Thursday, March 28, 2024 Mar 28, 2024
46° F Dallas, TX
Advertisement
Publications

A Guide to Dallas Celebrity Menu Items

How are restaurants honoring the city's best-known locals?
By |
Image
Illustration by Michael White

One of the surest ways to know you’ve made an impact in life—or at least at lunch—is having a restaurant name a menu item after you. Sometimes it’s because the place is a big fan of your work (Taco Joint’s Great Gordo, a breakfast burrito honoring The Ticket’s Gordon Keith). Sometimes it’s because you are well-known for your gustatory quirks (The Porch’s Stodg Burger, the namesake of lawyer Steve Stodghill, topped with bacon and a fried egg and served on a foie gras-buttered bun). And sometimes it’s because you happen to live in the restaurant’s city council district (Sheffie’s Sweet Skillet Cakes at The Lot, presumably a favorite of Councilman Sheffie Kadane). We scoured menus around town and found a few more you should know about.

Dirk’s Big German
KUBY’S SAUSAGE HOUSE
A plate-filling slice of veal haunch coated in beer-bread crumbs and fried, served Würzburg style: topped with a fried egg and a hefty portion of Swedish pickled herring.

Mary Suhm’s Prime T-Bone Steak With Super Secret Sauce
LARK ON THE PARK
We recommend you order this off – menu item ahead of time, but don’t mention it to your dining companions. In fact, while the rest of the table is ordering, gently but fi rmly warn them away from this item, which “as far as you know” doesn’t exist.

Ron’s Pack of “Kools”
DUDE, SWEET CHOCOLATE
Twenty powder-dusted, tobaccoinfused mint chocolate sticks. That’s the way chocolate go.
 

The Steve Blow
SUBWAY IN SUNNYVALE
A generous helping of mayonnaise served between two gleaming white slices of Rainbo bread with the crusts cut off, just like Steve likes it. Served with a chutney dipping sauce made from aged chestnuts.
 

George W.’s Mission Accomplished Brownie
CAFE 43
It arrives really early—usually before you even order lunch—and it is severely undercooked.
 

Ron Johnson’s CEO Special
JASPER’S IN PLANO
This humble but dependable plate of mac and cheese used to be half off on Thursdays. Now it’s the same price every day and no one orders it. (Note: recently removed.)
 

Tony Romo’s Deviled Eggs
J. MACKLIN’S GRILL IN COPPELL
If they’re the worst things that ever happen to you, well, then you will have had a pretty good lunch.
 

Craig Watkins’ Pork Belly Sliders
HATTIE’S
You’ll surely be tempted to order this favorite of our D.A. The pork belly is cooked sous vide style until it melts in your mouth, the buns are fresh every morning from Empire Baking Company, and, despite the various excuses your server will make, we can assure you it will never show up.
 

Royce’s Chicken-Fried Steak
BUTTONS
What’s so special about our state senator’s favorite dish? Is it the breading? Not really. The cut of the meat? Probably not. The gravy? Eh. Honestly, it’s pretty average. Regardless, you’ll feel strangely compelled to order it, even for $27.
 

Mayor Mike Burger
DALLAS CHOP HOUSE
A quarter-pound Angus beef burger, grilled to order, served just the way the mayor likes it: between two slices of Meat Lover’s Pizza.
 

The Schutze
THE MECCA
A conspiracy of fl avors—chicken salad topped with a slice of Gruyere topped with tuna salad topped with shredded Monterey Jack, with lettuce, tomato, pickle relish, and black olives, between a slice of marble rye and the top of a ciabatta bun—that might not ultimately add up but still makes for a thought-provoking meal.
 

John Wiley Price’s “I Dare You To Call This Devil’s Food Cake” Devil’s Food Cake
A KIOSK AT ALLIANCE AIRPORT
A favorite of the county commissioner’s, this moist and airy cake has more chocolate than any other dessert in North Texas.

Related Articles

Local News

LeadingOff (3/28/24)

It's a beautiful day for some baseball.
Image
Baseball

Bobby Sessions Gets You Hyped for Opening Day

He narrates the Texas Rangers' 2024 hype video.
Image
Travel

Is Fort Worth Really ‘The New Austin’?

The Times of London tells us it's now the coolest city in Texas.
Advertisement