Patricia Sharpe's Where to Eat Now 2012 treats the Dallas-Fort Worth area well, with with of the ten restaurants in her list in either city. She also points out some interesting trends, opening with a confirmation that all the organ meat we're seeing in Dallas isn't just a local phenomenon but part of a statewide trend. She also notes that fine dining seems to be alive and well, and predicts that 2012 will be the year of the snail.
Marquee Grill, Lucia, and Shinjuku Station made the list, with Private Social, Mesa and Revolver Taco Lounge getting mentions as runners up at the end of the piece. What's her list say about the Dallas dining scene?
Apparently we're into celebrity chefs. Two of the restaurants mentioned in the article are byproducts of the Bravo Top Chef machine. I agree with Sharpe's ranking Marquee Grill over Private Social. It's definitely the better of the two, but are these restaurants really representative of Dallas' best offerings?
Other descriptions make me long for Dallas equivalents. Contigo, in Austin, is a casual patio restaurant that features burgers, beer and "rabbit stew full of biscuitlike sage dumplings." I'd love to see a Dallas restaurant or two follow Contigo's lead. A description of Pondicheri, in Houston, made my mouth water, too. I've been longing for some high-end Indian food for a while.
In one disappointing part of the of the article, Sharpe describes the shrimp heads presented with her sushi order.
The sweet shrimp sushi is worth ordering just to see the whole fried shrimp heads that accompany the presentation. Talk about fierce.
Just to see them? I want to eat them. They're fucking delicious.
