RESTAURANTS & BARS

Call of the Country

ON THE ROAD To accept spring’s irresistible day-trip invitation, you’ll have to abandon the interstates. Do that from 1-20 just east of Forney-Highway 80 will lead your pleasure hunt through some of the sweetest scenes of the season-born-again fields and trees, stress-free small towns with names like Edgewood, Elmo, Fruitvale. And Mineola-watch out for this one, though, or you may find yourself charmed into staying for good. That’s what happened to Jim and Bunny Young, a pair of Dallas dropouts (he was a regional v.p. for A. G. Edwards, she was in antiques) who six years ago stumbled across an 1899 vintage hardware store and never looked back. In a relaxed role reversal, Bunny runs the store, and Jim manages the deli they added because “you could get hamburgers and chicken-fried steak from Dallas clear to Baton Rouge, but you couldn’t find a good sandwich.” You can now-a born Brooklynite couldn’t fault the deli’s fine fillings and salad plates, and Southwesterners will lust over Young’s chili or lima bean and ham soup, both terrific. All ingredients here are locally produced, right down to the peppered bacon the store sells via its growing mailorder sideline. The hardware side of the operation is a trip back in time, from the pot-bellied stove that still warms the sit-down food section to the 1903 hand-pulled Otis rope elevator in the rear, to everything from live animal traps, hog rings and Granite Ware crowding shelves and display tables. You can even buy tickets here to Mineola’s May Day country music festival, to be held downtown the first weekend in May. Mark your calendar, and head for Kitchen’s Hardware and Deli at 119 E. Broad (the highway’s local name). (903) 569-2664. Open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Sundays. – Betty Cook

A Texas Clambake

NEW VENTURES When Baystreet restaurant sank last year, purchasing and procurements manager Jeff Willison was out of a job. But not for long-he simply started his own company. Willison’s new Piano-based Shore to Door Shellfish Co. specializes in shipping fresh shellfish dinners of lobster, crawfish, blue and dungeness crab via overnight Federal Express service from his source in Maine. An 800 number connects you to his local office where a trained staff handles orders. “I thought this might be a fun alternative to dining out,” Willison says. Shore to Door also designs custom orders for gifts or corporate incentive programs. To plan your own clambake, call him at 1-800-347-7424. -A.W.

CHEAP EATS



THE ESSENTIAL EGG

Which came first, the bunny or the egg? Your hunt for the perfect seasonal dish can lead to some satisfying variations on classic eggs Benedict. Some to savor:

Brazos does a bracing version that beds poached eggs on blue corn tortillas with black beans, under fresh tomato ranchero sauce and a melt of Jack and cheddar cheese. $7.50. 2100 Greenville Ave.

Dream Cafe dreams up different treatments for weekend brunching. One example: crab meat, spinach and mushrooms blanketing the poached pair on a wheat English muffin topped with Dijon mustard hollandaise. $8 to $9, depending on ingredients. 2800 Routh St., in the Quadrangle. 954-0486.

Kathleen’s Art Cafe lays the eggs on chicken breast slices, blankets the English muffin-based layers with basil and thyme-scented herb hollandaise, and calls the dish eggs Kathleen. $8.95. 4424 Lovers Lane.

Landmark Cafe’s eggs Melrose fills two phyllo pastry cups with a sautée of onions, tomato and sausage under the eggs and adds a mantle of hollandaise and a side of sauteed spinach In reduced-cream sauce. $6.75. 3015 Oak Lawn in the Omni Melrose Hotel.

Le Peep takes the traditional approach with a toasted English muffin, a 4-ounce ham steak and poached eggs classically sauced with Hollandaise. About $6. All locations.

-B.C.

EVENTS

If you love wine, food and the Texas Hill Country, you won’t want to miss the 7th Annual Texas Hill Country Wine and Food Festival in Austin this month. The event comingles the flavors and talents of the Texas food industry honoring chefs, restaurants and wineries. The three-day festival is open to the public, but tickets are limited, so call fast. For more information, call (512) 329-0770.

AT YOUR SERVICE

PEOPLE For five years Paul Pinnell has been the maitre d’ at Laurels at the Sheraton Park Central. Before that, he spent over two years at Cafe Royal. He opened Agnew’s as maitre d’ for Dean Fearing and Tom Agnew and was director of operations for Universal Restaurants for several years, spending most of that time at the front door of Old Warsaw. Pinnell has a loyal clientele-customers have happily followed him from Addison to downtown to North Dallas. “The first five minutes are the most critical and that’s why the most important thing you can give a guest is a genuine, honest greeting immediately. That sets the mood for the whole evening-you can’t make up for that lapse.” Pinnell started working in restaurants while he was in college and got hooked. “To me, it’s like making magic. You’re making a memory-a special moment. It should all be magic-the wine, the food, the room-but the service is what makes the magic work.”

-Mary Brown Malouf

NEW RESTAURANTS



Indian Comfort Food

BOMBAY GRILL Especially north of LBJ Freeway, Indian restaurants keep proliferating-and since it seems that in most of them the recipes and cooks are interchangeable, there might be danger of a glut. Certainly, by the time we visited, few people seemed to have discovered the Bombay Grill, in the location that used to house Safi’s Afghan restaurant. And that’s a shame, because while the menu is not unusual, the quality is. Bombay Grill is owned and run by the proprietor of North Dallas’ Taj Mahal and, if anything, offers even more dependable Indian cooking of a rather sedate variety that should win new converts to this cuisine.

Even such ubiquitous appetizers as vegetable samosas and pakoras seem special when turned out with this much care. Samosas, the tricorn-shaped pastries filled with potatoes and peas, proved toothsome and comforting, and the sliced vegetables among the battered and fried pakoras included eggplant and cauliflower along with the more humdrum potatoes. The curries here don’t represent the great variety of Indian dishes that fit into the category, but they are lovingly prepared-again, in a way that minimizes hot-pepper bite so as to be acceptable to American tastes. The dish called simply chicken curry probably turned out to be the spiciest of any we tried with its deep golden sauce. The creamy lamb shahi korma and the prawn mahkani in a rich tomato sauce wouldn’t have alarmed anybody’s grandmother or maiden aunt.

The Bombay Grill does do an especially good job on the barbecue-like products of the big clay Indian oven called the tandoor. The fire-engine red tandoori chicken is especially juicy and succulent, and the tender boti kebob (basically a lamb shish kebob) will satisfy meat lovers. The breads cooked in the tandoor, too, are excellent, from the simple white na’an and the multiple wholewheat layers of the paratha to the complexity of keema na’an, stuffed with onions and ground lamb.

The kitchen also offers the full range of Indian desserts, including kheer (rice pudding), gulab jamun (puffy, little brown balls in sugar syrup) and rasmalai (small cylinders of homemade cheese in sweetened cream).

Overall, Bombay Grill is a fine addition to the ethnic dining landscape in Dallas. 14849 Inwood Road. 934-8234. Lunch, Mon.-Fri. 11-2:30, Sat.-Sun. 11:30-2:30; dinner Sun.-Thur. 5:30-10, Fri.-Sat. 5:30-10:30. All credit cards. Moderate. -W.L.T.

A Pocketful of Miracles

MILAGRO TEX-MEX CAFE This tiny new spot in Oak Cliff has a homey feel to it- the service is warm and friendly without being overbearing, and the food is the genuine Tex-Mex thing, with no pretensions about trying to reproduce authentic dishes from the interior of Mexico. The rock-bottom prices are the next cheapest things to eating at home, too. I can hardly think of a better place to eat that old Tex-Mex standby, the enchilada. We sampled four different styles: chicken with sour cream, beef with ranchero sauce, cheese enchiladas and their near-kin, the so-called soft cheese taco. All turned out to be exemplary, as was the homemade tamale we ordered on the side.

Milagro offers only a few appetizer selections-the most unusual, and tastiest for those with a palate for peppers, are the calientitos (jalapenos stuffed with Monterey’ Jack cheese and pico de gallo and lightly sautéed in an egg batter, nestled in creamy Spanish rice and topped with chile con queso), which are much more delicate and delicious than the deep-fried stuffed jalapenos offered elsewhere. But even very ordinary’ items like bean-and-cheese nachos are special here, obviously freshly and carefully made on crisp chips rather than the thrown-together variety too often encountered.

The specialty meat dishes on the menu are less exciting than the tortilla-based ones, but still more than satisfactory. The carnitas will disappoint those expecting the traditional little cubes of crisp deep-fried pork; here they turn out to be more like beef fajitas topped with melted cheese. The breast meat in the chicken mole proved a bit chewy, but the sauce seemed to be homemade. Its strong aroma of cloves divided opinion among the mole aficionados at our table; since cloves are my least favorite spice, I wasn’t crazy about the sauce, but others found it appealing.

A must-try at Milagro is the sopapilla-a big, pillow-shaped puff of dough, softer than usual, and served plain with honey or with a choice of strawberries or canned peaches. The plain ones are among the best Mexican desserts in town. 1009 W. Davis St. 948-5571. Lunch, Mon.-Fri. 11-2:30; dinner, Mon.-Fri. 5-9; Open Sat. 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Closed Sunday. BYOB. No credit cards, but personal checks accepted. Inexpensive.

-W.L. Taitte



Japanese Knife Tricks

SUSHI-YAMA Sushi-Yama is small, but its personality is large. The tiny interior, done in natural wood with Japanese posters on the walls, holds a little sushi bar and a mere handful of tables. The effect is cozy, not claustrophobic, even when the restaurant is full, as it was when we were there-mostly with Japanese families.

Much of the friendly feeling is attributable to the service, overseen by the (self-described) “Dragon Lady,” the enthusiastic Jennifer, who is also the wife of the knife-flushing sushi chef behind the bar. This is their place; formerly associated with Mr. Sushi, the couple finally decided to go it on their own. And they’re giving it all they’ve got.

We like to take our friend from Tokyo when we try a new Japanese restaurant- always in search of good Japanese food here, he can vouch for authenticity and we then adjust his opinion to the Dallas curve.

We started dinner by snacking on edamame-a bowl of bright green soybeans in the pod. You pop the nutty-tasting bean out of the pod and eat them tike peanuts- you’ll be disappointed if you try eating the bean whole. A bowl of earthy-tasting miso, soybean broth, held chunks of mild white tofu. We also ordered tsukune, broiled balls of ground turkey, and gyoza, fried beef dumplings.

Although there is teriyaki and tempura on the menu, we mostly stuck to sushi-tuna, shrimp, salmon, yellowtail, tuna rolls, California rolls and cucumber rolls with a dab of green wasabi, the Japanese horseradish that makes a jalapeno taste like a candy cane. Between bites we nibbled on petals of pink pickled ginger. The fish was impeccably fresh, but the sushi rice seemed not quite moist enough to stick together properly. Its dryness detracted from the succulence of the fish. Lightly colored, fried Japanese chicken fingers (kara-age) were all white meat and delicious.

According to our Japanese friend, the food was not as good as he could get at home; it seemed as good as you can get in Dallas, though. By the way, Sushi-Yama is located right next door to Kazy’s, one of the best Japanese markets in town in case you’re inspired to try rolling your own. 8989 Forest Lane, Suite 112. 234-3474 (FISH). Lunch, Mon.-Fri. 11:30-2:30; dinner, Mon.- Fri. 5:30-10; open Sat. 12-10. V, MC. Inexpensive. -Mary Brown Malouf



An All-You-Can-Eat Extravaganza<BR>GENERAL CHINA Forget everything you’ve ever heard about being hungry again an hour after eating Chinese food-gorge on the all-you-can-eat buffet at this East Dallas establishment, and I guarantee you’ll feel fully fed for a very long time. And for a fraction of what you’d pay at most restaurants-at lunch, the buffet’s $4.50, at dinner $6.95, and I don’t know how even a high-volume eatery like this one can serve so much for so little.

Of course, as with all buffets, quality varies according to how long items have been out on the serving line. Appetizers, in particular, suffer. Our first visit’s had all cooled to room temperature, which left shrimp toast greasy, fried dumplings chewy and crab Rangoon centered with a solid block of cream cheese in each tough little pouch. Entrees, though, held up surprisingly well-of the near-dozen offered (and frequently replenished), we found the sesame chicken, barbecued beef and huge in-the-shell shrimp quite pleasant; a mixed lo mein with snapping-fresh vegetables was superior, and shrimp, crab and scallops sautéed with mushrooms, Chinese cabbage and squash was light on scallops but wonderfully fresh and healthy-tasting. Mindful of the American predilection for desserts, the family-aimed buffet also presents an array of fresh and canned fruit, as well as a not-bad chocolate pudding, frozen yogurt and curiously tasteless little frosted cake squares.

Thinking to beat the rubber-appetizer curse on our second visit, we chose a la carte from the printed menu after being assured our pu-pu tray and entrees would be prepared to order. The pu-pu tray obviously wasn’t-its flameless assortment was as tired as the first visit’s buffet-but scallops with hot garlic sauce were all we could have wished, huge things surrounded with chunks of carrot, large mushrooms, water chestnuts, zucchini and turnips in a sauce that made no concession to timid tongues. Moo Shu pork was less thrilling, its crepe and filling both rather dry, and the customary frilled scallion totally missing.

Frills, in fact, are not what’s drawing neighborhood traffic to this clean, cafeteria-like place. The main attraction here is the magic phrase, “all you can eat,” with plenty of pretty good food to back it up, and a price that young families in particular seem to be finding irresistible. Children under 3 eat free, by the way, those 3 to 12 are half-price, and evening delivery’s free within three miles, 1920 Skill man, 827-3688. Lunch, Mon.-Fri. 11-2, Sat.-Sun. 11:30-2:30; dinner, Sun.-Thur. 5-9, Fri.-Sat. 5-10. Ail credit cards. Inexpensive. -Betty Cook



DREVISITS



BARBECUE



D Revisits R.J.’s Sho-Nuff. From outside, this easy-to-miss Maple Avenue emporium looks more like a Cajun Country backwoods bait shack than anything else. Inside, though, your first whiff tells you the bait cut here is for humans-the aroma of hickory-smoked meats, Cajun spices and simmering fresh vegetables is irresistible proof. Owner/ chef R.J. Williams isn’t Cajun (he’s from Austin, actually), but his cooking is, and 1 don’t know of another barbecue place that lists a more varied menu of authentic Southern comforts. Sandwiches held lean and tender slices of pork and beef. Huge, meaty ribs were juicy to the bone; fresh-made sausage was potently spiced. Dessert-wise, we’d hit an off day (read: no sweet potato pie) and had to make do with a couple of R.J.’s incredible pecan pralines, which Williams somehow finds time to make for several of this city’s Mexican restaurants. Hard to believe all this good stuff comes from a kitchen smaller than most state fair concession stands. 3910 Maple Ave. 528-5230. Inexpensive. -B.C.



FRENCH/CONTINENTAL

D Revisits Addison Cafe. Even on a weekday evening, a cosmopolitan clientele crowds into this glossy little bistro-we noticed a dressed-to-the-teeth blond patron greeting her Chinese guests in (as far as we could tell) perfect Mandarin. The cuisine lends to be showy, too-the mood was set by an appetizer of shrimp and scallops in puff pastry enlivened by a dollop of crab meat, saffron sauce and slender tips of fresh asparagus. The soup of the day, though, showed a little too much pretension in calling itself bouillabaisse: this fish soup tasted more of the big hunks of celery floating in it than of the Mediterranean shellfish characteristic of the dish. Main courses reflect the nouvelle tendencies of a decade or so ago. Lamb tenderloin comes to the table already sliced, accompanied by medallions of underdone vegetables. Both the best desserts are mousses-a fluffy one of white chocolate adorned with plump fresh blackberries and sliced strawberries and a denser dark chocolate topped with a cookie. 5290 Belt Line, Suite 108, Dallas, 991-8824. Moderate to expensive. -W.L.T.



GREEK

D Revisits Theodore’s Seafood Restaurant. The white tablecloths and serious waiters give Theodore’s a somewhat formal feel, but you can tell from the grape-arbor decor that no interior designer can ever have been near the place. Nobody seems to care, because people crowd into the somewhat cramped tables to enjoy some of the finest Greek fare-and seafood-in town. Soup or salad comes with entrees, but it’s still worth it to order appetizers; the taramasalata (a red caviar dip) and crisp, delicate fried calamari reward those brave enough to sample something a little unusual. Probably the best dish the kitchen turns out isn’t even on the menu-the whole, baby red snapper, sautéed rather than broiled, fragrant with the Mediterranean savor of garlic. The seafood pasta Theodore would be tastier if the crab legs on top were the real thing rather than ersatz. For those in the mood for Greek dishes not from the sea, the marinated lamb en brochette is an optimum choice. Lovers of Greek sweets should hold out for the galaktobouriko, flaky pastry surrounding creamy thick custard. The Comer Shopping Center. 8041 Walnut Hill, Suite 810. 361-1922. Moderate to expensive. -W.L.T.



HOME COOKING

D Revisits Tolbert’s. Tolbert’s is practically a chain now, but surprisingly the food quality has held up very well, The fried, boneless chicken was only mediocre, and I’ve had better chicken-fried steak but there’s still not a better bowl of chili in town, to my taste. (It comes with complimentary cheese and onions.) The broad-minded owners have includ ed a version of chili with beans, bending one of the laws Frank X. Tolbert laid down in his treatise on chili and related topics. Bowl of Red, but I stick to the basic brew, medium- hot. I’ve always liked “donkey tails”-cheese and wieners wrapped in fried flour tortillas-that come with a chili dip. and the burger, its patty dark-crusted outside and deep rose within, was also improved by the rich stew. 4544 McKinney Ave. 520-3406. Inexpensive to moderate. -M.B.M.



ITALIAN

D Revisits Cafe Expresso. Lombardi’s has abandoned the fast-food field, leaving only their successor and Massimo da Milano in this Preston Center storefront as contenders for good cafeteria-style Italian food. And though the menu here at Cafe Expresso is virtually the same as it was when this was Lombardi’s Expresso, the place has lost a link luster. On a recent visit, our food was uneven and the disinterested serving people didn’t help the feeling that there has been a slip. Caesar salad, a lunch-lime standard, was limp and salty (though the Parmesan-crusted focaccia was good); manicotti, brought piping hot to the table, was slightly gummy and drowned in a sharp-tasting tomato sauce. Ignore the case of pastries in the front of the shop-they’re better to look at than to eat. 6135 Luther Lone. 361-6984. -M.B.M.



D Revisits II Sorrento. When you revisit this Dallas classic, you may have a sense of déjà vu-if it’s been 10 years since your prom date, why does this decor feel so familiar? It’ll dawn on you eventually, but I’ll tell you now: It reminds you of Sfuzzi in a romantic mood. Surely the Colombos must have visited this place before they dreamed up the crumbling walls and exterior textures that are virtually a visual signature of that most-hip restaurant. II Sorrento is the grandfather of faux. The inside courtyard with its arches and columns, the fountain room off the entrance, the man replenishing your bread from a hot box and the strolling accordion player are old-fashioned elaborations-all charming-(hat new restaurants don’t indulge in. The last time I ate here, the menu was a relic, too. The food was heavy and the kitchen had never heard of “new Italian.” Now there is a list of specials-red pepper terrine, salmon with pancetta and basil, pork with caramelized onions-that tempts you away from tortellini in cream sauce. Give in most of the new dishes we tried were good, if not as wonder ful as the scenery. 8616 Turtle Creek. 352-8759. Moderate to expensive. -M.B.M.



D Revisits Joey Tomato’s Atlantic City. Joey Tomato’s is not about Italian food. It’s about American- Italian food, which is an entirely different animal. Frank Sinatra’s voice on the sound system gives you a clue as to what to expect on your plate. This is Italian movie food- great gooey gobs of cheese melting over a mountain of lasagna, soft garlicky breadsticks and crisp iceberg lettuce salads with jug red wine and big meatballs smothered with thick tomato sauce. Service is snappy and the atmosphere is loud and convivial. Use lots of hand gestures when you’re talking and mama mia! don’t ask for “pasta.” 3232 McKin- ney Ave. 754-0380. Moderate. -M.E.M.



D Revisits Scuro. The food on my last professional visit to Scuro was disappointing but I have had enough good meals in this little restaurant to be sure that someone was just having a bad day. For instance, the pizzas-crisp-crusted, smalI enough for one and topped with combinations of ingredients that are original but not startling are generally winners. However, though my cheeseless pizza held deli-ciously fresh spinach, sun-dried tomatoes and eggplant, the whole thing lacked punch. A special order of risotto with mushrooms had a good texture but needed salt. In fact, everything we ordered was underseasoned except the pasta puttanesca, which was overwhelmingly salty. The salads were, as usual, uniformly excellent; Scuro’s Mediterranean salad with feta and red onion is one of my favorites-the kind of simple, strong-flavored combination that is Scuro’s at its everyday best. 2713 Elm. 74I-0111. Moderate. -M.B.M.



MEDITERRANEAN

D Revisits Blind Lemon, For a place that rather pompously describes itself as “an urban bar and bistro,” Blind Lemon puts up a surprisingly unassuming front. That’s intentional, of course-the folks that own it, Club Clearview and the Art Bar, are old pros at carving out Deep Ellum-compatible identities, and this spot’s leftover-funk decor (a pressed-tin wall, scattered paintings and a few artist-painted game tables) fits its Bohemian milieu comfortably. Slop by for a weekday lunch, though, and the dim, plain place is downright relaxing. Bloody Marys are as good as any I’ve sampled, and while the menu appears little changed since last summer’s opening, the food coming out of chef Mark Schmidt’s kitchen has improved several notches over the bistro’s initial fare. Caesar salad was whole leaves of young romaine, prettily arranged and lustily dressed with the proper trace of anchovy. The soup of the day, fresh vegetable, suspended all manner of nice veggie dice in a curiously creamy-looking but thin-bodied broth which tasted a good deal better than it looked. A pizzette of spinach, tomato, garlic and Gorgonzola cheese was scrumptious on thin, cracker-crisp crust. Cheese-stuffed ravioli were light and delicate en brodo with diced Roma tomato, fresh basil and Parmesan. The apple (art my companion and I shared for dessert was flaky perfection, and we left feeling far more charmed than we’d expected-due at least partly to our server, whose infectious joie de vivre would have wrung smiles from a stone. 2805 Main Street, 939 0202. Inexpen sive to moderate. -B.C.



MEXICAN

D Revisits The Martinez Cafe. Now that the Piano outpost is the only location for the Martinez Cafe, the food and service both seem to have picked up in quality there. For starters, you might try the combination of chicken flautas and chicken nachos-the latter an unusual version with tangy white cheese and marinated white meat. Chicken also receives a royal treatment in the polio en mole-the dark mole sauce has more chili bite and an earthier flavor than at some other places. The famous Mexican steak dish carne a la tampiquena comes as anything-but-orthodox strips of buttery tenderloin tossed with peppers and onions. Some of the humblest things here are the most memorable: definitive cheese enchiladas (with less onion in the filling than most) and retried beans with the slightly grainy texture and the rich taste of the genuine thing. Preston Park Village, 1900 Preston. Piano. 964-7898 Inexpensive to moderate. -W.L.T.



NEW AMERICAN

D Revisits Buffalo Club. Since its move to the Quadrangle, we’d heard, the Buffalo Club had transformed the former Actuelle space into one of those hard-surfaced noise boxes where chichi types throng to scream at each other. We lucked out, by going on a night when foul weather kept the loud crowd home and the ambience cozily muted. We’d also heard service here was naught)’; instead, we found it particularly warm, caring and knowledgeable. That makes two happy surprises. The third was the food we sampled from new executive chef Alan Rosenblatt’s intriguing new menu. Fresh from a stint as sous chef of Wolfgang Puck’s Postrio in San Francisco, Rosenblatt won our chili-weary hearts with the subtlety of seasonings in, for instance, smoked eggplant soup, barely hinting of piquance, floated with liny, light, lamb meatballs and cilantro cream. One entree fanned rare-grilled tuna slices on delicately spiced lobster curry sauce, crowned with a tangle of a crisp-fried shredded leek and sided with baby carrots, sugar snaps and squash, all sautéed al dente. Another entree involved the made-in-heaven pairing of a succulent little quail, grilled rare, with even more succulent ravioli circles, each holding a single son-cooked quail egg on tolds of spinach. A starter of diced salmon tartare was almost too subtle. played against blandly dressed baby lettuces; but the other end of the meal made up the difference: vanilla bean cheesecake topped with chopped pistachios on fresh blackberry sauce was a fine contrast of textures and flavors, and a trio of tart fruit sorbets on rich caramel sauce was pure delight. 2800 Routh Street. Suite 125. 220-2465. Moderate to expensive. -B.C.



STEAKS

D Revisits Del Frisco’s. I would love to know whether the recession-proof crowds that pack Del Frisco’s Oak Lawn original are there because or in spite of the man’s godawful radio commercials. A curiosity taste question only. Obvi ously, patrons of the place dress well, to match the darkly rich club-like decor. They date well, too-witness the rapt couples doing the Dallas-style Tom Jones thing, eyes locked as they trade bites of lobster and beef. And they certainly dine well-the steaks here are wonderful. I can never talk myself into trying the veal or salmon also offered on the menu. As always, our last visit’s 16-ounce ribeye and 24- ounce porterhouse were perfect cuts to start with and per fectly cooked to boot, the ribeye charred outside, blood-rare within, the huge T-bone done to hot pink in its heart. Angel hair pasta was superbly al dente, as was emerald-fresh asparagus. Only chateau potatoes, a dispirited skins-on mash slumped in puddles of butter, tailed to deliver delight. We could hardly complain, though; fresh-baked bread loaves were replaced as they cooled, the glass of house red that tasted oxidized was instantly corrected and service was ultra- accommodating in every way, right down to smiling us out the door with discreet doggie bags for next day’s feasting, 4300 Lemmon Avenue. 526-9811. Expensive. -B.C.



THAI

D Revisits Thai Lanna. The Spring Valley location has come under new ownership and management. For a while it was being announced that it was changing its name to Lan-na Thai, but those plans have apparently been dropped. So it’s still Thai Lanna, with the same menu but often quite different recipes. The spring rolls-now almost unique in this town-are the delightful Thai variant, thin rice paper wrapped around a Eight, compact filling. Another superb starter is the stuffed chicken wings, crisply fried and love ly to look at. Most of the dishes pack a big wallop-the new hands in the kitchen do not stint on either the mysterious Thai herbs nor on chili peppers of many varieties. To com pensate for the spicy rigor of the eggplant curry chicken or the beef panang, set them off with a cooling order of shrimp with mixed vegetables or Thai noodles. The new staff works hard to accommodate. 1490 W. Spring Valley, Richardson, 690-3637. Moderate. ” -W.L.T.



STAURANts

D RECOMMENDS



BARBECUE

Austin’s Barbecue. 2321 W. Illinois. 337-2242. Inexpensive.

Baker’s Ribs. 2724 Commerce. 148-5433. Inexpensive.

Peggy Sue BBQ. 6600 Snider Plaza. 987-9189. Inexpensive.

Riscky’s. 1701 N. Market. Suite 104. 742-7001. Inexpensive.

Sonny Bryan’s Smokehouse. 2202 Inwood. 357-7120. 302 N. Market. 744-1610. Inexpensive.



BRITISH

Jennivine. 3605 McKinney Ave. 528-6010. Moderate to expensive.

Outback Pub. 1701 N. Market. Suite 105. 761-9355. Inexpensive.



BURGERS

Allen Street Bar & Grill. 2900 McKinney Ave. 871-0256. Inexpensive to moderate.

Balls Hamburgers. 3404 Rank in Snider Plaza. 373-1717. 4343 W. Northwest Hwy. 352-2525. Inexpensive.

Cardinal Puff’s. 4615 Greenville Ave. 369-1969. Inexpensive.

Chip’s. 4501 N. Central Expwy. 526-1092. Inexpensive.

Club Schmitz. 9661 Denton Drive. 902-7990. Inexpensive.

Deep Elmer’s. 2615 Commerce. 748-9898. Inexpensive. 8.0. 2800 Routh St. 979-0880. Inexpensive.

The Green Elephant Bar and Grill. 5612 Yale. 520-6625.

Hard Rock Cafe. 2601 McKinney Ave. 855-0007. Moderate

Prince of Hamburgers. 5200 Lemmon Ave. 526-9081. Inexpensive.

Snuffers. 3526 Greenville Ave. 826-6850. 14910 Midway, Addison. 991-8811. Inexpensive.

Starlight Diner. 2715 Elm. 747-STAR. Inexpensive.

State. 3611 Parry Ave. 821-9246. Inexpensive.

Texas Hamburgers. 1606 Market Center Blvd. 747-2222. Inexpensive.



CAJUN

Atchafalaya River Cafe. 4440 Belt Line, Addison. 960-6878. Moderate,

Cafe Margaux. 4216 Oak Lawn. 520-1985. Moderate.

Crescent City Cafe. 2730 Commerce. 745-1900. Inexpensive.

Dodie’s Seafood Cafe. 2129 Greenville Ave. 821-8890. Inexpensive.

Louisiana Purchase. 2901 N. Central Expwy., Suite 101, Piano. 423-0533. Inexpensive to moderate.

Nate’s Seafood & Steakhouse. 14951 Midway Road, Addison. 701-9622. Moderate.

Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen. 3520 Oak Lawn. 521-4700. Moderate to expensive.

Red’s Cafun Queen. 3701 W. Northwest Hwy. 350-9777. Inexpensive to moderate.



CENTRAL/SOUTH AMERICAN

Gloria’s Restaurant. 600 W. Davis. 948-3672. 9386 LBJ Frwy. at Abrams. 690-0622. Inexpensive.



CHINESE

August Moon. 15030 Preston at Belt Line. 385-7227. 2300 N. Central Expwy, Piano. 881-0071. Moderate.

Cafe Panda. 7979 Inwood, Suite 121. 902-9500. Moderate.

Cathy’s Wok. 4010 W. 15th, Piano. 964-0406. Inexpensive.

Canton Chinese Restaurant. 400 N. Greenville Ave., Suite 25. Richardson. 238-1863. Inexpensive.

Chef Wang. 9330 N, Central Expwy., United Artists Plaza. 373-1403. Moderate to expensive.

Chu’s Restaurant. 15080 Beltway. Addison. 387-1776. Moderate.

Crystal Pagoda. 4516 McKinney Ave. 526-3355. Moderate.

Elm St. Shang-Hai. 2807 Elm St. 651-8988. Moderate.

First Chinese Barbecue. Ill S. Greenville Ave., Richardson 680-8216. Inexpensive.

Grand Taipel. 216 W. Campbell, Richardson. 907-1027. Moderate.

Henry Chen’s. 3701 W. Northwest Hwy. 956-9560. Moderate.

Hong Kong Royaie. 221 W. Polk, Suite 200, Richardson. 238-8888. Moderate to expensive.

Hunan Restaurant. 5214 Greenville. 369-4578. Inexpensive to moderate.

May Dragon. 4848 Belt Line at Inwood. 392-9998. Moderate.

Pacific Garden. 4527 Travis. 522-6868. Moderate.

Restaurant Jasmin. 4002 Belt Line. Suite 200. Addison. 991-6867. Moderate.

Szechwan Pavilion. 8411 Preston. 368-4303. 1152 N. Buckner, Suite 128. Casa Linda Plaza. 321-7599. Moderate.

Taiwan Restaurant. 4980 Belt Line, Addison. 387-2333. Inexpensive to moderate.

Tarty China. 3514-A W. Walnut, Garland. Z76-1999. Inexpensive.

Texas Jade. 3227 McKinney Ave. 871-8898. Moderate.

long’s. 11661 Preston. Suite 143. 361-6588. Moderate.

Tong’s House. 1910 Promenade Center. Richardson. 231-8858. Moderate.

Uncle Tai’s. 13350 Dallas Pkwy., in the Galleria. 934-9998. Expensive.



ETHIOPIAN

Dallul. 2515 Inwood. 353-0804. Inexpensive la moderate.

River Nile. 7001 Fair Oaks. 363-1128. Inexpensive to moderate



FRENCH/CONTINENTAL

Chez Gerard. 4444 McKinney Ave. 522-6865. Moderate to expensive.

Clair de Lune. 5934 Royal Lane. Suite 120. 987-2028. Moderate to expensive.

Epicure Highland Park. 69 Highland Park Village. 520-8501. Moderate to expensive.

Ernie’s. 5100 Belt Line. Suite 502. 233-8855. Moderate to expensive.

Ewald’s. Stoneleigh Hotel, 2927 Maple. 871-2523. Expensive.

The French Room. The Adolphus Hotel, 1321 Commerce. 742-8200. Expensive.

The Grape. 2808 Greenville Ave. 828-1981. Moderate.

Juniper. 2917 Fairmount. 855-0700. Expensive.

La Madeleine. 3072 W. Mockingbird. 696-0800. 3906 Lemmon Ave. 521-0183. 628 NorthPark Center. 696-2398. Inexpensive.

L’Ancestral. 4514 Travis. 528-1081. Moderate.

Le Brussels. 6615 Snider Plaza. 739-1927. Moderate.

Le Caviste. 5405 W. Lovers Lane. 352-6512. Moderate.

L’Entrecote. Loews Anatole Hotel, 2201 Stemmons Frwy. 748-1200. Very expensive.

Les Saisons. 165 Turtle Creek Village. 528-1102. Expensive.

The Old Warsaw. 2610 Maple. 528-0032. Very expensive.

Pierre’s By The Lake. 3430 Shorecrest. 358-2379. Moderate to expensive.

The Riviera. 7709 lnwood. 351-0094. Very expensive.

St. Martins. 3020 Greenville Ave. 826-0940. Moderate to expensive.

Sweet Temptations. 9090 Skillman. 503-6007. Inexpensive to moderate.

Watel’s. 1923 McKinney Ave. 720-0323. Moderate to expensive.

York St. 6047 Lewis. 826-0968. Expensive



GERMAN/EASTERN EUROPEAN

Belvedere. 4242 Lomo Alto. 528-6510. Expensive.

Cafe Athenee. 5365 Spring Valley, Suite 150. 239-8060. Moderate.

The Chimney. 9739 N. Central Expwy. 369-6466. Expensive.

Franki’s Li’l Europe. 362 Casa Linda Plaza. Garland Road. 320-0426. Inexpensive to moderate.

Hofstetter’s. Plaza at Bachman Creek, 3840 W. Northwest Hwy., Suite 400. 358-7660. Inexpensive to moderate.

Kuby’s Sausage House Inc. 6601 Snider Plaza. 363-2231. 3121 Ross. 821-3121. Inexpensive.



GREEK

Cafe Greek. Preston Valley Shopping Center. Preston Road at LBJ. 934-9767. Moderate.

Goldflnger. 2905 Webb Chapel Extension. 350-6983, Moderate to expensive.

Greek Bistro. 2014 Greenville Ave. 826-8989. Inexpensive to moderate.

Kosta’s Cafe. 4914 Greenville Ave. 987-3225. Ixexpensive.



HOME COOKING

Bishop Arts Cafe. 316 W. Seventh St. 943-3565. Inexpensive to moderate.

Celebration. 4503 W. Lovers Lane. 351-5681. Moderate.

Chubby’s. 11333 E. Northwest Hwy. 348-6065.

Farmer’s Grill. 4015 Lemmon Ave. 521-2281. Inexpensive.

Gennle’s Bishop Grille. 321 N. Bishop. 946-1752. Inexpensive.

Good Eats Cafe. 3531 Oak Lawn. 522-3287. 6950 Greenville Ave. 692-3287. 702 Ross. 744-3287. 14905 Midway: Addison. 392-3287. Inexpensive.

Highland Park Cafeteria. 4611 Cole at Knox. 526-3801. 300 Casa Linda Plaza at Garland Road. 327-3663. Lincoln Plaza, 500 N. Akard. 740-2400. Inexpensive.

Highland Park Pharmacy. 3229 Knox. 521-2126. Inexpensive.

Mama’s Daughters’ Diner. 2014 Irving Blvd. 742-8646. Inexpensive.

Original Market Diner. 4434 Harry Hines. 521-0992. Inexpensive.

The Mecca. 10422 Harry Mines. 352-0051. Inexpensive.

Rosemarie’s. 1411 N. Zang. 946-4142. Inexpensive.

Theo’s Diner. 111 S. Hall. 747-6936. Inexpensive.

Vice Versa. 6065 Sherry Lane. 691-2976. Inexpensive.



INDIAN

Akbar. 2115 Promenade Center. Richardson. 235-0260. Inexpensive (lunch) to moderate (dinner).

Ashoka Indian Cuisine. 5409 Bell Line, Prestonwood Creek Shopping Center. 960-0070. Moderate.

India Palace Restaurant. 12817 Preston, Suite 105. 392-0190. Moderate to expensive.

Kebab-N-Kurry. 40! N. Central Expwy., Suite 300, Richardson. 231-5556. Inexpensive to moderate.

Kebab-N-Kurry. 2620 Walnut Kill. 350-6466. Inexpensive.

Shalimar. 35 Richardson Heights Village, Central at Belt Line. Richardson. 437-2858. Inexpensive.

Shusmi. 859 N.E. Green Oaks, Arlington. (817) 860-8728. Moderate.

Taj Mahal. Caruth Plaza, 9100 N. Central Expwy., Suite 179. 692-0535. Moderate.



IRISH

Tipperary Inn. 2818 Greenville Ave. 823-7167. Inexpensive.



ITALIAN

Acapella Cafe. 2508 Maple. 871-2262. Moderate.

Alessio’s. 4117 Lomo Alto. 521-3585. Expensive.

Cafe Italia. 2720 Stemmons Frwy. 521-0700. Inexpensive

Caffe Paparazzi. 8989 Forest Lane, Suite 136. 644-1323. Moderate.

Capriccio. 2616 Maple. 871-2004. Expensive.

Chianti Restaurant and Pizzeria. 9526 Webb Chapel. 350-7456. Inexpensive.

Fausto’s Oven. 300 Reunion Blvd., in the Hyatt Regency Hotel. 651-1234. Moderate.

Ferrari’s. 703 McKinney Ave., in The Brewery. 954-1112. Moderate to expensive.

Rip’s Wine Bar & Trattoria. 1520 Greenville Ave. 824-9944. Moderate

La Tosca. 7713 Inwood. 352-8373. Expensive.

La Trattoria Lombardi’s. 2916 N. Hall. 954-0803. Moderate.

Massimo da Milano. 5519 W. Lovers Lane. 351-1426. 2121 San Jacinto. 871-0400. 901 Main Place. Suite C106 in the NCNB Building. 761-6350. Inexpensive to moderate.

Ml Placi. 14854 Montfort. 934-8424. Moderate to expensive.

MoMo’s Italian Specialties. 9191 Forest Lane, Suite A2. 234-6800. 2704 Elm St. 748-4222. 3309 N. Central Expwy., Suite 370, Piano. 423-1066. Moderate.

MoMo’s Pasta. 3312 Knox. 521-3009. Inexpensive.

Nero’s Italian. 2104 Greenville Ave. 826-6376. Moderate.

Patrizio. 25 Highland Park Village. 522-7878. Inexpensive to moderate.

Piccola Cucina. 1030 NorthPark Center, Suite 330. 691-0488. Moderate.

Pizzeria Uno. 2811 McKinney Ave. 855-0011. 4002 Belt Line, Addison. 991-8181. Inexpensive to moderate.

Pomodoro. 2520 Cedar Springs. 871-1924. Inexpensive to moderate.

Portobello Restaurant. 2150 N. Josey Lane. Carroll ton. 245-8022. Moderate.

Ristorante Savino. 2929 N. Henderson. 826-7804. Moderate to expensive.

Rodolfo’s. 5956 Royal Lane. 368-5039. Inexpensive to moderate.

Romano’s Macaroni Grill. 4535 Belt Line. Addison. 386-3831. Moderate.

Ruffino’s. 11661 Preston, Suite 153. 890-7555. Moderate,

Ruggeri’s. 2911 Routh St. 871-7377. Moderate.

Sfuzzi. 2504 McKinney Ave. 871-2606. 15101 Addison Road. Addison. 960-2606. Moderate.

Sweet Basil. 17610 Midway. 733-1500. Moderate.

311 Lombardl’s. 311 Market. 7470322. Moderate to expensive.



JAPANESE

Fuji-Ya. 13050 Coit. 690-8396. Inexpensive to moderate.

Hana Japanese Restaurant. 14865 Inwood. 991-8322. Moderate.

Hibachi-Ya Japanese Steak House. 3850 W. Northwest Hwy., Suite 510. 350-1110. Inexpensive.

Mr. Sushi.4860 Belt Line. Addison. 385-0168. Moderate.

Nakamoto Japanese Culsine. 3309 N. Central Ex-pwy., Suite 360. Piano. 881-0328. Moderate.

Sakura Japanese Restaurant. 7402 Greenville Ave., Suite 101. 361-9282. Moderate to expensive.

Shinano Japanese Restaurant. 8830 Spring Valley. 644-1436. Moderate.

Shogun of Japan. 5738 Cedar Springs. 351-2281. 3455 N. Belt Line. Irving. 594-6911. Moderate.



KOREAN

Kobawoo. 3109 Inwood, 351-6922. Moderate.

Korea Hometown. 10560 Walnut. 272-9909. Inexpensive to moderate.

Koreans. 12101 Greenville Ave., #107. 437-1211. Inexpensive to moderate.



MEDITERRANEAN

Adelmo’s. 4537 Cole. 559-0325. Moderate.

Monte Carlo. 15201 Dallas Pkwy., in the Grand Kempin-ski Dallas Hotel. 386-6000. Expensive.

Sambuca. 2618 Elm St. 744-0820. Moderate.



MEXICAN

Blue Goose Cantina. 2905 Greenville Ave. 823-6786. Moderate.

Boys Town Cafe. 2723 Elm St. 748-6414. Inexpensive.

Cantina Laredo. 4546 Belt Line. Addison. 458-0962. 8121 Walnut Hill. 987-9192. Moderate.

Casa Dominguez. 2127 Cedar Springs. 742-4945. Inexpensive to moderate.

Chuy’s. 211 N. Record. 747-283a Moderate.

Desperados. 4818 Greenville Ave. 363-1850. Inexpensive to moderate.

El Asadero. 1516 Greenville Ave. 826-0625. Inexpensive to moderate.

EL Ranchito. 610 W. Jefferson. 946-4238. Inexpensive to Moderate.

Flamingo Joe’s. 2712 Main. 748-6065. Inexpensive to moderate.

Grandpa Tony’s. 3130 W. Mockingbird. 357-1531. Inexpensive.

Javier’s. 49t2 Cole. 521-4211. Expensive.

La Calle Doce. 415 W. 12th. 941-4304- Inexpensive to moderate

Las Cazuelas. 4933 Columbia. 827-1889. Inexpensive.

La Suprema Tortilleria. 7630 Military Pkwy. (at Loop 12). 388-1244. Inexpensive.

Mario & Alberto. LBJ Frwy., at Preston. Suite 4253. 980-7296. Moderate.

Mario’s Chlquita. 4514 Travis. Suite 105. 521-0721. 221 W. Parker, Suite 400, Piano. 423-2977. Moderate.

Matt’s Rancho Martinez Mexican Restaurant. 6312 La Vista. 823-5517. Inexpensive to moderate.

Mercado Juarez. 1901 W. Northwest Hwy. 556-0796. 4050 Belt Line. Addison. 458-2145. Inexpensive to moderate.

Mia’s. 4322 Lemmon Ave. 526-1020. Inexpensive.

Ml Casa Tex Mex Restaurant. 8301 Westchester. 890-9939. Inexpensive to moderate.

Ml Cocina. 11661 Preston, Suite 138. 265-7704. Inexpensive.

Prime’s. 3309 McKinney Ave. 520-3303. Inexpensive to moderate.

Uncle Julio’s. 7557 Greenville Ave. 987-9900. 4125 Lemmon Ave. 520-6620 Moderate.

ZuZu. 6423 Hillcrest. 521-4456. 5940 Royal Lane. 739-1312. 3100 Independence Pkwy., Piano. 596-6744. Inexpensive.



MIDDLE EASTERN

All Baba. 1905 Greenville Ave. 823-8235. Inexpensive.

NATURAL

Agnew’s Natural Grill. 3011 Routh St. 720-3900. Moderate to expensive.

Bluebonnet Cafe & Dell. 2218 Greenville Ave. 828-0052. Inexpensive.



NEW AMERICAN

Actuelle. 500 Crescent Court, Suite 165. 855-0440. Expensive.

Aransas Pass. 2912 N. Henderson. 827865a Moderate to expensive.

Aristocrat Hotel Bar & Grill. 1933 Main. 741-7700, Moderate to expensive.

Avner’s. 2515 McKinney Ave. 953-0426. Moderate.

Beau Nash. 400 Crescent Court in the Hotel Crescent Court. 871-3200. Moderate to expensive.

The Bronx. 3835 Cedar Springs. 521-5821. Inexpensive to moderate.

By George! 2900 Greenville Ave. 8211538. Moderate.

Chaplin’s. 1928 Greenville Ave. 823-3300. Moderate to expensive.

City Cafe. 5757 W. Lovers Lane. 351-2233. Moderate.

The Conservatory. 400 Crescent Court in the Hotel Crescent Court. 871-3242. Very expensive.

Crockett’s. Doubletree Hotel at Lincoln Center, 5410 LBJ Frwy. 701-5160. Expensive.

Dakota’s. 600 N. Akard. 740-4001. Moderate to expensive.

Deep Ellum Cafe. 2706 Elm St. 741-9012. Moderate to expensive.

Dover’s Grille. Doubletree Hotel at Park West, 1590 LBJ Frwy. 869-4300. Moderate to expensive.

Dream Cafe. 2800 Routh St., Suite 170, in the Quadrangle. 954-0486. Inexpensive.

Gershwin’s. 8442 Walnut Hill at Greenville Ave. 373-7171. Moderate to expensive.

Huntington’s. Westin Hotel. Galleria, 13340 Dallas Pkwy. 851-2882. Expensive.

Kathleen’s Art Cafe. 4424 Lovers Lane. 691-2355. Moderate to expensive.

Landmark Cafe. Omni Melrose Hotel. 3015 Oak Lawn. 521-5151. Expensive.

Laurels. Sheraton Park Central Hotel, 12720 Merit Drive. off Coit near LBJ Frwy. 851-2021. Expensive.

The Mansion on Turtle Creek. 2821 Turtle Creek Blvd. 559-2100. Very expensive.

Nana Grill. Loews Anatole Hotel, 2201 Stemmons Frwy. 761-7470. Expensive to very expensive.

Parlgi. 3311 Oak Lawn. 521-0295. Moderate to expensive.

The Promenade. 2821 Turtle Creek Blvd. in The Man-sion on Turtle Creek. 559-2100. Moderate to expensive.

The Pyramid Room. 1717 N. Akard in the Fairmont Hotel. 720-5249. Very expensive.

Quadrangle Grille. 2300 Routh St., Suite 180, in the Quadrangle 979-9022. Moderate.

Routh Street Cafe. 3005 Routh St. 871-7161. Very expensive.

Simply Fondue. 2108 Greenville Ave. 827-8878. Moderate.

650 North. 650 N. Pearl. 855-1708. Expensive.



SEAFOOD

Atlantic Cafe. 14866 Montfort, Addison. 960-2233. Moderate to expensive.

Aw Shucks. 3601 Greenville Ave. 821-9449. Inexpensive.

Cafe America. 4546 McKinney Ave. 559-4441. Expensive.

Cafe Pacific 24 Highland Park Village. 526-1170. Expensive

Dinger’s Catfish Cafe. 8989 Forest Lane. 235-3251. Inexpensive.

Fishmonger’s Seafood Market and Cafe. 1915 N. Central Expwy., Suite 600, Plano. 423-3699. Moderate.

Hampton’s. Preston Center, 8411 Preston. Berkshire Court. 739-3474. Moderate.

Jozef’s Seafood Restaurant. 2719 McKinney Ave. 954-0407. Moderate to expensive.

Newport’s Seafood. 703 McKinney Ave. in The Brewery. 954-0220. Expensive.

Rusty Pelican. 14655 N. Dallas Pkwy. 980-8950. Expensive.

S&D Oyster Company. 2701 McKinney Ave. 880-0111. Inexpensive to moderate.

Yoli’s. 9220 Skillman, Suite 124. 341-3533. Inexpensive.



SOUTHWESTERN

Baby Routh. 2708 Routh St. 871-2345. Moderate to expensive.

Brazos. 2100 Greenville Ave. 821-6501. Moderate to expensive.

Cisco Grill. 6630 Snider Plaza. 363-9506. Inexpensive.

Loma Luna Cafe. 4131 Lomo Alto. 559-4011. 8201 Preston, Suite 100 (at Sherry Lane). 691-1552. Moderate.

Ruby’s Greenville Avenue Cafe. 826-4910. Moderate.

Sam’s Cafe. 100 Crescent Court, Suite 100. 855-2233. Moderate to expensive.

Zuma. 2701 Stemmons Frwy. 631-3050. Moderate.



SPANISH

Cafe Madrid. 4501 Travis. 528-1731. inexpensive to

moderate.

White Swan Cafe. 2307 Abrams. 824-8122. Moderate.



STEAKS

Arthur’s. 8350 N. Central Expwy., Campbell Centre. Suite M 1000. 361-8833. Expensive.

The Butcher Shop Steakhouse. 808 Munger, off Lamar. 720-1032. Moderate.

Lawry’s The Prime Rib. 3008 Maple. 521-7777. Moderate to expensive.

Old San Francisco Steakhouse. 10965 Composite (off Wainut Hill, east of 1-35). 357-0484. Moderate to expensive.

Palm Restaurant. 701 Ross. 698-0470. Very expensive.

Ruth’s Chris Steak House. 5922 Cedar Springs. 902-8080. Expensive.

Wellington Restaurant & Bar. 2408 Cedar Springs. 748-1291. Expensive.



TAKEOUT/DELI

Al’s New York Style Dell. 3301 Oak Lawn, Suite A (entrance on Hall}. 522-3354. Inexpensive.

Bagel Emporium. 7522 Campbell. 248-0608. lnexsive.

Bagelstein’s. 8104 Spring Valley. 234-3787. Inexpensive to moderate.

City Cafe To Go. 5757 W. Lovers Lane. 351-3366. Moderate.

City Market. 2001 Ross, Trammell Crow Center, Suite 200. 979-2696. Inexpensive.

Crescent Gourmet. 400 Crescent Court. 871-3223. Inexpensive to moderate.

Dell News. 1577S Hillcrest, Suite 502. 392-3354. Inexpensive.

Gilbert’s New York Delicatessen. 127 Preston Forest Village. 373-3333. Inexpensive to moderate.

Henk’s European Dell. 5811 Blackwell Street. 987-9090. Inexpensive to moderate.

Marty’s. 3316 Oak Lawn, 526-4070. Moderate.

Polio Bueno. 3438 Samuell Blvd. 828-0645. Inexpensive.

Tommaso’s Fresh Pasta. 5365 Spring Valley, Suite 158, at Montfort. 991-4040. Inexpensive to moderate.

THAI

Bangkok City. 4301 Bryan at Peak. 824-6200. Inexpensive to moderate.

New Slam. 2415 Willowbrook, Suite 108 (at Northwest Hwy. and Harry Hines). 358-5679. Inexpensive to moderate.

Sala Thai. 4503 Greenville Ave. 696-3210. Moderate.

Thai Cuisine. 1915 Central Expwy, (off Park), Piano. 422-5219. Moderate.

Thai Lotus. 3851-D Cedar Swings. 520-9385. Inexpensive.

Thai Nipa. 4315 Lemmon Ave. 526-6179. Inexpensive.

Thai Slam. 9560 Skillman. 341-5835. Inexpensive.

Thai-Thai. 1731 Greenville Ave. 828-9795. Inexpensive.

Thai Soon. 2018 Greenville Ave. 821-7666. Inexpensive.

Thai lasts. 4501 Cole. 521-3513. Moderate.

Toy’s Cafe. 4422-B Lemmon Ave. 528-7233. Inexpensive to moderate.



VIETNAMESE

Arc-en-Ciel. 3555 W. Walnut. Garland. 272-2188. Inexpensive to moderate.

Cafe de Saigon. 5617 W. Lovers Lane. 350-8767. Moderate.

East Wind. 2711 Elm St. 745-5554. Inexpensive to moderate.



LAS COLINAS/MID CITIES

Bistro Bagatelle. (French) 406 W. Abrams, Arlington. Metro 817-261-0488. Moderate to expensive.

Cacharel. (French) Brookhollow Two, 2221 E. Lamar, Suite 910, Arlington. Metro 817-640-9981. Moderate.

China Terrace. (Chinese) 5435 N. MacArthur, Irving. 550-1113. Inexpensive to moderate.

Esparza’s. (Mexican) 124 E. Worth St., Grapevine. Metro 817-481-4668. Inexpensive.

Gaspar’s. (New American) 150 S. Demon Tap Road, Coppell. 393-5152. Moderate.

Jinbeh. (Japanese) 301 E. Las Colinas Blvd., Suite 301 Irving. 869-4011. Moderate.

La Margarita. (Mexican) 3636 N. Belt Line. Irving. 570-1137. Inexpensive to moderate.

La Suprema. (Mexican) 6311 N. O’Connor, Irving. 506-0988. Moderate.

Tandoor. (Indian) 532 Fielder North Plaza, Arlington. Metro 817-261-6604. Moderate.

Via Real, (Mexican) 4020 N. MacArthur, Irving. 255-0064. Moderate to expensive.



FORT WORTH

Benito’s. (Mexican 1450 W. Magnolia. (817) 332-8633. Inexpensive.

Cafe Aspen. (New American) 3416 W. Seventh. (817) 877-0838. Moderate to expensive.

Kincaid’s. (Burgers) 4901 Camp Bowie Blvd. (817) 732-2881. Inexpensive.

Hedary’s. (Lebanese) 3308 Fairfield off Camp Bowie Blvd. (817) 731-6961. Moderate.

Jons Grille. (Burgers) 3009 S. University. (817) 923-1909. Inexpensive.

Juanita’s. (Mexican) 115 W, Second. (817) 335-1777. Moderate.

Ristorante La Piazza. (Italian) 3431 West Seventh. (817) 334-0000. Moderate to expensive.

Le Chardonnay. (French) 2443 Forest Park Blvd. (817) 926-5622. Moderate to expensive.

Reflections. (New American) The Worthington Hotel, 200 Main. (817) 870-1000. Expensive.

Saint Emillon. (French) 3617 W. Seventh. (817) 737-2781. Moderate to expensive.

Tours Restaurant. (New American) 3500 W. Seventh. (817) 870-1672. Moderate to expensive.

Water Street Seafood Co. (Seafood) 1540 S. Univer sity Drive. (817) 877-3474. Moderate.