Even for restaurateurs, Josh Yingling and Matt Tobin are incredibly busy. When they're not running their successful restaurants and plotting new ones, they can't just survive on artisanal sausages and brisket-topped burgers alone. Despite their insane schedules, they still manage to make it out for a meal from time to time, even if they're not dining at fancy joints like The Mansion most of the time.
If you've eaten at either The Blind Butcher or Goodfriend, it's clear that these guys have pretty good taste in food, so you should probably listen to them when they say that you should be eating at these five Dallas restaurants.
Taco Joint (above)
Everyone in East Dallas loves Taco Joint, and Tobin and Yingling are no exception. The guys' regularly scheduled coffee meeting often ends up at Taco Joint, sometimes four or five times a week. While they're plotting restaurant domination, the two always order chips and queso.
Anvil Pub It's easy to frequent a place when the owners are your neighbors, which is why you'll often find Yingling at the bar at Anvil Pub. Yingling rides motorcycles and drinks beer with the guys from Anvil all the time, but no word on whether or not he appreciates their avant-garde approach to brunch.
When Yingling and Tobin are looking for a place for a fancy lunch meeting, they immediately head to The Porch. Aside from the solid menu and excellent cocktails, both swear by this restaurant's always consistent and impeccable service. "It's kind of an expensive lunch," says Yingling. "But when I leave, I'm full, I'm happy, and everything was spot on.
Even guys who are heavily involved in the Dallas restaurant scene get stuck in their bubble, which means that they dine at HG Sply Co a lot. Both are fans of the food that Elias Pope and Danyele McPherson are cranking out there, and it doesn't hurt that it's right next door to Blind Butcher, which isn't (yet) open for lunch.
Trader Joe's
It may not seem like a place for a great lunch, but Trader Joe's is Matt Tobin's pick for the best six dollar lunch in Dallas. "I had a falafel sandwich yesterday with tahini sauce and it was fantastic, man." says Tobin. "And it was three bucks." If you're running low on cash, it's good to know that you can have a restaurateur-approved lunch for only slightly more than the price of a gallon of gas.
