Restaurant Reviews

How 'Bout Something for the 469?

N9NE Minus One

Princess for a day

Don your rhinestone tiara: The Pyramid's prix-fixe dinner is the best deal in town

Dining in the dark

Hotel St. Germain forgets a culinary dictum: "The eye has its rights"

Grand hotel

The Adolphus' French Room offers courses in dining elegance

Service with a frown

A mediocre menu and lackluster service take the fine out of the dining at Mel Hollen's

Food play

Nana Grill's new chef toys with compelling flavors

Thin line between love and hate

Cork is a promising wine bar that's plugged its excitement for the drink

Hash Over

Cork is a promising wine bar that's plugged its excitement for the drink

Hash Over

A Black hole; Avner goes tapas; Mel Hollen's is closed; Antonovich is in Kentucky

Best home cooking

Traci's Restaurant

Best lunch deal (tie)

Nuevo Leon & Monica's Aca y Alla

Damn Yankee

Daddy Jack brings Texas to New England

Food For Thought: 3.18.09

"Our average check is lower, but transactions are up 10 to 15 percent." (John Hurley, owner of Garibaldi's Restaurant in Oakland, CA, on the value of a prix-fixe menu. According to Nation's Restaurant News, fine dining restaurants are increasingly turning to multi-course, set price dinners to comba ... More >>

Ring Toss

Royce Ring anxious to cut ties with Triple R

You Say Somalia

What is a sommelier?

10 Questions: David Uygur

His name is synonymous with "tasting menu" in Dallas, thanks to his work with Lola's Tasting Room.He runs the main kitchen, as well. But the 10-course tasting ranks as one of the most impressive, spellbinding experiences in the city--at least as far as cooking goes. Uygur's emphasis on seasonal ingr ... More >>

Sal's: The Pizza's Good, But the Pasta's to Die For

His name is synonymous with "tasting menu" in Dallas, thanks to his work with Lola's Tasting Room.He runs the main kitchen, as well. But the 10-course tasting ranks as one of the most impressive, spellbinding experiences in the city--at least as far as cooking goes. Uygur's emphasis on seasonal ingr ... More >>

Want to work for the Dallas Observer?

His name is synonymous with "tasting menu" in Dallas, thanks to his work with Lola's Tasting Room.He runs the main kitchen, as well. But the 10-course tasting ranks as one of the most impressive, spellbinding experiences in the city--at least as far as cooking goes. Uygur's emphasis on seasonal ingr ... More >>

Want to work for the Dallas Observer?

Current openings for Web editor and restaurant critic

Review: Charlie Palmer at The Joule

Current openings for Web editor and restaurant critic

Hate Crime

Bijoux is an endearing experience

Fertility Rites

Spring breeds new dining establishments

Gone Fishing

Can tragically defunct become magically hip?

Birding Barcelona

Vilaclara isn't afraid to be chicken

Road Wear

Bye-bye, Volvo. Hello, Lola.

Is Screwing Hip?

We twist open 2005 for a nip. Is this a sign of things to come?

The Name Game

"Fine Dining" when they don't try too hard

Best Wine List

Lola the Restaurant

Where's the Boot?

Vino & Basso needs to merge its split personality

Tent Chic

Tabouli's found a gimmick, and it works

More Bang for Your 'Burb

Legacy Grill offers a reason to say, "Let's go to Frisco."

The Whole Boot

Eccolo rises from the asphalt

Eurotrash pickup

Avanti Euro Bistro proves that a little smarminess isn't all bad

10 Questions: Randall Copeland

Hard at work in his stint at BolsaThe chef and co-owner of Ava, the new and much talked about Rockwall destination, got his start waiting tables right after high school. But it was his decision to enter El Centro's culinary program that really set things in motion.From there, the Dallas native worke ... More >>

10 Questions: James Tidwell Of Four Seasons

He was the 100th American wine professional to earn the title of Master Sommelier, but that's not the only thing Tidwell can be proud of.After graduating from LSU with a degree in international trade and finance, this son of a small town preacher set off for culinary school at the prestigious Culina ... More >>

Hash Over: Five-Sixty Celebrates 365, Capital Grille Offers Small Plates, New Restaurant To Open In Victory Park And More

​Beginning today, Five-Sixty by Wolfgang Puck is celebrating its first year in Dallas's One Big Ball with a special anniversary tasting menu created by executive chef Sara Johannes. Through February 11, diners at the Reunion Tower restaurant can order a chef's amuse and various options for first c ... More >>

Days Gone Bite: The Riviera

​Seven years ago today Dallas' grand old fine dining destination was in its death throes. The Riviera would close for good in February of 2003, leaving as its legacy some of the finest chefs, restaurateurs and managers in the city.David Holben (now at Del Frisco's) and Lori Finkelman served as the ... More >>

Arcodoro & Pomodoro Goes Fancy, but the Fundamental Remain Solid

​Seven years ago today Dallas' grand old fine dining destination was in its death throes. The Riviera would close for good in February of 2003, leaving as its legacy some of the finest chefs, restaurateurs and managers in the city.David Holben (now at Del Frisco's) and Lori Finkelman served as the ... More >>

And The People Rejoiced: Green Room Opens Today, and We Have the Menus

​The Green Room, the Deep Ellum legend that's back in business as of this afternoon, has put quail eggs and halibut cheeks on its elegant opening menu. According to a press release, executive chef Joel Harloff's menu features "modern American cuisine with European influences that will change ... More >>

Restaurant Week: Great for Charity,
Not So Great for Special Occasions

​When my husband and I chose a wedding date, we thought about the weather. We thought about football schedules. We didn't think about Restaurant Week, which didn't exist back in 2006. Unfortunately, our anniversary this year fell smack in the middle of the festivities. And being new to Dallas ... More >>

The Samuels Are Back;
Nosh Scheduled to Replace Their Famed Aurora

The new Nosh, in the same space as Aurora, will retain Aurora's wide-open kitchen.​When Aurora announced its closing early last month, owners Celeste and Avner Samuel hinted that they were in the process of searching for a location for a brand new concept. Looks like their search is over, and ... More >>

Dallas Pizzerias Have Trouble Matching
Wines and Pies

​Winemakers trying to woo Americans more comfortable with cola than Cabernet tend to lard their labels with extraordinarily user-friendly language: "The perfect wine for afternoons spent with friends," a description might read. "Enjoy with hamburgers or pizza." The problem is not every wine i ... More >>

Miss Behavin': Central 214's Blythe Beck
Gets Down, Dirty and Delicious

Photo courtesy of Central 214Central 214's executive chef Blythe Beck​ Her first name ain't baby, it's Blythe, Miss Beck if you're naughty She dresses in pink. She loves diamonds. And she says that what food really wants is for you to "love on it." I'm speaking, of course, about Blythe Beck, ... More >>

Why Critics Review Very Fancy Restaurants

​The New York Times this weekend dipped into a discussion that's always swirling around the practice of food criticism: Why write about restaurants where many readers can't afford to eat? "Times reviews create the illusion that indulging in expensive pleasures is common and normative," reader ... More >>

Same Wine, New Bottle: Is That Right?

​There are few nicer ways to celebrate the holidays than an indulgent solo lunch in a classy restaurant. Unless, of course, the meal ends with a nasty customer-manager spat. That's what happened today to a City of Ate reader who sidled up to the bar of an uptown steakhouse and ordered an $18 ... More >>

Feed Each Other Grape's

​There are few nicer ways to celebrate the holidays than an indulgent solo lunch in a classy restaurant. Unless, of course, the meal ends with a nasty customer-manager spat. That's what happened today to a City of Ate reader who sidled up to the bar of an uptown steakhouse and ordered an $18 ... More >>

Chef Matthew Dunn Joins MCrowd

​More changes afoot at MCrowd. Three months after Chief Executive Officer Greg Good's replacement with Michael Cox, Matthew Dunn -- former Stephen Pyles and Central Market chef and famously one of the few Dallas chefs to cook at the James Beard House -- joins MCrowd as director of culinary ope ... More >>

If Google Swallows Open Table Too, Yelp Could Yelp Its Last Yelp

​Back in September, when we wrote about Google taking a bite out of Zagat, we wondered if the Internet giant had plans to compete with Yelp. Google already allows users to give restaurants a star rating and to offer their thoughts on recent dining experiences. Zagat's database, containing prof ... More >>

WhataFail: How Some Dallas Restaurants Treat Their Employees

​Restaurant Opportunities Centers United has released a new restaurant guide. The 52-page guide makes no mention of food quality, ingredient sourcing, or a customer's dining experience, but instead focuses on how well restaurants treat their employees. Wages, benefits and advancement opportuni ... More >>