Best Reason To Love/Hate Uptown 2009 | Nick & Sam's Grill | Best of Dallas® 2020 | Best Restaurants, Bars, Clubs, Music and Stores in Dallas | Dallas Observer
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Best Reason To Love/Hate Uptown

Nick & Sam's Grill

This is one cool layout, ya gotta admit. There are two patios, one always covered, the other in full "be seen" view of passing traffic. The building's doors swing open to allow the outside to spill in (or the inside to spill out, depending on one's perspective). This is why you live or hang around in Uptown, right? Of course, you can't really grab one of those great patio tables without arousing the ire of the pretty poseurs. They are everywhere—the bar, the patio, upstairs—crowding you with 36 inches of plastic, knocking you accidentally aside with their Canali-clad elbows. It's why you avoid Uptown too.

Best Reason To Spend Part Of Your Weekend At A Dead Shopping Center In Frisco

Kenny's Burger Joint

There are some downsides...besides the dead shopping center in Frisco part. You pay extra for the fries, first off. And the fries aren't that great. The burgers, on the other hand, rise far, far above Dallas-area standards. Thick, meaty, with a trace of smoke, served on quality bread—this is America on a plate. Their shakes are straightforward good stuff (and they will do you an adult version too). Best of all, you can annoy a spouse or soon-to-be-former girlfriend by pointing to all those Animal House quotes on the wall and replaying the entire scene, verbatim.

Best Red Velvet Cupcake

Sprinkles

Red velvet is the best kind of cake ever—and not because of the 1989 appearance of the armadillo-shaped groom's cake in the film Steel Magnolias. There's something about the cacao-tinged flavor and the rich sweetness of the creamy frosting that's absolutely irreplaceable. Which is why you'd expect a high-quality red velvet cupcake at a high-quality cupcakery like Sprinkles. The bakers there—with their fancy-schmancy designs and pretty accoutrements—know just how to do the Southern specialty right. The taste of their delicious, deep red confections is tough to put into words, but suffice it to say that the Steel Magnolia set would certainly approve.

Best Red Velvet Cupcake

Sprinkles

Red velvet is the best kind of cake ever—and not because of the 1989 appearance of the armadillo-shaped groom's cake in the film Steel Magnolias. There's something about the cacao-tinged flavor and the rich sweetness of the creamy frosting that's absolutely irreplaceable. Which is why you'd expect a high-quality red velvet cupcake at a high-quality cupcakery like Sprinkles. The bakers there—with their fancy-schmancy designs and pretty accoutrements—know just how to do the Southern specialty right. The taste of their delicious, deep red confections is tough to put into words, but suffice it to say that the Steel Magnolia set would certainly approve.

Best Restaurant Bar Scene

Bella

The new-ish Quadrangle space has three key things going for it. First is location, obviously. Second is their no-reservations policy, forcing incoming guests to loiter around the bar until other diners clear out. Finally—and most important—owners Robert Petrie (not the one played by Dick Van Dyke) and Tony Porcaro, who once held sway at Nick & Sam's. Many steakhouse bar patrons seem to have come along with the pair, as weekend evenings are a mix of dinner guests, well-heeled gents, top-heavy babes and, um, professional women. It's Nick & Sam's, only with more light and a smaller age gap.

Best Seafood

Dallas Fish Market

Who ever heard of Randy Morgan? The Dallas Fish Market chef got his start in Seattle and worked the kitchen at Oceanaire, back when it was good—but no one really mentions his name. Still, few chefs have as much respect for fresh seafood. For the downtown restaurant, he sources the best stock from wherever he can find it: Prince Edward Island (mussels), Alaska (crab), Maine (lobster), Hawaii (swordfish), Louisiana (redfish), the Columbia River (sturgeon) and so on. He not only cooks the stuff, but presents his own take on sushi. Which is all meant to say there's something for every sort of fish lover here—and we're not the only ones who think so. Bon Appetit placed Dallas Fish Market at No. 5 in their list of the nation's top seafood spots.

Best Sliders

The Porch

The Porch

No doubt there is something magical about the number 3: In rhetorical flourishes (life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness), in religion (the Holy Trinity, the Three Patriarchs, the Three Holy Cities of Islam), in nuclear accidents (Three Mile Island). Now that same magic has spread to the culinary rage known as the slider, which is most often served in threes. Derived from White Castle hamburgers and named for the ease with which the greasy treats slide down the gullet, these mini-burgers have been reincarnated into high-end gourmet globs, using salmon, fried oysters, crab, etc. to make their point. We feel the Porch makes that point better than most, with its chopped brisket sliders, an appealing appetizer of barbecued beef, creamy coleslaw and horseradish-infused pickles served on a small bun. No need to dip into the side of barbecue sauce, which seems like an embarrassment of riches. Instead you'll be searching for adjectives to describe this sweet, tangy, mouth-watering concoction. There, that's three.

Best Soup

Pho at Green Papaya

Hank Vaughn

Note we didn't say most authentic—'cause in this case we don't much care about authenticity. Green Papaya's version of the Vietnamese staple is big (as Texas) and hearty (as a motherf...never mind). There are fancier soups out there too. But the Oak Lawn restaurant's pho is simple and satisfying, which is all you really want. The broth itself sends warm shivers of meatiness down your spine, but you can add a choice of beef, chicken or meatballs (try the latter). Spiked with onion and cilantro and full of noodles, it's more than just a modernized, Texafied pho. It's a meal.

Best Steak

Pappas Bros. Steakhouse

With some 500 seats to fill, the kitchen at Pappas Bros. has to work hard, not just to meet the demands of a dinner rush, but to create that demand, as well. They do it with cuts—slabs, rather—of prime beef they age for up to 40 days and grill to a rare perfection. That sheen of pan juices and seasoning burned onto the skin, the oh-so-delicate rare center...this is meat heaven. More than that, really, for they employ several wine stars to find the right match for your meal and furnish one of the city's most extensive cellars. Yes, it's an expensive place. But, damn, the memory of those steaks will stay with you for a long time after.

Best Sunday Brunch

The Grape

Beth Rankin

The Grape is the kind of place you want to huddle in on a Sunday: low-key, casual atmosphere with great food...and unlike Denny's, it's dark enough inside no one can see your bloodshot eyes. But really, it's all about the food. You can go meaty, with steak frites. Need something old-fashioned and hearty? They serve oxtail hash. If you're in the mood for a fancy meal, then you can order rainbow trout. But if you want something Denny's-ish (only prepared by a great chef), they'll whip up griddlecakes, waffles, or bacon and eggs too.

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