Part of the appeal of Prego's chicken-fried steak masterpiece is that it's not exactly listed on the menu. Prego's is an Italian restaurant at heart, so ordering a secret chicken-fried steak might feel rude. But if Prego's magical 14-ounce New York strip, pounded thin, battered and fried to a golden brown, is wrong, we don't want to be right. The entree swallows both the plate it's served on and the cottage fries beneath it and comes with a side of cream gravy made with drippings of ham roasted earlier in the day.

Jon Alexis already has a full dance card of restaurants in TJ's Seafood, Malibu Poke and Escondido Tex-Mex. But at Ramble Room, Alexis' newest spot in Snider Plaza, the goal was to create a restaurant you go to when you don't feel like going out. The menu is chock-full of smartly executed classics, like fresh made pastas available in half or full orders or an array of steaks, chops and fish dishes that make you feel at home. Plus, the restaurant space is casual and inviting, with top-notch service that doesn't feel overbearing. Ramble Room's menu may not break new creative ground, but sometimes we just want a great meal without the fanfare, and therein lies the Ramble Room's charm.

Be they service charges, credit card processing fees or surreptitious auto-gratuities, the add-ons that appear on more and more restaurant guest checks are a trend that we hope ends sooner rather than later. In Dallas, one restaurant shunned tipping and surcharges seven years ago and hasn't looked back. At Gorji, chef-owner Mansour Gorji did perhaps the unthinkable by raising prices across the menu by about 15 to 20 percent, then began to pay his small staff a living wage. It still works. The steaks and Mediterranean fare make for a delightfully intimate evening without relying on tips to provide the staff with pay and benefits that many of us outside the service industry take for granted.

Coming to Roots Southern Table and skipping the duck-fat fried chicken borders on sacrilege, and chef Tiffany Derry may source the most duck fat of any restaurant in Dallas to keep turning out her showstopper family-sized bowls of succulent fowl. But the truth about Southern cooking is that it's not just grease and fried food. At Roots, fresh seasonal produce is also a star, and as the seasons change, so does Roots' menu. With Derry's restaurant empire continuing to grow, we were concerned that dinner at Roots might suffer. A recent visit has assured us that any concerns were thankfully misplaced.

Dallas loves its steakhouses, and Brass Ram is restaurateur Nick Badovinus' nod to the classic prime rib joint. Opulence abounds, whether it's the luxurious interior full of leather seating, wood tables and mid-century vibes, or the spectacular steaks and chops. The go-to is prime rib, available in 12-ounce normal portions or a behemoth 28-ounce bone-in cut with a behemoth price to match. Or pop into the bar and order the wagyu burger, which comes with bacon, red onion and melty raclette, and a cocktail to go with it. Yes, a meal here is a splurge, but if it's steakhouse style with a modern touch you desire, Brass Ram delivers.

Uptown's Las Palmas has been banging out Tex-Mex favorites for years, and the queso blanco is some of the best in the business. Not content to warm up a bowl of processed cheese, Las Palmas puts some real effort into its concoction. There are layers of flavors here, from slivers of garlic that are sautéed to extract their profiles to the real chunks of peppers that give an acidic bite when one lands on your tongue. The freshly chopped herbs that top each bowl show the level of care that went into the dish. And Las Palmas serves up each bowl with house-fried tortilla chips, plus a salsa verde and a salsa roja that are good enough to stand on their own. Thanks to the decadent queso, they don't have to.

For most Chicagoans, the real go-to Chicago-style pizza is not that thick overly sauced 5-pound slab of overpriced dough called "deep dish" but rather the thin, crispy perfectly topped tavern-style pizza so prevalent in local corner bars. Thankfully, the Dallas area has a few spots serving pizza in this manner, and Louie's is perhaps the oldest and most beloved of the bunch, and understandably so. The pizza bears a rich and complex sauce that you know has been simmering slowly for hours on the back stove. It sits atop a crust that is thin but not overly cooked, with plump, fresh toppings.

Chicago Style Dog's in Garland offers a great dog for those who prefer it to be dragged through the garden and recognize that there is no place for ketchup on a hot dog in polite society. The owners hail from the Chicago area and know how to create a proper dog, starting with Vienna beef and including a poppy seed bun, sport peppers, neon relish, onion, mustard, tomato, pickle and celery salt. It's a handful, it's messy, and includes most of the food pyramid that you can hold in your hands. What more do you want? (Don't say ketchup.)

"As close to a Philly cheesesteak you will find outside Philly" is a common statement on Tripadvisor and Yelp about Steak Me Home Tonight Kitchen, one of the permanent fixtures at the Truck Yard, off Greenville Ave., and we agree. The cheesesteak will set you back about $12 and comes with chips, though we're usually too full to eat those: The Philly is substantial. You can choose from rib-eye, chicken or veggies, and cheese options include provolone, American or Cheese Whiz. If you want the true experience, get rib-eye and Cheese Whiz. Don't try to reinvent the wheel but stock up on plenty of napkins.

Komodo in Dallas offers a Peking duck for $105, but for those wishing to sate a duck craving without having to cash in a savings bond first, we suggest the duck-fried rice at Tomyumkung Thai Café. On the menu it's listed under "Chef specials," and rightfully so. A mere $18 will get you a large plate of perfectly seasoned Thai fried rice topped with what seems like at least half a duck, juicy and tender with wonderfully crispy skin. It is not a skimpy duck serving, and you'll find yourself gnawing on the bones to get every last delectable morsel of meat. Then, with the $80 you saved, go fill up your gas tank or something. You're welcome.