuisine (airly yodels with creative exuberance. Excessively, in some
instances: an appetizer salad of fresh babygreens-lettuce, bokchoy, various peppers-with sautéedmozzarella in
sun-dried tomato dressing hardly needed thering of crisp-fried oysters that encircled the plate. And an entrée of
fresh Texas quail stuffed with cornbread dressingwould have been quite adequately partnered with its tarttomato and
corn relish and black currant sauce, sided withsautéed vegetables: the fried-to-leather sweet potato stringsgave
the plate a forbiddingly overproduced look that wasmomentarily oft-putting. Sautéed medallions of black
buckantelope, though, were lovely, served with crisp-edged ruffles of thin ham on natural sauce. Prices struck us as
a littleforbidding, too, by-the-glass wines most of all. But the soupof the day alone-a peppery, stout-hearted
rabbit vegetableversion laden with Good Things-would be enough to bringme back to this room, which is, to my mind,
one of the city’sprettiest. Omni Melrose Hotel. 3015 Oak Lawn Ave.522 1453 Expensive. -B.C.
The Mansion on Turtie Creek. Aside from an incoherent list of specials (I was tempted by an entree of
Indian-inspired yogurt-marinated lamb with curry and chutney, but couldn’t find anything to complement it), the
kitchen’s work was up to par. Mansion standards-lobster tacos with yellow tomato salsa, tortilla soup, chicken baked
with maple-pecan crust-and specials-soft-shell crab with barbecued crust and Cajun sausage with onion pasta-scaled
the expected peak of perfection, which at these prices, they should. However, the front of the house didn’t measure
up. Our reservation was lost and so was our waiter for much of the meal-errors that might be forgiven in a lesser
establishment, but are inexcusable at the Mansion. 2821 Turtle Creek Blvd. 526-2121. Expensive.
Routh Street Cafe. A recent visit proved that the reputation Routh Street has built in the last five years is
deserved. This is not so much a see and-be-seen spot as many Dallas dining rooms-the focus here is really on dining.
A minor facelift last August restored luster to the classic modern in-tenor and added necessary space; our service
was perfect, and, w ith minor exceptions (a too-oily salad dressing and an overpowering sorbet), so was the food:
rabbit with red chili pasta and smoked com; chili stuffed with almonds, apricots. and goat cheese; lamb loin with
roast garlic sauce sided with serranos and papaya quesadillas; and all the desserts. 3005 Routh St. 871-7161.
Very expensive.
Sam’s Cafe. After a period of hits and misses under former chefs, Sam’s kitchen is on a winning streak,
thanks to the direction of the current chef, David Feder. Lobster pizza was outstanding, as was a special pasta
paired with chunks of tenderloin and homemade “vulgar chocolate” ice cream that may be the most intense ever. 100
Crescent Court, Suite 140. 855-2233. Moderate to expensive.
Spatz. I had heard that Spate is a great little neighborhood bistro, and it is actually in my neighborhood.
Still, Spatz is worth slopping at even if it’s not in your neighborhood-the service is friendly, the place is cozy,
but light and bright, and the food is imaginative and good. Highlights of our visit: shrimp and mango quesadillas,
fettuccine with pine nuts, sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, and garlic in a cream sauce, steak with chèvre and
roasted shallots, and orange macadamia nut cheesecake. 2912 N Henderson. 827-7984. Moderate.
SEAFOOD
Atlantic Cafe. All the marble and brass make for a hard-edged elegance, and the food is almost always
superior. The menu has been narrowed down to include only the outstanding dishes-like pasta with smoked salmon and
seafood and a salad of tomato, avocado, and fresh mozzarella drizzled with pesto. Daily specials include elaborate
treatments of exotic fish, both broiled and sautéed. Be advised that the dessert the waiters call a custard is
really the most wonderful version of crème brulée in town, with a rich bottom and a crackling sugar crust. 4546
McKinney at Knox. 559-4441. Expensive.
Café Pacific. The star turn at our table was veal Oscar, animpressively thick, tender cut enhanced with crab
meat, snapping-fresh asparagus spears, and zippy hollandaise. Admittedly, a ceviche of lobster, baby scallops, and
shrimp was opulently presented, spiked with tomato and cilantro confetti, but its lime marinade struck me as a
trifle sharp. And an entree of jumbo shrimp sautéed scampi style, while fresh, was not nearly as exciting as the
veal. A wedge of light cheesecake with kiwi and strawberry sauce held our combined attention. I must say. And the
service could not have been more competent. Highland Park Village, Preston at Mockingbird, Suite 24. 526-1170.
Expensive.
Newport’s. Newport’s is a( 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 quesadilla, 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 tomatillo sauce, itself delicious but too heavy for the delicate fish. Desserts,
ranging from a flawless crème caramel to a chocolate truffle pie of surpassing richness, are exceptionally good.
703 McKinney in the Brewery 954-0220. Expensive.
Scott’s-A Seafood House. This family-run seafood house replaced a series of good ideas gone bad in this
quiet, end-of-McKinney location. Scon’s really is a good idea, and we hope it lasts longer than its predecessors.
It’s set back slightly from the street, and the bushes and small trees on the front patio further screen out any
traffic; inside, the seashell pink color and a wall of French windows make a graceful space out of a rectangle. Our
service was rather perfunctory, but a waiter at the next table was much more informative, so we shamelessly
eavesdropped. It seems there’s a new menu daily, according to what’s fresh, as everything we tasted certainly was.
Raw oysters were plump and briny; crab cakes consisted of little more than sweet crab meal in a light breading. Both
the sautéed fillet of sole and the grilled whole baby snapper were perfectly cooked and perfectly fresh. 4620
McKinney. 528-7777. Moderate.
Theodore’s. Advertised as a seafood restaurant, Theodore’s offers as well a full complement of Greek dishes
from taramousalata (a pink fish-roe dip) to moussaka (the divine Greek casserole of lamb and eggplant,
topped with a creamy custard and delicately tinct with cinnamon). But the creatures of the briny deep occupy the
bulk of the menu, and Theodore’s does a good job with most of them-though be forewarned that a simply, delectably
broiled whole flounder will be adorned with an herbal oregano accent that you may not have bargained for! The
humbler dishes like the fried fish and shrimp sandwiches can be disappointing, but the Greek-style shrimp scampi
(with tomato and feta cheese) is extraordinary. The Corner Shopping Center. 804! Walnut Hill. 361-1922. Moderate
to expensive.
SOUTHERN
Good Eats. My companion’s strip steak was perfect, and my chicken pie. which looked deceptively like a
lunar slab of cardboard pastry, turned out to be a miracle mix of tender chicken, new potato, carrot, corn, and
green beans under its flaky crown. Black-eyed peas were blank-eyed from lack of seasoning, which we’re inclined to
applaud these clays (for health) even as we salt (for taste). Broccoli-rice casserole was a trifle dry hut
flavorful, and corn on the cob was gloriously not overcooked. 3531 Oak Lawn. 522 3287. 6950 Greenville. 691-3287.
702 Ross. 744-3287. Inexpensive.
Highland Park Cafeteria. As cafeterias go, the original HPC is the momma of them all. a homey dispensary of
all the revered classics (chicken-fried steak with cream gravy, crisp-battered fried chicken, sautéed calves’ liver
and onions mercifully not cooked to death). Where else can you find a good country sour slaw, or the minced crunch
of carrots and celery in Jello? Closest thing to a new wrinkle here is mashed potatoes lavished with sour cream and
all the other trimmings you’d pile on a baked one. And closest thing to paradise is getting the all-over-frosted end
piece of a fresh-baked chocolate cake, or (he highest meringue-piled wedge of creamy caramel pie. 4611 Cole.
526-3801 Village on the Parkway, 5100 Belt Line at Dallas Pkwy, Suite 600. 934-8800. N
Downtown, 500 N Akard at San Jacinto, Suite 220. 740-2400. Inexpensive.
Highland Park Pharmacy. It is my feeling that a grilled cheese and a chocolate shake at Highland Park
Pharmacy will go a long way toward curing what ails you-whether you’re soul-sick, heartsick, or just plain old sick.
There are those who disagree-who believe that nothing will do, in extremis, but a chocolate soda and a “Palm Beach”
(pimento cheese, to the uninitiated). No matter; it may not be the incomparable counter cuisine that does the trick
anyway, but the fact that the Pharmacy is. literally, incomparable. There are few drugstore soda fountains left, and
the Pharmacy is one of the final remnants of the small town Highland Park once was. 3229 Knox. 521-2126.
Inexpensive.
D REVISITS
Theo’s. This little diner has a big reputation for its great grilled cheese sandwiches, but its burgers and
lemonade are worth writing home about, too. In fact, everything we’ve tried has been close to best of kind. And
that’s not even adding in points for (he incomparable ambience, The regulars-and that seems to be most of Theo’s
customers- obviously know best. 111 S Hall. 747-6936. Inexpensive.
-M.B.M.
D REVISITS
Upper Crust. Although there are a number of great off-the-wall shops alongside the kitsch. Olla Podrida still
seems like some relic from the commercialized Sixties-the stained glass and rustic woodwork look like a Woodstock
handmade houses design. Upper Crust has been in Olla Podrida since way back when, and its design-mismatched tables
and a collection of chandeliers-fits (he whole. It doesn’t seem nostalgic or cute, though, just comfortable and
cozy. Mile-high cornbread, light biscuits (unfortunately served with margarine), and crusty peach cobbler were
highlights of our meal. The salad was a little tired and the fried chicken fingers and chicken-fried steak tasted as
if they’d started out frozen. 12215 Coit Rd. 661-5738. Inexpensive.-M.B.M.
SPANISH
iCaramba! Alberto Lombardi has translated the Old World Spanish tapis concept into playful terms New World
Dallas can embrace and enjoy, with modest prices and a tongue-in-cheek focus on fun. The menu’s thirty-two little
dishes (half cold, half hot. priced from $2,50 to $4.50) offer a mouthwatering variety of samplers. On the cold
side, the cheapest was one of the best-quinoa becomes a trendy tabouleh-like cold salad, zipped with the freshness
of diced cucumbers, tomatoes, and lime juice. Lime also zings a ceviche that may be this city’s best yet, involving
tender bay scallops and fine-ly minced fresh chilies. Warm entries were laudable, too- sautéed sweetbreads with
peppercorn butter were star quality, tender-crisp. Frankly, none of the entrees were as exciting as the sampler
servings: marinated rabbit was overborne by its dark sauce of tomatoes, wine, and herbs; the paella’s saffroned rice
was nice, but the mussels were sandy and tough. Desserts were outstanding, particularly the Spanish version of
crèeme brulée, a silken wonder that equals any I’ve had anywhere. 3227 McKinney Ave. 720-9181. Inexpensive to
moderate.
STEAKS
Del Frisco’s Steakhouse. The best steak you can buy in Dallas-if you can stand beef so laden with cholesterol
and if you have the money-is Del Frisco’s ribeye. It’s lush and perfectly aged and likely to be perfectly cooked.
Another plus in Del Frisco’s favor is that the side dishes are much tastier than (hose usually found even in
high-priced steakhouses. The shrimp remaulade, Ihe au gratin potatoes, and the rich desserts are all worth ordering.
The one drawback is that now Del Frisco’s is more expensive than ever. The prices of the steak haven’t gone up, but
now you don’t get a potato unless you pay extra-only marvelously crusty French bread and a salad are included in the
basic price. The Crescent. 2200 Cedar Springs. 720-4454. Expensive.
Morton’s 01 Chicago. The porterhouse steaks are magnificent chunks of beef, and they are likely to be served
just as specified. Some of the other dishes are fine, too. The lump crab meal is simplicity itself, perfectly fresh
(though with a few too many flecks of shell). The Caesar salad is robust, and the chocolate soufflé for two a fine
end to a meal. For those who don’t want beef, the lobsters here are plausibly priced and nicely prepared, Our only
complaints on our most recent visit were tasteless hash-brown potatoes and the style of service that recites the
menu in rote fashion. 501 Elm Si. 741-2277. Expensive.
The Palm Restaurant. Grand-scale excess is a fetish here, in portions as well as price. Filets the size of
boxing gloves, lobsters large enough to saddle and ride, a la carte side dishes ample for whole families-of such
stuff is The Palm legend made, on a menu that has not varied since it was brought down from the mount. Almost
everything we tried was perfection in its class-roasted pimento halves stretched over chopped iceberg lettuce and
laced with anchovy strips in vinaigrette were fine as ever, while fresh asparagus held audacious crunch. The famed
half-and-half fry of thread-thin potato and onion was shockingly grease-sogged and un-crisp, but a lull-pound New
York strip and three double lamb chops were absolutely prime, cooked precisely to order. Service was expert as
always beneath its veneer of assumed insouciance, and the flown-in New York cheesecake was a marvel as usual. AM
Ross Avenue. 698-0470. Very expensive.
TAKEOUT/DELI
Al’s New York Style Dell. Al’s specially is the hero- known in other climes than New York as the submarine,
the grinder, or the poor boy. Our favorite is the Philly-not quite an authentic Philadelphia cheese steak sandwich,
but a , wonderful variation, with thinly pounded beef, melted Swiss cheese, and grilled sliced green peppers and
mushrooms. What makes this hero really heroic is the grilled bread it comes on-light and flavorful and ever so
slightly crunchy. Al’s has daily specials that include spaghetti and meatballs and a chicken breast lightly dusted
with Parmesan. The one we tried was the baked ziti in a very simple tomato sauce. The accompanying salad bar is
minimal. Much better are the salads that come with the sandwiches, especially a potato salad made with barely tender
boiling potatoes. 3301-A Oak Lawn (entrance on Hall). 522-3354. Inexpensive.
D REVISITS
Bagelstein’s. Bagelstein’s is trying hard to establish itself as something more than just a deli. The menu
was always enormously long, but now it is even longer due to a new page of ail-American dishes like deliriously
crisp fried chicken and too-dense meatloaf. Where the place really shines,though, is in the deli fere. The chopped
liver and pastramican be had on home-baked onion rolls. And there’s a variety of smoked fish-anybody with a taste
for lox (smokedsalmon) will probably like the whitefish salad too, but thesable, with a sushi-like texture, might
have a more limitedappeal. Northwood Hills Shopping Center, 8104 pringValley. 234-3787. Inexpensive to moderate.
-W.L.T.
Crescent Gourmet. In addition to the daily menu of sandwiches and salads, Crescent serves hot and cold daily
specials, a soup du jour, assorted cookies, cobblers, and sweets, and even offers a wine list. But while the
ingredients are of high quality, most of the dishes we tried lacked seasoning: chicken and tuna salads were meaty
but bland, shrimp bisque tasted only faintly of shrimp, and the brownies were more sweet than chocolate. On the
upside, the focaccia bread on the tasty bacon-avocado sandwich gets our vote for best sandwich bread in town, the
cinnamon-spiked three-berry cobbler was summer incarnate, and the white and dark chocolate chip cookies were
killers. 400 Crescent Court, 871-3223. Inexpensive to moderate.
Deli-News Restaurant A Bakery. Old World atmosphere is in short supply in Far North Dallas, but- although
this storefront operation isn’t much to look at-the Russian émigré proprietor and his help contribute lots of
color and charm here. The delicatessen foods are top-notch. We found particular delight in three kinds of beef:
meticulous-ly rare roast beef, lean brisket, and richly flavored corned beef. The baked goods vary in quality, but
the unusual onion rolls and the even more unusual poppy-seed roll (something like strudel) are worth investigating.
15775 Hi Merest Rd, Suite 502. 392-3354. Inexpensive.
D REVISITS
Pasta Plus. Under new ownership, several things have been added to the “plus” in Pasta Plus: in addition to
the pastas and sauces, there are such unanticipated things as boudin, the Cajun rice sausage. (Yes, the new owner is
from Louisiana.) The pasta side of things is still in good hands- we enjoyed the tortelloni (filled with a cheese
and spinach mixture) and the piselli sauce (with cream and peas) especially. The prepared takeout items, though,
didn’t comeoff as well. Lasagna was not very exciting, and the chickensalad, though nicely flavored with tarragon,
suffered fromlarge quantities of harsh Bermuda onions. 225 Preston RoyalEast. 373-3999. Inexpensive to moderate.
-W.L.T.
THAI
Krisda’s. As creative chefs in Dallas and elsewhere have introduced Thai touches into their New American
menus, Chef Annie Wong now returns the compliment, mixing Southwestern and Oriental ingredients and techniques with
sometimes confusing abandon. A starter described as “crispy puff noodle with shrimp and sweet fried onion sauce” was
actually Mee Grab, a classic Thai dish; and crab meat and asparagus bisque was not a bisque at all, but an excellent
eggdrop-thick soup. Our best entrées were one of skillet-fried beef tenderloin in peppery raisin sauce with angel
hair pasta, another of delicate vermicelli laden with sautéed shrimp and green onions, richly sauced. Steamed
mussels promised in curry-coconut tamale weren’t that at all; they were served on the half-shell, but tasted
terrific anyhow. 4501 Cole Ave. 521-3513. Moderate to expensive.
Thai Lanna. Thai Lamia does all the spicy, tangy Siamese specialties with pizazz, but it has a special way
with vegetable dishes, such as eggplant, and noodle dishes. The soups, too, are terrific. The chicken and coconut
milk soup, for instance, contains a potpourri of mysterious fresh herbs and aromatic roots-but be careful, because
it’s hotter than any Mexican dish you’re likely to get this side of Monterrey. 1490 W Spring Valley. 690-3637.
Inexpensive.
Thai Soon. This has quickly become one of the most popular Thai restaurants in Dallas, and it’s easy to see
why-the tiny jade green room with its Indonesian print cloths has a funky coziness that is most appealing, and the
mostly vegetarian menu is appealing, too. Don’t miss the corncakes (called corn patties), soups and curries are also
outstanding. 2018 Greenville. 821-7666. Inexpensive.
VIETNAMESE
Mai’s. This looks like a basic coffee shop, but you won’t find any hashed browns on (his menu: we started
with an order of fat pork-stuffed Vietnamese rolls, accompanied by a big plate of lettuce and cilantro leaves. You
wrap the roll and some cilantro in a lettuce leaf for an Asian taco-the combination of fresh and fried flavors, cool
and hot. is addictive. The hot pot we tried was not the usual soupy dish, but a drier, deliciously earthy mix of
rice, caramelized onions, strips of tender chicken, and straw mushrooms. The garlic-sautéed pan-fried catfish was
equally successful. We were warned about the bizarre-sounding pickled lemon drink, but had to try it anyway-it was
as strange as it sounded. 4812 Bryan. 826-9887. Inexpensive.
Mekong. Mekong’s menu gives Vietnamese and Chinese fare 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 came with (hem. The hot pot soup was a stellar array of chicken and seafoods cooked barely tender
with still-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. Inexpensive.
LAS COLINAS/MID CITIES
Moretti’s. The luncheon menu is dominated by standard dishes like tortellini in a buttery broth, lasagna with
a hearty tomato sauce, and veal Marsala with a delicious sauce (though the veal itself was a bit pasty from
imprecise sau-téing). The dinner menu lists more intricate creations, like veal with prosciutto and fresh zucchini.
2709 Mustang Drive, Grapevine. (817) 481-3230. Inexpensive to moderate.
Tandoor. Tandoor offers a superior assortment of appetizers: minced lamb patties, 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 letdown: tough curried lamb, slightly overcooked tandoori chicken, and dull cheese and vegetable dumplings.
532 Fielder North Plaza. south of 1-30, Arlington. (817) 261-6604. Moderate.
Via Reál. The appetizers include such novelties as crepa de salmone (thin slices of smoked salmon enfolded
in crépes 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 Reál also tilt toward the seafood end.
Town North Centre, 3591 N Belt Line at Nonthgate, Irving. 255-0064. Moderate.
FORT WORTH
Benito’e. This funky little spot on the near South Side of Fort Worth serves some of the best Mexican food in
Cowtown. Not Tex-Mex, real Mex. The menu features such uncommon appetizers as sopes, son of a super-thick
soft com tortilla filled with beans, cheese, and green sauce, and chilis en rajas, strips of poblano peppers
in cream. Entrees follow suit: tamal oaxaqueno is wrapped in a banana leaf, and the shredded (not ground)
beef tacos arc fried after they’re filled. Two kinds of molé, red and green, are offered as well as a selection of
guisadas. The standards are well done, but this is a place to go exploring. 1450 West Magnolia. (817) 332-8633.
Inexpensive.
La Marée, intended to be nothing more than a takeout offshoot of its parent restaurant. St. Emilion, this
kicky little place has developed a joyous persona all its own. A deli by day, La Marée turns bistro on Fridays and
Saturdays, when it serves dinner from a New American menu as sophisticated as any in the Metroplex. Particularly
seductive the night we were there were a crabcake appetizer that transcended the textureless regional cliché with a
lively spiced lime remoulade; a house salad that mated mixed greens with | grapes and chopped black olives and
sesame seeds in avocado-lime dressing; and an entrée of pork in three guises-smoked loin, homemade sausage, and
ham-zinged with ancho-pepper sauce. Breast of duck in plum wine sauce was admirable tarted with cranberries beside a
cinnamon baked apple-another departure from the too-sweet duck-and-fruit norm. Only a rather dry fried ravioli was
less than we’d hoped, and desserts-notably a delectable moist orange pound cake-were pure delight. 3416 W
Seventh. (8I7) 877-0838. Moderate.
Michael’s Seafood. For starters, the shrimp gumbo is good, if rather far from what a native Louisianian would
recognize. The New England clam chowder is so thick and glutinous that a spoon will stand up in it. Plain boiled
shrimp and the beer-battered onion rings arc better choices. The standbys here seem to be the fried seafood-catfish
fillets, oysters, shrimp, and the rest. The most innovative things on the menu are the blackened red snapper (one of
the better versions around of this latter-day cliché) and a garlicky version of shrimp scampi. 5805 Camp Bowie.
(817) 377-8021. Moderate.
Reflections. Fort Worth’s most beautiful and most serene dining room is the scene for some of its best food.
The goat-cheese ravioli, served as an appetizer, sat in a creamy sauce and was dotted with caviar Both the blackened
redfish (accompanied by Maryland crabcakes) and the juicy, pink rack of lamb were perfectly cooked. And the dessert
cart offered a raspberry tart with a firm, crisp crust and a chocolate cake with rich buttercream frosting. Our only
reservations concerned some of the sauces-both the vinaigrette poured over the salads and the sauce accompanying the
lamb had touches of sweetness that were not quite subtle enough. The worthington Hotel, 200 Main. (817) 870-1000.
Expensive.
