Best Bloody Mary 2010 | Smoke | Best of Dallas® 2020 | Best Restaurants, Bars, Clubs, Music and Stores in Dallas | Dallas Observer
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Best Bloody Mary

Smoke

Barbecue joints aren't frequently known for their cocktail prowess, but pseudo-posh meat-house Smoke isn't exactly your typical barbecue joint, anyway. Yeah, they serve cold draft beer and potato salad, but alongside their unrivaled brunch offerings, the Oak Cliff hilltop restaurant serves the finest Bloody Mary in Dallas, possibly in the entire land. Thick and tomatoey, Smoke's homemade Bloody Mary mixer soothes a hungover stomach while more substantial sustenance is on the way, though spears of bread-and-butter pickles, in-house pickled carrots, green beans and jalapeños turn a good drink into a salad in a glass. The seasoned-salted rim spices up each sip, right down to the last—at which point the only polite thing to do for your accommodating stomach is to order up one more.

READERS' PICK BEST MIDDLE EASTERN RESTAURANT

Ali Baba Cafe

Taryn Walker
Ali Baba Cafe

READERS' PICK BEST SOUP

La Madeleine

La Madeleine

READERS' PICK BEST CAJUN RESTAURANT

The Alligator Cafe

The Alligator Cafe

READERS' PICK BEST INDIAN RESTAURANT

India Palace

India Palace

Best Home-Style Restaurant

Norma's Cafe

Norma's Cafe

When you consider "home-style" food, it can be blue-plate or family-style, but something about it has to place you back in Mom's/Granny's kitchen (not the other rooms where there were creepy paintings and random chores to be done), strategizing how best to eat another roll, another spoonful of starchy side and still have room for pie. Norma's has been around since 1956, and the recipes taste as though they haven't much changed. The open-faced roast beef sandwich is slow-cooked like it would be at home on an old Hotpoint and the meatloaf is made with an original tomato sauce that, as a child, you probably wished they'd bottle and sell instead of ketchup. Value a good turnip green or pinto bean just as much as a mashed potato? So does Norma's. Now, as far as desserts, there is really nothing that Norma's makes that isn't incredibly familiar—in a good way. "Mile High" cream pies, fruit pies, cobblers and cakes all exceed expectations in size and that throwback flavor. You wouldn't necessarily want to go home again, but you definitely want to go to Norma's

Best Use of Cheese

Grilled Cheese at AllGood Café

Nick Rallo

Sure, people usually go to this Deep Ellum spot to chow down on the chicken-fried steak and jam out to some local music, but what about the grilled cheese? The magical concoction of cheddar and pepperjack cheeses, green chiles, roma tomatoes and chipotle mayonnaise served on sourdough bread should really receive some recognition. This ain't your momma's grilled cheese served with a can of tomato soup either, folks. AllGood serves the lunch-only dish with a side of Auntie Grace's coleslaw, tortilla chips and house salsa all for $6.99. Considering AllGood recently celebrated its 10th anniversary, we think they know what they're doing when it comes to pleasing patrons and their bellies.

Best Tacos al Pastor

Taqueria La Paisanita

It's really hard to single out one Dallas taqueria as the best, 'cause they all have their strengths (and weaknesses). For example, Fuel City's picadillo tacos are still some of the best in town, but their other varieties, not so much. When it comes to La Paisanita's tacos, we can't speak for anything except the al pastor, because that's all we got on our first visit, and all we've been able to bring ourselves to order on subsequent visits. Not because their other tacos don't look good, mind you, but because the al pastor tacos are just that addictive, dripping with spicy red juices and stuffed into small, oiled tortillas that crisp up ever so slightly on the tiny shack's griddle. La Paisanita tacos come with lemon instead of the customary lime, which seems strange at first, but just go with it. Washed down with a tall Mexican Coke, there's not a better taco in the city.

Best Refresher

The Domino Fizz, Neighborhood Services Tavern

Catherine Downes

Neighborhood Services Tavern has a good thing going with New York import and general manager Jason Kosmas. He knows cocktails—from muddling to infusions, from classics to innovative recipes. In a restaurant where the food is notoriously top-notch, drinks should be just as good. Seems like common sense, but it's not often accomplished as deftly as by Kosmas' hand. The Domino Fizz is a perfect example. Essentially, the cocktail is just a Tom Collins with sprigs of lavender, but the difference is in the details. The recently re-released Old Tom gin, specifically, is used for its smooth, sweet flavor. Fresh lavender isn't muddled or torn, it's simply shaken with the other ingredients and topped with soda in order to preserve its integrity and keep the flavor subtle, aromatic but not perfume-y. The care and thought are evident and the result is easily one of the most refreshing, crave-able summer drinks we've had. And we've been drinking in Dallas a long while.

Best Vietnamese Restaurant

Mai's Vietnamese Restaurant

Taryn Walker

Let's be absolutely clear on this point: Do not touch the sizzling clay pot of curry at Mai's. Yes, it is as hot as it looks. Here's a clue: Your food is still bubbling 10 minutes after it landed on your table. Rice stuck to the bottom of the pot melds into a blackened cake with a satisfying crunch. It's just one of the standout dishes at this unassuming house on Bryan Street. Some swear by the northern suburbs' pho shops, where the mood lighting is fluorescent, and "branching out" looks like ordering the same old soup, but with beef tripe. For its dark, cozy atmosphere and a menu that rewards repeat visits, Mai's wins.

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