100 Favorite Dishes, No. 42: Chicken-Fried Steak at AllGood Cafe

Leading up to September's Best of Dallas® 2016 issue, we're sharing (in no particular order) our 100 Favorite Dishes, the Dallas entrées, appetizers and desserts that really stuck with us this year. The AllGood Cafe has been a staple of Deep Ellum diners (and musicians) for more than 15 years...

By Chris Wolfgang

August 2, 2016

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "18855504",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17105533",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18349797",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17105532",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18349797",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17105535",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

Leading up to September's Best of Dallas® 2016 issue, we're sharing (in no particular order) our 100 Favorite Dishes, the Dallas entrées, appetizers and desserts that really stuck with us this year.

The AllGood Cafe has been a staple of Deep Ellum diners (and musicians) for more than 15 years. Not only has Mike Snider's diner been a keystone of his support for local music, the kitchen at AllGood cranks out some seriously good fare.

AllGood proclaims their CFS as "World's Best," and it's a difficult statement to argue. The steak is pounded thin, dredged in flour, then fried in peanut oil until the coating is delightfully crisp, but never greasy. And let's be honest; gravy can make or break a chicken fried steak. At AllGood, the gravy (said to be made with homemade chicken broth) is perfect in its peppery, creamy goodness, and applied in just the right amount to get a gravy-slathered bite with every forkful, but without drowning the meat.

The chicken-fried steak at AllGood is so popular, you can get it at any hour they're open; it's on the breakfast menu, with two eggs and grits and potatoes or a biscuit, or during lunch or dinner, when mashed potatoes and a side vegetable accompany the dish. You can't go wrong either way.

KEEP THE OBSERVER FREE... Since we started the Dallas Observer, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Dallas, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.

Chris Wolfgang started writing about barbecue for the Dallas Observer in 2015, and became the Observer’s restaurant critic in October 2021. In his free time, he’s a dog owner, plays a mediocre guitar and is likely recovering from his latest rec-league sports injury.

Contact: Chris Wolfgang

Follow:

Twitter: @chrislw25

Instagram: @chrislw25