RESTAURANTS & BARS

FOOD NEWS

Forget heart-shaped chocolates and bon bons. In honor of Valentine’s Day, Rodolfo’s Italian restaurant is featuring heart-shaped entrees, pizzas and foccacia bread. And speaking of hearts, Rodolfo’s also regularly features a low-cat menu complete with the calorie, cholesterol and sodium counts of each entree. This is definitely heart-healthy Italian for any time of year. 5956 Royal Lane, 368-5039.



POLITICS AND TAMALES

REAL PEOPLE Search the menus of al most any Dallas restaurant, and the last thing you’ll find is a side order of political opinions. You’ll find plenty of them, along with good tamales, honest beans and rice, and zesty boudin at Ruth’s Tamale House. The reliable food and unabashed opinions are dished up by Ruth Hauntz, 58, who also runs the popular tamale outposts at the State Fair of Texas each year. Beside the reviews of her tiny establishment she displays edito rials, profiles of politicos and, occasionally, campaign signs. While most restaurant owners consider controversy about as welcome as salmonella, Hauntz doesn’t think her trade has been hurt by involvement in civic issues. Most recently, she opposed the Dallas ordinance allowing the city to regulate the location of businesses selling liquor. “I’ve had people say, ’I admire your courage,’” she says. “I think I’ve informed a lot of people.” -Chris Tucker

A Suburban Oasis



ON THE ROAD

Come half-past February, thoughts turn to romance- but where do you take your honey to share that special Valentine glow? Try a table for two in a quiet little countryside house with attentive servers ministering to your mood. Put the house in Arlington, and you’ve found yourself in Bistro Bagatelle, a small masterpiece of a restaurant that might have been made for lovers. Chef Gerard Bahon, who made his culinary mark at the Fairmont and Grand Kempinski hotels, left city stress behind when he and his wife, Marcelle, opened this serene suburban oasis.

Share the taste of tapenade brought to you, with baguette toasts, as a starting gift; dip your spoon in the perfumed joy of lemon grass-scented shrimp bisque;trade bites of roasted salmon bathed inpinot noir sauce and pan-sizzled duckbreast sautéed with rosemary andsauterne. End your meal with a honeyedapple tart and a spot of espresso to seeyou home safely. Bistro Bagatelle istucked away at 406 W. Abrams, off thebeaten track, but only a heartbeat fromInterstate 30. Call Metro 817-261-0488for reservations. -Betty Cook

Where Carnivores Fear to Tread

DINING OUT With the vegetarian population growing, mainstream restaurants are becoming more aware of this finicky market and are expanding their culinary repertoires to reflect the trend. A few favorite dishes follow:

Laurels provides haute cuisine for the demanding vegetarian palate. Though no veggie dishes appear on the menu, the chef will create a special entree for $10 to $17 with the standard imaginative presentation. Phoning in advance for unusual requests is appreciated. 12720 Merit Drive in the Sheraton Hotel, 851-2021.

The River Nile serves an addictive vegetarian plate called Beyaynetu Combination C for $6.50. The combo plate features helpings of five Ethiopian veggie dishes like spiced lentils, peas and salad plus piles of tasty Injera bread. 7001 Fair Oaks at Park Lane, 363-1128.

Fans of Mediterranean cuisine will delight in the Mazza Plate at Ali Baba Cafe. For $5.95 you can get a filling feast of hummus, baba ghannouj (eggplant dip), tabouleh salad, stuffed vine leaves, pickles, olives, tomatoes and pita bread. 1905 Greenville Ave., 823-8235.

Thai Taste offers a separate vegetarian menu with favorites such as the Thai salad with peanut dressing, only $4.95 and large enough to share; and, as an entree, the tofu with peanut sauce for $6.95. 4501 Cole, 521-3158. -Amy Watson

CHEAP EATS



PORTABLE PIZZA

There are late nights when a delivered pizza is the only way to go. But there are times when you owe it to yourself to pick up the real thing in person, for an out-of-franchise experience. A few of our preferred places:

Juliano’s Pizza Jubilee. This one Is so fresh, you bake it yourself. Try the Natural-besides the large at $11.95, there’s a 3-by-4-inch personal-sized pizza for $5.55. Spring Valley at Marsh. 406-9800.

Pizza Fresh. The city’s original take-and-bake pizza is still one of the best-we like the seven-topping special on wholewheat crust, with four kinds of cheese liberally applied, $16.15. 5706 E. Mockingbird, Suite 170, 823-8602.

Carmine’s Pizzeria. This is New York-style all the way. sold through a sidewalk window in the West End with thin crust and paper plate, just the way the whole Idea started on Big Apple streets. By the piece with cheese, $1.35; added toppings are 25 cents each. 1701 North Market, 748-8110.

Pizzeria Uno. OK, so the place is eat-In as well as take-out, but no list would be complete without a Chicago-style entry, and this one’s a favorite. The 9-Inch Numero Uno stacks all the good stuff deep on chewy crust under real mozzarella and adds a double-deal bonus: $9.95 each, two for $13.95. 4002 Belt Line, Addison, 991-8181.

-Betty Cook

NEW RESTAURANTS



The French Return

to Fairmount



JUNIPER Dare one hope that 2917 Fairmount is about to come into its own again as one of Dallas’ finer French dining addresses? After several misincarnations, the charming cottage that once was Calluaud has been reborn. This time, its culinary identity comes from Christian Gerber, who has been shaping other people’s restaurant successes (Epicure Highland Park et al.) since he closed his highly regarded Lovers Lane bistro, Au Bon Gout, some years ago. News that Gerber would have his own place again-and that it would be in this fondly remembered setting-was a double dose of happy portent for Dallas diners.

The food we sampled almost entirely satisfied our expectations. The “almosts” are mostly minor quibbles: an appetizer of goat cheese en croute so thinly phyllo-wrapped that the white rounds might as well have been laid naked on their smooth bed of tomato coulis; a fish soup du midi fishier in flavor than I’d have preferred and with a few tiny bones in it to boot. Sautéed wild mushrooms were a stunning starter though, their earthiness enhanced by a tarragon-scented muscat wine sauce. Crab and scallop cakes, crisp-edged and meaty in saffron sauce, were the best I’ve had of the crabcake genre, which I had considered overworked until tasting these. The menu’s other soup, Pistou de Provence, was a homey melange of white beans and vegetables, hearty and filling.

Was our best entree the most expensive? Hard to say-the tender veal medallion heaped with crunchy morel mushrooms in Noilly Prat sauce was marvelous, but so was the moist pheasant breast laid on pepper-sauced linguini with a wealth of woodsy wild mushrooms for company. Lobster ravioli held bite-sized chunks of buttery meat in vast, fresh pasta rounds perfumed with basil beurre blanc. Sautéed red snapper, less memorable but quite nice, was complemented by bites of roasted artichoke heart and red bell pepper juliennes.

Desserts were mixed. Hazelnut profiteroles on chocolate sauce were ordinary; a lemon tart was anything but, its crust feather light, its barely sweet freshness a joy. Coffee flan was dark sorcery, deeply flavored under a fling of chocolate coffee beans. Gerber’s sure flair for provincial fare is properly framed in Juniper’s country-fresh decor. And if the service lacked finesse-which it did-perhaps time will polish its amateurish edges. 2917 Fairmount. 855-0700. Lunch, Mon.-Fri. 11:30-2; dinner, Tues.-Thur. 6:30-10:30, Fri.-Sat. 6-11. All credit cards. Expensive.

-Betty Cook

Simply Italian



PORTOBELLO RESTAURANT Tucked away in Carrollton’s Josey Ranch Center, in the location that used to house Marco Polo, this new restaurant offers very consistent northern Italian cooking. The menu doesn’t offer much in the way of novelty or complexity, but there aren’t many places in the Metroplex that do so well by the basic repertoire of pizza, pasta and scaloppine. A good test case is the capelli d’angelo, or angel hair pasta, which at most restaurants comes to the table a gummy mess, the superfine noodles sadly overcooked. At Portobello, the strands of pasta are whisked from the open kitchen perfectly toothsome, blending beautifully with the subtle bolognese meat sauce.

There’s not a wide range of appetizer choices here-the calamari fritti, though, are light and crisp and accompanied by a bright-tasting lemon-and-marinara sauce. Caesar salad is especially good, with more than a hint of anchovy, but it does seem a shame to pay extra for a small portion when everybody else gets a perfectly serviceable complimentary green salad. The products of the wood-burning oven make festive openers-both the focaccia (with big slivers of garlic baked right on) and the excellent pizzas (the version with pepperoni and Italian sausage was heavy on the meats and cheese).

All the pastas on the menu-many of them homemade-are available with a choice of sauces. In addition to the cappelli d’angelo, we sampled farfalle (butterfly or bow-tie shapes), set off nicely by the fresh-tasting marinara. Among the house specials, the tortellioi and the manicotti are fine versions, Portobello also does well by its scallops of chicken or yeal. We tried the chicken with Marsala sauce and the veal Portobello and found both excellent in texture and taste. The Portobello sauce features mushrooms, grapes and shallots in cream and white wine-we didn’t think the grapes added much, but the overall flavor complimented the white veal. Desserts could use a little upgrading-we much preferred the flan-style caramel custard to the standard issue cheesecakes. 2150 N. Josey Lane, Carrollton. 245-8022. Mon.-Thur. 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Fri. 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Sat. 5-10 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. AE, MC, V. Moderate. -W.L. Taitte



Hold the Conch



CAFE GECKO This place calls itself a Caribbean seafood restaurant, but that’s really an overstatement. The bar seems the main thing here, and there is none of the gentle elegance that marked the location’s previous enterprise, the Athens Cafe. There are a few genuinely Caribbean items on the menu-notably those made with conch, the fleshy inhabitant of those lovely seashells. But these are not very well executed, and the kitchen really seems more comfortable turning out beef and chicken than seafood.

Conch has to be pounded and tenderized to be palatable. Here the fritters, soup and chowder made with the wee beastie seem to contain chewy morsels of tough, old truck tires. The other major stab at a West Indian dish isn’t much better-the jerk chicken wings owe much more to the city of Buffalo, N.Y., than they do to the Jamaican tradition of super-spicy barbecue. The garlicky snow-crab claws and the shrimp cocktail, marinated in the style of a ceviche, make much more attractive appetizers or munchies with drinks.

As main dishes, the menu offers shrimp, grouper and chicken with several interchangeable sauces. We found the Cozumel sauce of lime and garlic butter bland, though the prawns it bathed were huge and cooked nicely, and the grouper we also sampled was less chewy and fishy than this often abused-fish can be. The Mayan chicken suffered from a dull sauce of tomatoes, red bell peppers and jalapenos. (Don’t ask us how such a potent-sounding combination can seem underseasoned, but it was.) The most impressive entree, actually, was a juicy, medium-rare hamburger- definitely not for those who are put off by underdone beef. And the special of the day being served at the next table-a version of fajitas with a more exotic-sounding name-looked and smelled more appetizing than most of what we had ordered.

The vegetable accompaniment to severalof these dishes was startling-we put firmslices of zucchini and yellow squash in ourmouths only to be alarmed by the strange,sweet taste, which turned out to be coconut.Not a good idea on squash, though it wasdelicious on the slices of raw jicama also inthe mixture. Also searing the memory is theone bite of hot-and-sour cheesecake wemanaged as dessert-the key-limecheesecake had been thawed for too long inthe microwave and lacked more than thebarest hint of sweetness to set off the tartlime flavor. Also not a good idea. 5290 BeitLine, Suite 118, Addisoa. 458-9884. Foodserved Mon.-Sat. 11 a.m.-2 a.m., Sun.noon-midnight. All credit cards.Inexpensive to moderate. -W.L.T.



Palate Teasing Thai



THAI SIAM Most of the people I know stand somewhere between two camps: those who are scared to try Thai food because of its fiery reputation and the self-immolators who can’t get enough of the stuff for the same reason. What’s fun is to take one of each extreme on a review visit to prove that a good Thai restaurant has something for everybody. Certainly Thai Siam does. Like many Thai eateries these days, this one stars spicy dishes on its menu and encourages diners to specify their desired degree of heat. Unlike many, Thai Siam also cunningly includes several familiar Chinese standards in its listings, thereby allowing Mary Mildmouth to order as confidently as Mister Blister.

The tame side won hands down on appetizers, which were nonetheless delectable. Angel wings the deep-fried mini drumstick joints stuffed with chopped chicken, shrimp, vegetables and noodles,-were crisp-skinned and plump, as were golden-fried shrimp, huge battered things. Mee grob was the usual tangle of rice noodles that were fried crunchy and gilded with tamarind-sweet sauce; one of my favorites, it was nicely garnished with green onion and bean sprouts, but the promised shrimp were somehow omitted. Fried beef, a northeastern Thai dish, was lean, finger-sized strips, marinated and deep-fried to leathery chewiness and barely piquant without the scarlet dipping sauce that came with them.

Wonton soup (Ms. M’s choice) was bland, if beautiful; our first major kick came with torn kar gai, a juice of the fire gods involving chicken and mushroom simmered in coconut milk with lemon grass; its perfume was heartbreakingly delicate, its heal, truly eye-watering-one of those Asian masterpieces that make you weep with pain even as you dip your spoon one more time.

Shredded green papaya salad, which I had not had before, was too incendiary to enjoy on its own; lime-juiced and chili-spiked, it earned its way as a condiment, Korean kimchi-style, that we enjoyed with our entrees. Of these, a mixed-vegetable stir-fry in oyster sauce, one of the Chinese classics, needed spice support the most- partly because the kitchen forgot to top it with the chicken as ordered, partly because, despite its freshness, the dish held little subtlety. Ah, but panang nuer balanced the act. The thin-sliced beef simmered with lime leaf and whole peanuts in curry sauce carried so much clout we were half afraid the concoction would dissolve the earthenware pot in which it was served. Pepper steak, not a Chinese version, bridged the fire gap between the two, its slim green peppers bell-sweet, its fish sauce distinguished by a subtle, slow burn that built bearably, thanks to the sticky rice too few Thai restaurants offer-the great, gummy kind that puts plain steamed to shame.

Dessert, offered only on request, was a medley of canned Asian fruits, all sweet, all unfamiliar, but pleasantly cooling. Service was as friendly as the place, a harmonious arrangement of booths and tables overlooking a bandstand and plate-sized dance floor, when- live music is featured on Friday and Saturday nights. 9560 Skillman. 341-5835. Lunch, Mon.-Fri. 11-2:30; dinner, Mon.-Thur. 5-10:30, Fri.-Sat. 5-1:30 a.m., Sun. 61:30 a.m. MC, V. Inexpensive. -B.C.



Glick Clicks

at New Cafe



650 North First things first. 650 North is the address of this new restaurant; it’s in the Plaza of the Americas hotel, replacing both Cafe Royal and Le Relais. The space opens off the lobby so you don’t need to hike across the skating rink anymore to get to your table (which I always thought was an interesting juxtaposition of realities but was confusing for many).

Jeffrey Glick debuts as executive chef after serving under previous Plaza chefs Peter Schaffrath and Nick Barclay, and evidently, it’s about time. Everything we sampled showed a sure hand: Cooking was accurate, flavors were bold and the overall combination of New American, Mediterranean and Southwest flavors was confident but not brash.

After some table-shuffling, we began with excellent appetizers: a succulent quail stuffed with game sausage, a special, spicy tomato soup dotted with melting bits of smoked mozzarella, tortilla soup with the addition of hot chorizo and dense herb-flecked crabcakes on a gently roasted red-pepper purée.

The 650 North salad was one of the stellar dishes. A mass of meaty grilled portabella mushrooms rested on oak leaf lettuce dressed with a vinaigrette infused with tarragon and sweetened with shallots. The Mediterranean salad, a mélange of poached haricots verts, crumbly feta cheese, cucumber crescents, olives and tomatoes in an oregano vinaigrette, also was excellent, and the Southwest Caesar with the blue corn croutons, came off well, but the punches were pulled in the standard Caesar salad, which seemed flat and watery.

Of our entrees. I liked the lamb the best. The large portion of grilled loin was cooked rare and served with an ingenious potato spring roll-a fat tube of golden-fried shredded potato (like a potato pancake) wrapped around blanched, slivered vegetables. The cinnamon-smoked chicken breast was unfortunately dry, even with the skin left on, but the flavor was excellent and the delicious dried cherry sauce moistened it somewhat. A simple ribeye steak was enriched with calamata olive butter; the Southwestern pasta primavera was a sturdy dish of penne and grilled vegetables in a tomato basil sauce.

Intense chocolate sorbet with enormous fresh raspberries made a perfect ending; but for richer tastes, the macadamia-chocolate torte and the yogurt Bavarian cream were excellent, and the Kahlua pecan pie on a pool of thick cajeta caramel sided with a scoop of shaved chocolate chip ice cream was killer. Three ice creams, made in-house-chocolate, cassis and strawberry-came in thin almond cups, and more of the crisp cookies were stacked with fresh fruits and mascarpone cream in a dessert holdover from Cafe Royal.

The wine list was long enough to beinteresting and short enough to bemanageable with plenty of good, mid-pricedselections. The wine steward was eager tomake recommendations, and his rareenthusiasm was in keeping with the rest ofthe service. Actually, everyone seemed eagerto please. That enthusiastic attitude plus theexciting food makes 650 North a hit. 650 V. Pearl, 855-1708. Mon.-Thur. 6:30 a.m.-10p.m., Fri. 6:30 a.m.-11 p.m., Sat. 7 a.m.-11p.m., Sun. 7 a.m.-10 p.m. All credit cards.Expensive. -Mary Brown Malouf



Welcome Back, Avner



Avner’s Now that cooking isn’t a blue-collar job in this country but an artistic route to possible stardom, chefs take themselves very seriously. And, considering the price of most fine dining, it’s not surprising that diners take chefs very seriously. It’s a joy to discover that with his own restaurant, Avner Samuel has decided to put the fun back in fine dining.

Samuel, in Dallas originally at The Mansion, then the Pyramid Room and lately of London and Hong Kong, is in full charge here, and he knows just what he likes. From the colorful logo (designed by wife Amy, who also runs the front) to the clean, bright contemporary space, the goal is a simple style that sets the tone for the excellent and good-humored food that comes out of the kitchen.

Instead of offering the provenance of every ingredient used as though the menu were a dissertation that required a full bibliography, Samuel describes one dish as “lava-seared” because that’s how hot the pan is, another as “dancing Tasmanian lobster” because that’s how the crustacean looks in the saute pan. Samuel seems to be actually having some fun. And the diner does, too. The pleasure will continue right up to the moment the bill is paid, because Avner’s is astonishingly inexpensive. There are few places in Dallas where one can eat this well for so little: velvety foie gras, sautéed in walnut oil till the edges are meltingly crisp and served on bitter greens, for a mere $7; paper-thin, garnet-red tuna sashimi with searing serrano peppers and sesame vinaigrette for $5.25.

Imagination is as high as the prices are low and Avner draws on his previous Southwest experience and his tenure in the Orient for a cosmopolitan mix of seasonings. Plum tomatoes and fresh mozzarella are drizzled with green cilantro-infused oil, and Singapore soup, an earthy duck broth holding shrimp, lotus root, lemon grass and quail egg, is served in a lidded Japanese soup bowl with chopsticks. (All the soups we tried were wonderful, including a special lobster bisque, ungarnished and unequaled for depth of flavor and Avner’s own tortilla soup, recalling his days at The Mansion.)

Thin chickpea papadoms stuck out of a pile of split lentils accompanying succulent red tikka chicken in an Indian-inspired entree; a thick piece of snapper was accompanied by a yellow rice cake and vegetables seasoned mildly with red Thai curry. Crisp-skinned maple leaf duck was served on hoisin sauce.

The wine list has the same unexpectedness as the menu-a worldwide selection includes wines from Chile, Australia, New Zealand, Spain and Oregon, as well as a few from France and California-all relatively inexpensive.

Not everything was perfect: the dancing Tasmanian lobster was rubbery; and desserts, except for the caramelized apples over grilled French bread, were not as wonderful as the “mains.” But overall, this is the kind of place it will be easy to go to often. Welcome home, Avner. 2515 McKinney Ave., 953-0426. Mon.-Fri. 11:30-11 p.m., Sat. 6-11 p.m. Closed Sun. All credit cards. Moderate. -M.B.M.



D REVISITS



CAJUN



D Revisits Arcadia Bar & Grill. This dive on Greenville seems less Cajun than it used to be; there are only a few selections of the menu that recall Louisiana, and those don’t seem quite as good as they did the last time I tried them. We did have excellent chicken nachos and a good hamburger with thin, skin-on fries, and the service, though not exactly friendly, was outstandingly efficient. The gumbo, dark-brown roux with shrimp and fish, didn’t taste as rich as its dark color promised, and the red beans and rice were actually bland till we poured on some of the kitchen’s secret sauce (it came in an unmarked bottle). A fried shrimp basket andfried shrimp poor-boy, however, were excellent. 2114 Greenville Ave., 821-1300. Inexpensive. -M. B. M.



CHINESE



D Revisits Chef Wang. We didn’t receive complimentary kimchi as we did on our first visits here, but we werehappy with our order anyway. We selected a salad of ricenoodles, white chicken and lettuce in a sesame seed dressing, fat potstickers and a few of the standard Szechwandishes, which are executed here with flair and freshness. 1don’t understand why Chef Wang isn’t crowded all the timesince it seems to be the answer to a night out in Dallas. It’slocated in the United Artists Plaza complex, so you can goto dinner and see a movie under one roof. 9330 N. CentralExpwy. 373-1403. Moderate to expensive. -M.B.M.



FRENCH/CONTINENTAL



D Revisits The Wine Press. In its amiably unchanging way. this Oak Lawn perennial defies categorization-the Wine Press calls itself an American bistro, but its menu skips across international boundaries with blithe abandon. Whatever you cull it, we found dining here an engaging experience overall. Spinach and brie quesadillas were a thin disappointment, all crisp shell with no filling flavor to speak of. and the Shanghai salad on a three-sampler plate was a too-sweet tangle (the chicken Dijon was mildly adequate, the vinaigrette-dressed greens by far the plate’s best). But our entrees were stellar-my two-color fettuccini was marvel-ously bathed in creamy Stilton cheese sauce, with yellow and green squash offering crisp texture contrast. Good as it was, I would have traded it for my companion’s perfectly sautéed little soft shell crabs, surpassingly delicate in a peppery cornmeal pecan crust. A dark chocolate mousse was richly flavored, the crisp little foil-wrapped French cookie with it a nice plaything for scooping up the sauce of dark crème de cocoa. This place takes its name. 1 assume, more from the wine bins that fill one whole wall than from any thought of economical by-the-glass wine sampling: The reserve Syrah I chose from a not-very-large selection was admirable, but at $6.50 a glass, hardly inexpensive. Still, service was uncommonly lively and accommodating, and the ambience ofthe place, as always, undemandingly infectious. 4217 OakLawn. 522-8720. Moderate to expensive. -B.C.



GERMAN/EASTERN EUROPEAN



D Revisits Cafe Athenee. The couple that run this romantic little spot are clearly dedicated to making it a fine dining experience, and the hearty as well as subtle Romanian food and the warm welcome serve as proof. Everything we have sampled from the list of appetizers has been superb. A dish called “Gypsy snack” might not sound very promising, but the piquant eggplant dip surrounded by slices of firm roasted pork could make anybody want to run away with the gypsies. The dolmas, which at so many restaurants seem to have been pried from a tin can, here boast a delicate filling of freshly minced chicken. And the sauce of the scampi a la Diavalo had us fighting over the privilege of finishing it. Among the main dishes, the rabbit a la chef (baked in a creamy Dijon mustard sauce) sadly proved rather dry and stringy. But the mountain stuffed cabbage boiled in red wine brought on waves of nostalgia for the Balkans in folks who had never been near there. The desserts (like an odd Romanian pie filled with cottage cheese and soggy baklava) don’t measure up to the rest of the menu, but that can’t dim the memories of the many excellences of Cafe Athenee. 5365 Spring Valley, Suite 150. 239-8060. Moderate to expensive. -W.L.T.



ITALIAN



D Revisits Mi Piaci. Is it the elegant haute moderne setting, with fluted columns indoors and a high-tech fountain in the manmade lake out back, and the attentive, slightly snooty service that bring in all the glossy clientele? Or is it the ambitious Italian cuisine, mostly adapted from recipes by Marcella Hazan (the Julia Child of ltalian cooking)? The spirit of Hazan does hover over the kitchen here-the superlative version of osso buco (stewed veal shanks) comes without the classic garnish of garlic and lemon peel that the feisty culinary writer so abhors. (1 have to confess I miss the zesty topping, but there’s no arguing with the perfect execution as is.) Where Mi Piaci is definitely tops on the Dallas dining scene is in the pasta category. Hazan’s recipes for Le Pappardelle del Cantunzein (very wide noodles with peppersand ground sausage) and seafood cappelletti in shrimp saucehave been adapted slightly, but still emerge as spectacular.14854 Montfort. 934-8424. Expensive- -W.L.T.



D Revisits Fausto’s Oven This is the most unusual hotel restaurant: a shiny, sophisticated little trattoria serving mostly pizza, pasta and seafood in recipes that owe much to Southwestern and Oriental influences. The outstanding appetizer is the melanzane fritti-delicate slices of eggplant barely fried and lopped with a fontina cheese sauce and a liberal sprinkling of the favorite herb hereabouts, fresh basil. (This place must use up a half-dozen basil bushes every evening.) The pizzas offer interesting toppings and are built on a gorgeously irregular, thin, hand-twirled crust. The pastas boast assertive, complex sauces, such as the taglierini tossed with big scallops, shrimp, crab meat, crisp asparagus tips and cream. The most memorable dish, though, is the whole roasted snapper-deep-fried for a moment to make a crunchy crust, baked, then sizzled with a ginger-sesame oil vinaigrette and served with mild pico de gallo. To go with all this, more than a dozen and a half Italian wines are available by the glass and the bottle. 300 Reunion Blvd., in the Hyatt Regency Hotel. 651-1234. Moderate to expensive. -W.L.T.



SEAFOOD



D Revisits Aw Shucks. Frills? Well, you have to go to a counter to order and pick up your food, the wooden tables and benches are mostly outdoors (though the front patio is enclosed and heated in the wintertime), the forks are plastic and the napkins come off a roll of paper towels. But-even for those who have sworn off one of Aw Shucks’ specialties, raw oysters-this place will have you forgetting the ambience gap. No other place in Dallas fries seafood as dependably. Those lamentably questionable oysters come to the table blisteringly hot (maybe some of the microbes have been killed off in the fryer). Catfish fillets crunch delectably. and the cornmeal-encrusted fried shrimp rival those in the best Gulf seashore spots. The crabcakes are good but not great, the french fries that accompany the seafood are homemade but pedestrian, and the gumbo is best avoided. But the main business here, the fish, shrimp and oysters, can’t be beat. 3601 Greenville Ave. 821-9449 Inexpensive. -W.L.T

SOUTHWESTERN



D Revisits Baby Routh. Remember when RouthStreet’s offspring charmed us all with precocious refinements of home-cooking classics? I do. with longing. In theapparently too-long time since my last review visit here, themenu has evolved into a catalog of trendy virtuosity, overdescribed as well as over complicated; still, there were somerewards among all (he rhetoric. Lamb-jalapeno sausage wasengagingly spicy, if rather heavy as an appetizer. Tomato-arugula consommé was simple and lovely, its black olive-pecorino ravioli high-sounding but blandly superfluous.Sesame-seared scallops were great, tender things, gentlytreated. Black Angus sirloin was a splendid cut nicely servedby its wild mushroom-citrus glaze. A couple of side dishesthat sounded intriguing failed to make the cut: lemon thymemacaroni and Asiago cheese was tartly herbed and bore littleresemblance to its homey counterpart; an assortment ofhouse-made pickles ranged from too sweet to puckeringlysharp-edged with vinegar. Desserts, though, were redemption-peanut butter ice-cream cake was opulent, verbena-lime shortbread with several fresh berries in citrus-scentedwhipped cream was flaky and not too sweet, a fine, casualarrangement on the plate. Perhaps “casual” is the wordfor what I miss in Baby Routh’s current phase of development. 2708 Routh Street. 871-2345. Expensive to veryexpensive, -B.C.



THAI



D Revisits Sola Thai. Don’t expect this serenely prettyGreenville Avenue oasis to flex its food seasonings to suitsissy apprehensions-the menu sweetly but firmly warns upfront that the chili content of each dish is true to its originalrecipe and will not be altered. What you do. then, is orderaccording to the number of tiny peppers inked beside eachitem, from none for mild to three for nearly-painful (themenu calls it “tingling,” a euphemism straight out of mydentist’s vocabulary). Steamed Thai dumplings were delicate skins plump with minced pork and shrimp, baby-innocent as long as we kept them out of the deep-red dippingsauce that came with them; “sweet and sour.” the menucalled it: “viciously incendiary” was the correction thatcame to mind. Lime shrimp soup (one pepper) waspleasantly piquant, the plump shrimp afloat with strawmushroom, lemon grass and lime leaf in lime-freshenedbroth; afloat, too, with wicked little red chilies mercifullyleft whole for easy removal. Oddly enough, a two-pepperseafood entree called yum talay seemed hardly spicy at ail-perhaps because its lemony broth was too marvelous for heatto matter, and its orange-fleshed green mussels, shrimp.sealegs and squid were outrageously succulent. Black ricepudding tartly topped with coconut cream was anoutstanding dessert: deep-fried banana balls were not. theircenters uncooked, their batter not crisp. 4503 GreenvilleAve, 696-3210. Inexpensive to moderate. -B.C.



RESTAURANTS

D RECOMMENDS



BARBECUE

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

Baker’s Ribs. 2724 Commerce. 748-5433. 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. Marker. 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.

Balls Hamburgers. 3404 Rankin 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.

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



CAJUN

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

Caballo Bayo Bar A Grill. 3904 Stemmons. 630-1253. Inexpensive to moderate.

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

Camellia Cafe. 6617 Snider Plaza. 691-8164. Inexpensive.

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, Plano. 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 Cajun 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 Bell 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, Plano. 964-0406. Inexpensive.

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

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. lll S. Greenville Ave., Richardson. 680-8216. Inexpensive.

Grand Taipei. 216 W. Campbell. Richardson. 907-1027. Moderate.

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

Hong Kong Royale. 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 Jasmine. 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.

Tasty China. 3514-A W. Walnut. Garland. 276-1999. Inexpensive.

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

Tong’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 to moderate.

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



FRENCH/CONTINENTAL

Addison Cafe. 5290 Belt Line. Dallas. 991-8824. Moderate to expensive.

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.

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.

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 Inwood. 351-0094. Very expensive.

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

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.

Bohemia. 2810 N. Henderson. 826-6209. Moderate.

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

Franki’s Li’I 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.

Goldfinger. 2905 Webb Chapel Extension. .150-6983. Moderate to expensive.

Greek Bistro. 2014 Greenville Ave. 826-8989. Inexpen-sive to moderate.

Kostas Cafe. 4914 Greenville Ave. 987-3225. Inexpensive.

Theodore’s Seafood Restaurant. The Corner Shopping Center, 8041 Walnut Hill, Suite 810. 361-1922. Moderate to expensive.



HOME COOKING

Bishop Arts Cafe. 316 W. Seventh St. 943-3565. Inex-pensive 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. Inex-pensive.

Gennie’s Bishop Grille. 321 N. Bishop. 946-1752. 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 Daughter’s Diner. 2014 Irving Blvd. 742-8646. Inexpensive.

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

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

Roscoe’s Easy Way. 5420 Lemmon Ave. 528-8459. In-expensive.

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

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

Tolbert’s. One Dallas Center, 350 N. St. Paul. 953-1353. 1800 N. Market. 969-0310. 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 Belt Line. Prestonwood Creek Shopping Center. 960-0070. Moderate.

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

Kebab-N-Kurry. 401 N. Central Expwy., Suite 300. Richardson. 2.11-5556. Inexpensive to moderate.

Kebab-N-Kurry. 2620 Walnut Hill. 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 to moderate.

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.

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

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

Joey Tomato’s Atlantic City. 3232 McKinney Ave. 754-0380. Inexpensive to moderate.

LaTosca. 7713 Inwood. 352-8373. Expensive.

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

Lombard’s Expresso. 6135 Luther Lane. 361-6984. inexpensive to moderate.

Massimo da Mllano. 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.

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

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

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

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

Scuro. 2713 Elm St. 741-0111. Inexpensive to moderate.

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

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

311 Lombardi’s. 311 Market. 747-0322. 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. .1738 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

Anita’s Mexican Cantina. 7324 Gaston. #319. 328-9639. Inexpensive.

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

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. 747-2838. 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. 9464238. Inexpensive to Moderate.

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

Grandpa Tony’s. 3130 W, Mockingbird. 357-1531. Inex-pensive.

Javier’s. 4912 Cole. 521-4211. Expensive.

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

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

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

Mario & Alberto. LBJ Frwy., at Preston. Suite 425. 980-7296. Moderate.

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

The Martinez Cafe. Preston Park Village. 1900 Preston, Piano 964-7898. Inexpensive.

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.

Mi Cocina. 11661 Preston. Suite 138. 265-7704. Inexpensive.

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

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

ZuZu. 6423 Hillcrest. 521-4456. 5940 Royal Lane. 739-1312. 3100 Independence Pkwy., Plano. 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 & Deli. 2218 Greenville Ave. 828-0052. Inexpensive.

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



NEW AMERICAN

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

Aransas Pass. 2912 N. Henderson. 827-8650. Moderate

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

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

Bravo. 2621 McKinney. 871-2786. Moderate.

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

The Buffalo Club. 2800 Routh St., Suite 125. in the Quadrangle. 748-2400. Moderate to expensive.

By George! 2900 Greenville Ave. 821-1538. 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 ill Park West, 1590 LBJ Frwy. 869-4300. Moderate to expensive.

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. 385-3000. 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.

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

The Promenade. 2821 Turtle Creek Blvd. in The Mansion on Turtle Creek. 559-2100, Moderate to expensive.

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

Quadrangle Grille. 2800 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.



SEAFOOD

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

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 423-5699. Moderate.

Hampton’s. Preston Center, 8411 Preston. Berkshire Court. 7319-3474. 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

Blue Mesa Grill. 5100 Belt Line at Dallas Pkwy. in Sakowitz Village. Suite 500. Addison. 934-0165. Inexpensive to moderate.

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.

Del Frisco’s Double Eagle. 4300 Lemmon Ave. 526-9811. Expensive.

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

Old San Francisco Steakhouse. 10965 Composite (off Walnut Hill, east of I-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 Halt). 522-3354. Inexpensive.

Bagel Emporium. 7522 Campbell. 248-0608, Inexpensive.

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.

Deli News. 15775 Hillcrest. Suite 502. 392-3354. Inexpensive.

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

Henk’s European Deli. 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 Wiilowbrook. Suite 108 (at Northwest Hwy. and Harry Hines). 358-5679. Inexpensive to moderate.

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

Thai Lanna. 1490 W. Spring Valley, Richardson, 690-3637. 4315 Bryan. 827-6478. Moderate.

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

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

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

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

Thai Taste. 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.

Mai’s Cuisine. 4814 Greenville Ave. 739-5424. Inexpensive.



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. Bell Line. Irving. 570-1137. Inexpensive to 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.

Papi’s. (Puerto Rican) 2239 N. Main. (817) 625-4413. Inexpensive.

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

Saint Emilion. (French) 36l7 W. Seventh. (817) 737-2781. Moderate to expensive.

Tejano Mexican Cuisine. (Mexican) 5716 Camp Bowie Blvd. (817) 737-7201. Inexpensive to moderate.

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

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



NIGHTLIFE

The Art Bar. 2803-05 Main. 701-3434.

Club Clearview. 2806 Elm St. 701-3501.

Club Dada. 2720 Elm St., at Crowdus. 744-3232.

8.0 Bar. 2800 Routh St., in the Quadrangle. 979-0880.

Greenville Bar & Grill. 2821 Greenville Ave.

823-6691.

Improv Comedy Club and Restaurant. 9810 N. Central Expwy., Suite 600 (in The Corner Shopping Center). 750-5868. 4980 Belt Line at Quorum. Suite 250. Addison. 404-8503.

Knox Street Pub. 3230 Knox. 526-9476,

The Library Bar. Omni Melrose Hotel. 3015 Oak Lawn.521-5151.

The Lounge. 5460 W. Lovers Lane. 350-7834.

Pete & Sean’s Angry Dog. 2726 Commerce. 741-4406.

Pinnacle. 2708 Main St. 744-5700.

Poor David’s Pub. 1924 Greenville Ave. 821-9891.

State. 3611 Parry. 821-9246.

Stoneleigh P. 2926 Maple. 871-2346.

Trees. 2709 Elm St. 748-5009.

2826. 2826 Elm St. 741-2826.