Our Best of Dallas® 2012 issue is on the stands, and to accompany it, we've been counting down (in no particular order) our 100 Favorite Dishes. This is the last one this year, but if there's a dish you think we missed, leave it in the comments or email me.
I'm surprised by the number of terrible oysters I've had in Dallas. You would think it would be pretty difficult to muck them up, but many places serve oysters well past their prime. I've had at least three that were completely dead (a terrifying experience) and many that were dry and stale tasting. What makes those experiences particularly upsetting is that they were in high-end restaurants where I paid at least $3 a shell.
The oysters at Rex's Seafood, however, are perfectly consistent. As a bonus they're actually cost effective too. A dozen Wiannos will set you back only $22, but you're better off shelling out an extra four dollars for the East Dennis Bay oysters that blew my mind at a very recent lunch. Medium sized and briny as a salt lick, these oysters need nothing more than a drop or two of lemon juice. When the bivalves are this good, you'd do well to pair them with Champagne.
Hungry for more? Check back every morning for another dish, and download our Best Of App for Android and iPhone for more picks on the go.
No. 100: The Cleaver and Block Burger at NHS Tavern No. 99: The Bone Marrow at the Meddlesome Moth No. 98: Arepas at Zaguan Latin Cafe No. 97: Jalapeno Poppers at City Tavern No. 96: Elotes: Everywhere No. 95: Dan-Dan Noodles at Royal China No. 94: Smoked Ham Mac and Cheese at The Porch No. 93: Chicken and Waffles at Jonathon's Oak Cliff No. 92: Regina Margherita At Cane Rosso No. 91: Devils On Horseback At The Chesterfield No. 90: Ginger Soy Baby Back Ribs at Tei Tei Robata No. 89: Croissants From Rush Patisserie No. 88: The Reuben At The Cock & Bull No. 87: The Brisket at Pecan Lodge No. 86: The Roast Chicken At Bolsa No. 85: Chicken-Fried Egg at Union Bear No. 84: Brisket Tacos At Manny's No. 83: The Blueberry Ricotta Pancakes at Smoke No. 82: The Oxtail Ragout at Central 214 No. 81: The Italian Beef At Jimmy's No. 80: Pulled Whole Hog BBQ Eggs Benedict at Smoke No. 79: Veal Cheeks At Bijoux No. 78: Sweet Shrimp At Yutaka No. 77: Pho At Lemongrass No. 76: Shanghai Buns at Jeng Chi Dumpling House No. 75: Pepper Bomb At Goodfriend No. 74:Veracruz Cafe's Sopa de Atlahua No. 73: Fish and Chips at the Londoner No. 72: Italian Combo At Carbone's No. 71: Breakfast Schnitzel At Crossroads Diner No. 70: Berkshire Pork Belly Buns at Howard Wang's Uptown No. 69: Bolognese At Princi Italia No. 68: Cabrito a la Parrilla at El Ranchito No. 67: Kimchee French Fries At sSahm Food Truck No. 66: Just About Any Burger At Off Site Kitchen No. 65: St. Pete's Chili Dog No. 64: Mesa's Enmoladas No. 63: Pork and Octopus at Oak No. 62: Spicy Crispy Wings At Malai No. 61: Spicy Fish Soup At Korea House No. 60: Deviled Eggs At R&D Kitchen No. 59: Falafel At Fadia Bakery No. 58: Bistec Con Queso At El Tizoncito No. 57: The Burger At Local No. 56: Patty Melt At NHS No. 55: Guisado Verde Tacos At La Nueva Fresh And Hot No. 54: CFS At All Good Cafe No. 53: Ramen At Tei-An No. 52: Fried Chicken At Sissy's No. 51: Sampler Plate With Samoon at Judi Bakery No. 50: Dolmas At Pera Turkish Kitchen No. 49: The Sloppy Taco At Off Site Kitchen No. 48: The Fried Bologna Sandwich At Maple And Motor No. 47: Sour Cream Enchiladas At Mia's No. 46: Pork Banh Mi At Nammi No. 45: White Clam Pizza At Nonna No. 44: Banh Mi From Nammi No. 43: Pastor Tacos At La Banqueta No. 42: The Brunch Burger At The Grape No. 41: The Scotch Egg At Central 214 No. 40: The Nooner At Jonathon's Oak Cliff No. 39: The Large Tabouleh at Ali Baba No. 38: The Chile Relleno At Avila's No. 37: The Brussels Sprouts Fritters At Snack No. 36: Loukoumathes At Greek Fest No. 35: Coffee and Doughnuts At Rosemont No. 34: DIY Fried Chicken Taco at Pollo Campero No. 33: International Bakery Cuban Dulceria's Cubano No. 32: The Pork Chop At Acme F&B No. 31: The Crispy Duck At Bangkok City No. 30: Panamericana Torta At Tortas la Hechizera No. 29: Tom Kha Gai At Bambu No. 28: Hummus and Super Bread at Pepper Smash No. 27: The Fried Chicken Sandwich At Union Bear No. 26: The Jerk Chicken At Island Spot No. 25: Grilled Whole Bronzini At Tei Tei Robota No. 24: Nova's Smoked Salmon Potato Skins No. 23: The Wings At Ten Bells Tavern No. 22: Oak's Ham And Cheese Croissant No. 21: Brisket Enchiladas At ME Lounge No. 20: The Black Bean Dip At Gloria's No. 19: The "Sliced Leg Of Lamb" At Ziziki's No. 18: Paan At Taj Chaat House No. 17: Pesto Chicken Salad on a Popover at Dream Cafe No. 16: La Duni's BLTA Pop Over No. 15: Zanata's Grilled Cheese And Tomato Soup No. 14: Potato Pancakes At Kuby's No. 13: La Victoria's Breakfast Burrito (Smothered In Salsa) No. 12: Berkshire Pork Belly with Japanese Plum At Sharaku No. 11: Scallop Ceviche At Stephan Pyles No. 10: Cochinita Pibil At Meso Maya No. 9: Grilled Pimento Cheese Sandwich At Highland Park Pharmacy No. 8: Shawarma At Samar No. 7: Jhinga Masala Nizami At Mughlai Fine Indian Cuisine No. 6: Barbacoa Tacos At Restaurant Y Taquería Cristina No. 5: Tortilla Soup At Fearing's No. 4: Babaganoush At Baboush No. 3: Chicken Shish Kebab At Pepper Smash No. 2: The Turkey Sandwich At Bolsa Mercado