Food & Drink

When she was growing up, there were two versions of chicken-fried steak for chef Jeana Johnson. The upscale version was served at Palestine, Texas’ AAA Restaurant: a gravy-smothered, plate-spanning, deep-fried steak. The everyday chicken-fried steak options were handed through the car window from one of the Dairy Queens in her…

Last night, the team behind the Woolworth in downtown Dallas opened Smithy, a new restaurant on Henderson Avenue. What is Smithy, exactly? Much like just about every restaurant opening right now, its mission statement is ambiguous but filled with trendy buzzwords like “shareable,” “crafted” and “progressive.” Its name comes from…

It’s not every day you come across an “all-you-can-eat” establishment that doesn’t somehow disappoint. Unlimited prime beef brisket? Pork belly? Fish cakes? What’s the catch? At the new Shabro Shabu Shabu in Carrollton’s beloved Koreatown, there fortunately isn’t much of one. Of course, there are general rules to eat by:…

If you can get your hands on them, Victor Smith’s pasta roses are a must-eat at Scarborough Renaissance Festival. Smith, 65, has cooked at the medieval festival — open through May 28 — for more than three decades. Before that, he was an electrician between jobs living in upstate New…

Baseball is back, and with it, Globe Life Park in Arlington is rolling out new ballpark snacks. They’re not quite on the same level as the State Fair of Texas’ annual over-the-top food offerings, but the Rangers have some curious new foods this season. Of all the new ballpark food…

This weekend, Fort Worth got a new bistro, bowling alley and bocce bar when Pinstripes opened Saturday at the Shops at Clearfork. Described in press materials as “an upscale dining and entertainment concept that combines made-from-scratch dishes, a carefully curated wine list and a rotating menu of craft beers with opportunities…

Maybe you’re on the Meatless Monday train, or perhaps you haven’t had pork since the ’90s. Maybe you’re just feeling a bit too overindulged lately and could use a few extra vegetables in your diet. Either way, plant-based vegetarian and vegan restaurants are proliferating across North Texas, so it’s easier…

Ten minutes after sunrise, if you time it right, you’ll hear the freshly ground burger patty hiss-sizzle on the flat grill. You might hear the clatter of metal spoons in coffee or the squawk of knives meeting plates beneath the steak and eggs, but you’re not at an all-night diner…

All-American is a series that looks at beloved, longstanding North Texas eateries and examines their histories while exploring how the food has changed — for the good or bad — over the years. On a bright day, the front door to Benny’s Bagels stays open. It’s afternoon, and a strong…

Gopal Vegetarian Restaurant sits right off State Highway 75 in Richardson and is the definition of a hole in the wall. Open since 1991, it serves South and West Indian food. Gopal is small and clean; there are no more than 12 tables. Ambiance and decorating are clearly not a…

Oh my God. Those were the three words Brent Reaves used to describe the way he felt when his family business — Smokey John’s BBQ — went up in smoke. On Sept. 9, the barbecue joint at 1820 W. Mockingbird Lane caught fire. Brent’s brother and co-owner, Juan Reaves, remembers…

For a restaurant that opened over a decade ago, Nonna still feels like a secret. It hovers on the edges of the spotlight, watching as newer openings and other Dallas favorites steal our attention. Its website hails from an era of the internet when people thought it was a good…

We’re just a couple of weeks away from Iron Fork, the annual Dallas Observer food event that brings together some of Dallas’ best restaurants for a night of food and drink sampling coupled with a live cooking competition. From 7-10 p.m. Wednesday, April 25, Centennial Hall at Fair Park will…

There are four items on the menu at Sky Rocket Burger: A single, double, and triple cheeseburger and a grilled cheese. On Scott and Tio Wagner’s 4-foot griddle, there’s little room for anything else. The restaurant’s walls are have little more than a coat of white paint: Photos of their…

It’s always brunch time at Edith’s French Bistro. That’s all you need to know, right? Edith’s opened last summer in the former Rockfish Seafood Grill space in Mockingbird Station. Edith Ferreyro got her start running an at-home bakery. Trained by a French master pastry chef, she became known for her…