Food & Drink

Close your eyes while drinking a pint of Royal Scandal and you might just think you’re in England. This pub-style English pale ale tastes like a textbook, technically perfect example of the style with refreshing lightness balanced against a backbone of bitterness. The way Peticolas makes Royal Scandal isn’t actually textbook — the hops are all-American, for example — but the result might just be better than the real deal. And the fact that we can finally drink cans of this beer at home is one of the very, very few good things about 2020.

Sure, the lemon meringue cruffins are beautiful. The precision of every drip, dollop and sprinkle on the house-made cakes may bedazzle you. And the strawberry-basil macarons and framboise cakes are so light in touch and bright in flavor they’re hard to forget. But, the true mark of a baker is creating magic with the basics: flour, butter and sugar. Don’t sleep on these at Bisous Bisous. The croissants and kouign-amanns will ruin you. Let it happen.

In these trying times, Slow Bone is the barbecue hero we need. We may not know when the urge for barbecue will strike, but Slow Bone has us covered at lunch any day of the week. We may not know if we have enough time to grab some barbecue, but Slow Bone’s line moves quickly, when it’s there at all. We may not know how we’ll recapture Slow Bone’s brilliant flavor at home, but their vacuum-sealed meats deliver the goods. Like many other establishments, they’ve adapted quickly in the time of coronavirus. Sure, we miss sitting down and eating from their pastel trays, but the goodness of Slow Bone still shines, no matter where we partake.

McEuen took over Ocean Prime’s bar this year and has upheld the high level of service. She’s a consummate professional who knows her drinks and a handful of jokes and jabs to make her guests feel like family. Ocean Prime’s cocktail pro hasn’t stopped mixing it up since the world shut down. She took the chance to travel around and challenged various bartenders and civilians to Instagram Live mix-offs and taught us all how to mix up some classic cocktails along the way. Find her in the newly remodeled OP bar and ask her which whiskey or wine she recommends.

Las Almas Rotas flat-out killed it on the to-go game this year. Its program, led by Reid Lewis, mixed up some unique options that are just as delightful from a deli cup as they would be behind their bar. The mezcal bar next to Fair Park has done more than just the cocktails well. They also made a drive-thru experience in the alley next to the bar with a doorbell to order.

Whether you’re fluffing out a blanket to go on grass, sitting on a bench overlooking the wate or wanting a picnic table that’s fully shaded any time of day, this park in North Oak Cliff is ideal. There’s a loop around the lake to work off your meal, too, and the views of the lake and the skyline are unbeatable.

One sign that you’re going to have a stellar meal, a truly Dallas meal, is a bag of takeout that’s got wooden sticks poking out of it like a bat with nails in it. Lakewood Landing’s sharp corn dog holders can’t be contained by a to-go sack, so they jab out as dangerous as a medieval weapon. Inside are Dallas treasures: long Rudolph’s Market dogs (from the oldest butcher shop in Dallas) armored by a charred orange batter. Frozen corn dogs have a batter that tastes burnt and a frank that has a sickly tinge; Lakewood Landing knows better: Their hot dogs sing with beef flavor and send juices into the salty-crunch of its casing. Immerse corn dogs immediately in French’s yellow mustard. This is iconic bar food in our city.

Herman Marshall forged the trail for grain-to-glass whiskey in North Texas. Aside from growing their own grains, every part of their whiskey-birthing process is done in-house. The mash is poured into 500-gallon handmade cypress tanks for open-top fermentation, a nod to tradition. They then use a custom-designed copper pot to distill the mash. The spirit is then tucked away to age in charred American white oak barrels, enduring many seasons of wildly sporadic Texas weather to give the final product character and grit. Distillery tours break down the process and history with a side of humor. At the end you can even pour and seal your own bottle. Or you can pick one up at just about any retailer, restaurant and bar around town.

When it comes to comfort food during the pandemic, Humble has been a go-to for its balanced, freshly made pies that satisfy our sweet tooth without being overly sweet. Try the bayou goo, which is a favorite for its layers of rich, sweet cream cheese, candied pecans, chocolate cream, Chantilly cream and chocolate shavings.

You’ll find pepper and juices under long-cut slaw, orange-gold from hot sauce. The heat is just enough to whisk away a year’s worth of anxiety. The tenders crack and break under pressure, releasing juices and flavor right into the store-bought bun. The chicken is crackly enough, loaded with enough pepper, that you won’t need a bunch of high fructose condiments. Pack a book; you might need to wait a few minutes. Or do a load of clothes: It’s a family-run joint next door to a coin laundry.

“Historically it is difficult to sell a hot dog in Dallas, so we figured, if we’re going to do it, they might as well be the best,” owner Andrew Kelley says. That’s a tall order considering the steamy street meat you’d find in New York City, but that’s exactly what he did. Tangy sauerkraut in shredded scoops as fine as angel hair melts against brown mustard and the rich juices of the frank. The bun is chewy and fresh. The Angus beef frank is sourced from Fort Worth. It snaps some. It’s sparkling with juices. It does not taste of curing agent and heart-killing salt, but bears the flavor of good beef.

At Urban Tadka, the specialties are food from far north India and terrific housemade paneer, which is a star in every dish where it appears. There’s a whole menu of paneer in various sauces to pair with the excellent housemade naan, and every item on it is a gem. If you can resist the vegetarian items, try a goat dish or lamb dhansak with tender lamb stewed in lentils. The buffet here was never really a star attraction, but during a pandemic, that hardly matters.

Every time the door opens, smells of hot sugar and dough waft out in the super-heated air. It’s the aroma of frosted chocolate, of glazed things, that takes hold of you at Jarams. But that’s not why you’re here. You’re here for the wonderland of “kolaches,” (Texas’ erroneous name for sausage entombed in fresh baked dough). Some look like fritters with braided dough and ornamented with many sliced sausages. Cheese is woven directly into the dough. The jalapeño-studded klobasneks have good heat and some snap, and the melted cheese swirls through the chewy, tender dough.

Dallas’ Korea Town has been devastated by the coronavirus with some of its most popular and longest-established restaurants closed temporarily or permanently. But a relative newcomer, Damasita, is coming into its own. Originally opened as a high-energy bar, Damasita has turned to Korean home cooking under new ownership with possibly the city’s best gimbap and satisfying, enormous rice bowls. Noodle soups and dumplings round out a menu that spells comfort food in any language.

This bloody mary isn’t the cheapest, but you’re at the Ritz, and it’s worth every penny of its $14 price tag. The server may warn you of spiciness, but it’s not too much. In fact, feel free to request more even if there is a giant jalapeño sticking out of the glass. This drink is balanced and smooth, just as all the other bloody mary cocktails in town want to be. It’s versions like this that make drinking in the morning acceptable.

Baseball and football games may not be welcoming tens of thousands of spectators this fall, but there’s still a good reason for the Arlington area to be a destination drive for Dallasites: Fattoush, a sterling restaurant run by an Iraqi refugee chef, Bashar Al Mudhafar. His journey to Pantego began with his serving burgers to American soldiers in Baghdad; now he cooks some of the best lamb kebabs, rice pilaf, lebneh and roasted chicken kozi in Texas. Grilled lamb chops are dusted with pistachios, and the falafel — made using an especially tricky, finicky recipe — is a standout.

Entering Jimmy’s feels like stepping onto a Sopranos set, and you can easily get lost shopping for authentic imported Italian goods in the store’s aisles. One of life’s greatest treasures is gorging on a decked-out 12-inch Italian Stallion or muffuletta sandwich and topping it off with a rich cannoli. Luckily for Dallas residents, Jimmy’s is still up-and-running with some minor modifications, including a somewhat condensed menu. Grocery shoppers must wear masks, and hungry customers can still buy premade, grab-and-go cold sandwiches for in-store or curbside pickup.

Revolver’s gift for improvisation has come in especially handy this year. Not only is chef Regino Rojas’ team still inventing new menu specials, the restaurant’s got a rebuilt interior to allow a socially distant tasting menu of high-quality traditional crudos and tacos under the name La Resistencia. Rojas and his crew use Japanese grills and charcoal to cook meats and vegetables for their housemade tortillas, which are made from numerous varieties of heirloom Mexican corn. The latest innovation, a seafood brunch extravaganza, illustrates the way this restaurant will keep adapting. It doesn’t hurt that their tortillas are still the best in the city.

We can’t help but salute the courage of anyone looking at the restaurant business, a risky endeavor in any climate, and deciding that now, in a public health disaster, is the time to try it. If we’re all still here next year, we can pass judgment on their food in detail, but for now, let’s give them all an unusually generous welcome. We only have space to name some of the most notable 2020 openings: 2 Neighbors Hot Chicken, Ariana Kebabs, Bacchus Kitchen and Bar, Edoko Omakase, Elm & Good, Hurtado Barbecue, Invasion, K-Pop Ramen Shop, Korean Street Eats, Krio, Luna 23, Marugame Udon, Mestizo, Ngon Vietnamese Kitchen, Pangea, Ricky’s Hot Chicken, Thai Monkey and Uncle Zhou.

While so many restaurants have closed for brunch service, we’re thankful this standby in West End remains open for all of our pancake and grit needs. Owner Joe Groves recently took the menu to a new location in Allen, but the popularity remains downtown for the proper plates of eggs and bacon, a pancake pot pie and beef chili with eggs.

It sounds like a joke, but there are memories smoked right into Todd David’s bologna. The Cattleack Barbeque owner used to smack three slices on soft white bread with a circle of spicy-sweet mustard. It’s what he makes for himself, but this time with his own smoky, luxe, pepper-dotted in-house bologna slices. David runs wagyu brisket trimmings through a grinder until it’s smooth and smokes it until it’s “happy” and firehouse red. It’s the stuff you had as a kid. Texas pitmasters know bologna better than anyone on Earth. He sells it as a special (keep an eye on his newsletter) and it’s a must-buy every time. Get a side of mac and cheese for maximum nostalgia points.

When beef prices hit $5 a pound, Peak owner Joel Morales ran to his local Bass Pro Shop to get a meat grinder. Only in a pandemic would brisket and bacon, coarse ground into already-expensive chuck, lessen the expense. Good thing Morales did. The cheeseburger is a new Dallas classic. It tastes like smoke and skies. A 5-ounce patty gets flash seared on the blazing griddle, and it’s layered with American cheese, chopped lettuce, onion and pickle. They know the power of good grease — all of those toppings nest under the patty as beef juices come down like rain from a tin roof.

Deep Ellum’s hand-roll sensation puts ingredients and technique to the foreground. When dine-in meals are safe again, you’ll get to sit at the long bar that takes up the whole restaurant and watch the care and craft that go into making such simple-looking seaweed-wrapped sushi, featuring fresh tuna belly, uni, scallops and ever-changing specials. The hand-roll format is also a first-rate vehicle for vegetarian combinations. For now, we have Nori’s tidy, flawless takeout containers of sushi, which can also include the izakaya-style appetizers that come from the restaurant’s small kitchen.

It wasn’t easy for chef Ryan Ferguson to adapt to the road. Pasta and pizza seem like the ultimate takeout cuisine: They’re not. Pasta likes to sponge up whatever the liquid is around it. Thin-crust pizza can get as floppy as a rabbit’s ear after a drive home. Sprezza has considered this: Their pizzas crackle and blister and snap. The creamy tomato sauce pie — the vodka-spiked tomato base, studded with shishito pepper, fresh plum tomato, sharp provolone — is a stunner. There are zero other pies like it in Dallas. The crust is thin, rectangular, modest but giant fiery-huge in flavor. Keep an eye on their rotating, farm-to-table toppings. Fresh toppings and good tomatoes and crackling crust are how a good pizza is made.

Few takeout specials during the coronavirus pandemic have become as iconic as Taco y Vino’s formula of six tacos and a bottle of wine for $30. It’s North Oak Cliff’s ultimate weeknight treat, and it helps that Taco y Vino keeps coming up with creative new menu offerings to match. One of owner Jimmy Contreras’ summer specials, for instance, drew on his abiding love for the Double Decker at Taco Bell. But fear not: In terms of quality and care, this is about as far from Taco Bell as you can get. Every great taco menu is a little bit playful, and Taco y Vino’s is proof.

“Tex-Mex” here refers to the foods of the borderlands, to cabrito and guisos you could find on either side of the Rio Grande. But El Ranchito also has plenty of seafood and a San Antonio-style panache that includes the restaurant’s celebrated mariachi performances (during pre-viral times) and elaborate Christmas decorations. So whether your definition of “Tex-Mex” leans more toward the Tex or the Mex, there will be something to please you at this nearly 40-year-old Oak Cliff institution.

Once, mortadella with peppers was the star. The times are a-changin’: Shoals has flipped its entire model to vegan after a honeymoon of meat (and it won’t go back). Now you’ll find a sandwich of smoked jackfruit or ground-shattering, beer-battered tempeh or griddle-encrusted seitan with a remarkable smoked prosciutto-meets-bacon flavor. That one is part of a — you heard us right, plant-based —Cubano sandwich. Yes, it’s a vegan cubano and all of the sensations are there. “This is a Latin-American restaurant. The food just happens to be all vegan,” says owner Omar Yeefoon.

This Bishop Arts District restaurant has been temporarily closed throughout the pandemic, but memories of sitting at the bar enjoying freshly shucked oysters still haunt our dreams. This is an ideal spot for brunch or dinner, but either way, get wine and oysters while you take in the vibe of the space. This is one place we really can’t wait to see reopened.

Good coffee, a solid pastry program and friendly staff are the foundations of an appealing coffee shop. Add in just the right vibe, and it becomes a place we can’t get enough of, whether for sitting alone working on a laptop, meeting a friend (pre-pandemic) or spending time with a household member (in today’s times). Davis Street has the right combination of all of this with some of the best chocolate chip cookies in town and beans from the ever-reliable Oak Cliff Coffee Roasters.

There are decades-old places serving the classic, syrupy shaved ice that hits the spot on a hot summer day. Then there’s Ruby’s, where you can get snow-like ice filled with bright, fresh flavors made with real fruit. This Old East Dallas place has flavors we want all year long, like cool watermelon, decadent Vietnamese coffee and refreshing coconut.

This South Dallas spot is our No. 1 place for its well-balanced roasts, whether it’s the seasonal firefly blend, the special blend for Bisous Bisous Patisserie or the Ethiopia roast. While we love to have a cup of coffee inside, these days the shop has easy online ordering for curbside pickup to keep us caffeinated.

Countless diners have been able to enjoy Luis Dominguez’s work during his 20 years in the Dallas restaurant industry in a career that spanned restaurants in nearly every neighborhood in town: Tillman’s, Hattie’s, Smoke, Chicken Scratch and, most recently, HG Sply Co. Dominguez helped create some of Smoke’s most popular dishes, adding Southwestern spice and Mexican tradition to chef Tim Byres’ barbecue. Dominguez died of COVID-19 July 22.

The arepa is reason enough to wake up: The savory pocket, similar to a gordita, has enormous flavor. You’ll see sun-yellow corn and cloud-white salt. Queso blanco fuses to the walls of the seared envelope. Zaguán began like an over-the-counter neighborhood bakery, with four glass cases of crackly breads (made in-house) like the cachito stuffed with minced ham and cheese and powdered-sugar pastries. Eighteen years after opening, they host more comfort than ever: Egg, ham, and cheese on cloud bread and a just-pulled espresso is stunning.

This spot on the edge of Deep Ellum has hot dogs we love along with a solid list of beer on tap. There’s a wide selection, with much of it local, whether it’s Deep Ellum Brewing Co.’s Easy Peasy IPA, Martin House’s Pils or Peticolas’ Golden Opportunity golden ale. Even more is available on a list of canned beer. Whatever you get, a cold beer here is a perfect place to be.

A few months into the pandemic, we had restaurants fully complying with safety measures (most of them, anyway). But there was one that stood out from the beginning, when we started asking restaurants what they were doing before the city reacted to the pandemic. Reyna Duong, owner of Sandwich Hag, was already screening her employees, making food pickup contactless and insisting on hand sanitizer. When someone on staff contracted COVID-19, they shut down and cleaned thoroughly. Protocols heightened as months progressed, communication was transparent and constant via social media as those escalated, and no exceptions were made. Sandwich Hag is an example of how to do it right.

Pounded, tender meat, the perfect crisp batter that isn’t too thick but doesn’t easily flake off and perfectly seasoned gravy: There’s a lot that goes into a proper chicken-fried steak, and the folks at Jonathon’s know how to do each step. Anything fried here is good, as is anything with gravy. But if you’re hunting for the best CFS in town, it’s right here in North Oak Cliff.

When the happy day comes that we can again spend our evenings sitting elbow-to-elbow with fellow humans, one of our first stops will be Shoals. From the kind and intentional staff to the expert cocktails and vegan food menu, this Deep Ellum spot has our hearts forever.

As this is written, Rudolph’s is taking call-in orders only, which we’re fine with because it’s good to call anyway. After all, Rudolph’s is a great first place to visit when you’re cooking something that requires a specific cut of meat that may be hard to find. If they don’t have it on hand, they can usually get it for you. And there’s no better bacon than that pepper bacon they have in the cooler.

We appreciate everyone who’s doing curbside pickup these days, and it’s especially smooth and easy at Haute Sweet Patisserie. Order online through Square, select your pickup time and head to the Lake Highlands-area shop at that time. You can’t miss the phone number posted all over the windows: Call, and your sweet treat is handed through your window in a minute.

Chef Tom Fleming is still keeping this Far North Dallas diner running with breakfast items we can’t get enough of. Proper biscuits and gravy, perfectly fluffy pancakes and savory dishes make this menu one that’s good enough for the whole family. It’s a place you can’t over-hype to your friends: It’s consistently a place you’ll want to return to for breakfast and lunch.

This past summer offered a weird season for farmers markets, which normally thrive when stone fruits (peaches, plums, etc.) ripen. But our usual go-to east of White Rock Lake held strong, bringing in the vendors that it could to provide us fresh produce, eggs and meat. Good Local Markets runs this one, which means it’s full of local farmers and artisans.

Owner Suzy Batlle brought her Miami ice cream business to Bishop Arts, and we’re more than grateful to get to experience the Cuban approach to this dessert. Fresh guava makes for ice cream we want more of than we should have, and the regularly rotating menu makes it worth visiting regularly.

This Knox-Henderson wine shop is the perfect place to meet friends on the patio for a glass of wine and a meat board — whenever it’s safe to meet with people. During the pandemic, it’s been a good go-to for ordering our favorite wines. If they don’t have it, see if they’ll bring it in for you — then enjoy a glass from their list on the patio while you’re picking up.

We’ve ordered from countless restaurants for takeout in 2020, and every restaurant using Square is making it easier on us. When you’re craving one particular meal, Square’s user interface is easy and quick to load, and noting the exact time for pickup makes it even better.

Chile peppers are the name of the game at Hunan Bistro, where dishes can be buried in chopped peppers that are the deep, dusky color of a Dallas sunset. But don’t let them intimidate you and don’t be worried by the enormous menu, either. Look for red-braised pork, spicy pig ears and whole fish. If the spice is too much, turn to milder but equally good fare such as pork spare ribs, dry-fried green beans or ultra-savory eggplant. There aren’t many Hunanese restaurants in North Texas, and it’s hard to top the rustic but high-intensity flavors here.

Go for beer, go for pizza, whatever you do, do not go without ordering wings here. You order per wing, each of which is the full cut — no choosing between a flat or drum here. You’ll get the drummette, ringette and tip. The salt and pepper rub is a must with an easy seasoning on the juicy chicken, or go for the classic Buffalo.

This one’s an easy choice: Lá Me has been a long-time favorite for good reason. Even if you take it to go, flavors and textures hold up for meals that are some of our favorites in all of Dallas. Try the shaken beef, any of the vermicelli plates and absolutely the egg rolls. Don’t forget a Vietnamese iced coffee while you wait for your food.

Dallas’ seams aren’t exactly bursting with seafood options, so we certainly celebrate this one that’s constantly good. Fresh items — whether you’re taking from the market or ordering off the takeout or dine-in menu — are what make us come back for more. Take dinner to go or grab some staples like a fish dip to have on-hand at home.

This category is a tough one — salsa for what? Tacos, tamales, chips, eggs? So we looked for something comprehensive: It’s a tossup over whether the red or green salsa is the best here, but this Old East Dallas spot is a go-to for salsa that’s good on so much. It’s made fresh and sold by the pint so you can take it home to last you the week.

A fresh margarita on a spacious, breezy patio is the respite we need. It may be the enchiladas or those margaritas that have you going to José, but for us, it’s mostly that beautiful patio that has us yearning to go back. It’s dog-friendly, the staff is prompt and knowledgeable and the retractable cover offers shade alongside the sound of the fountain in the middle.

As far as taprooms to hang out, Deep Ellum is our go-to with its spacious outdoor seating and reliable brews. The staff is accommodating and friendly, making it a spot to become your home bar if you live in the area. We hear there’s a new chef in the kitchen, too, who’s upping the game on the food menu.

This West Dallas spot has plenty of treats for parents and kids. Next to the parking lot is a grassy area for kids to run around, which means they’re not running among diners who may not have arrived with or ever want to be around kids. There’s pizza for the kids (and adults) but there’s also plenty of wine to choose from. Sounds like a win-win.

The Dallas Farmers Market got a wonderful addition last year in this small place with bright yellow umbrellas out front. Try the fried wontons that have an impressively perfect quail egg inside or the spicier yum woon sen — glass noodles with shrimp, onion, ground chicken, celery, tomato and black mushroom. Flavors here take us straight back to Bangkok, and we love it for that.

We love the barbecue, but this Design District restaurant has fried chicken that outdoes other attempts. As our contributor Chris Wolfgang notes: “It’s a chicken with enough smoke flavor to be noticed, but not so much as to overpower. The crust on Slow Bone’s fried chicken has the perfect amount of crunch, whether you eat it right away or take some to go. In fact, you should order enough to do both.”

Reliable pizza dough, bountiful salads and craving-fulfilling pastas are just what we needed downtown. “When I cook something for you, I want to remind you of your childhood. If you’ve been somewhere and you had a dish, I want this dish to take you back there,” owner Dino Santonicola says. “I’ve got people who drive here from Frisco because they’ve been to Naples, and they had a dish there and say, ‘This is exactly what it tasted like in Naples.’ That’s the best compliment.”

There’s really been no doubt about Knife’s preeminence on Dallas’ overcrowded steak scene since its dry-aging room first filled with cuts of beef in 2014. From the Texas-sourced cuts to the choice each diner can make between “old-school” cooking and “new-school” (which uses sous vide to guarantee temperature), everything about Knife shows a care toward the beef. The restaurant took some major time off in the early months of the coronavirus pandemic, reopening after investing in safety measures. If you don’t have the cash for some of the highest-end steaks here, Knife’s attention to detail also produces some of America’s best cheeseburgers.

Located in a snug space in Deep Ellum’s historic Boyd Hotel, L O C A L takes modern American cuisine and elevates it to the Nth degree. Using each season’s finest quality ingredients, L O C A L gives familiar, comforting food a shiny new finish. Grandma never made short ribs this good, that’s for sure (sorry, Nana). The chef’s tasting menu, which includes seven courses with an option to add complementing wine, is an absolute must-try. Home diners can order online for delivery or curbside pickup, choosing from a top-notch takeaway menu. Sign us up.

Sipping palomas on the expansive patio of Dot’s Hop House & Cocktail Courtyard in Deep Ellum is one of the finer joys in life, especially during fiery Texas summers. And the ooey-gooey, succulent duck fat cheese fries don’t hurt either. They will haunt your dreams in the best way possible. Sadly, Dot’s had to temporarily shutter because of Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order that forced the state’s bars closed. Owner Jeff Brightwell created a video that offers a decent compromise, though, so if you know Abbott, tell him to tune in. Let’s get this virus under control so Dot’s can reopen.

Holy mother of God, this cheese is good. Denton’s Ten : One Artisan Cheese Shop is a true treasure with a stellar selection of fine cheeses from across the globe. Their custom plates would make Wolfgang Puck weak at the knees, hitting all manner of high notes on a diner’s palate. For a steamy date night, order a custom-made cheese board, which boasts a top-notch selection of cheese and fresh bread with accoutrements such as house-made pickles and jam. Also, be sure to tune in sometime to a virtual wine and cheese pairing class conducted by the shop’s staff.

Go for the marinated olives, stay for the tapas and out-of-this-world hummus. Café Izmir reigns supreme as Dallas’ finest noshing spot, taking standard staples from the Mediterranean canon of classic dishes and alchemizing them into mouth-watering pure gold. In addition to the most perfect falafel in the West, they’ve got delicious dolmas and killer kebabs that’ll make your entire year. Oh yeah, and their coconut shrimp is astounding. Seriously, we could go on and on, so it’s best to stop while we’re ahead.